To what degree have our universities, stabilised, matured and reoriented themselves towards a fundamentally altered world harbouring vastly dissimilar educational anticipations? The composition of our institutions, in terms of racial representation among both students and, to a lesser degree, lecturers, exhibits the external indicators of transformation. However, the extent to which deep and meaningful change has occurred remains questionable. As we venture into an uncertain and ambiguous future, and the opportunities we face, it is crucial to examine whether our universities are indeed on a transformative trajectory or not.

Exploring these issues will be Prof Barney Pityana, former Vice-Chancellor of UNISA (and former Chair of what is now USAf).