Inaugural address / Intreeredes

Abstract

We are very excited to introduce this first publication to you whereby the Potchefstroom Campus is giving recognition to all our professors who delivered an Inaugural Address during 2012. We also try, by means of this publication, to further market our research expertise. An Inaugural Address is a central part of any university’s academic activities and also a celebration of an important milestone in an academic career. The Address provides a platform to share the professor’s work with the broader community and to demonstrate the advantages that research has for the community. Professors provide intellectual leadership to the University and are therefore of cardinal importance to our research effort and specifically with regard to being a research-orientated campus. The success factor for any university that strives to be research oriented is the ability to retain, recruit and support top professors. In this regard we are very successful. We congratulate our professors on their exceptional academic achievements and leadership and passion that they show and promote in their particular disciplines. We would like to make this publication available to our community on an annual basis as we believe it leaves the reader with a positive impression regarding the research expertise of the Potchefstroom Campus. / Ons is baie opgewonde om hierdie eerste publikasie aan julle bekend te stel waarby die NWU-Potchefstroomkampus erkenning verleen aan al ons professore wat gedurende 2012 ʼn Intreerede gelewer het. Ons poog ook om deur middel van hierdie publikasie ons navorsingskundigheid verder te bemark. ʼn Intreerede is ʼn sentrale deel van enige universiteit se akademiese aktiwiteite en ook ʼn feesviering van ʼn belangrike mylpaal in ʼn akademiese loopbaan. Die rede verskaf ʼn platform om die hoogleraar se akademiese werk te deel met die breë gemeenskap en die voordele wat navorsing vir die gemeenskap inhou te demonstreer. Professore verskaf intellektuele leierskap aan die Universiteit en is dus van kardinale belang vir ons navorsingspoging en spesifiek ten opsigte van ons strewe na ʼn Navorsings- gerigte kampus. Die sukses faktor vir enige universiteit wat strewe na navorsingsgerigtheid is die vermoë om top professore te behou, te werf en te ondersteun. In hierdie verband is ons baie suksesvol. Ons wens ons professore geluk met die besondere akademiese prestasies en leierskap en passie wat hulle in die betrokke dissiplines toon en bevorder. Ons wil graag hierdie publikasie op ʼn jaarlikse basis aan ons gemeenskap beskikbaar stel en glo dat dit vir die leser ʼn positiewe indruk laat ten opsigte van die navorsingskundigheid op die NWU-Potchefstroomkampus.