LANDMARK ERA DAWNS FOR SOUTHERN CAPE ECONOMY THROUGH NEW BUSINESS SCHOOL FACILITY IN GEORGE CBD

George, 7 June 2012 - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Business School has unveiled new premises at 72 York Street to serve George, Southern Cape and the Garden Route. The new education and training facilities comprise three lecturing halls, which are equipped with the latest technology, canteen, syndicate room and three offices. 

NMMU Business School celebrated the new facility’s opening with a special unveiling event and industry breakfast attended by the Honorable Mayor Charles Standers, senior representatives from business, industry and government, and NMMU MBA students from the region.

The new facility will be used for the delivery of NMMU Business School’s flagship MBA programme and its  pioneering suite of Council on Higher Education  (CHE) and SETA-accredited management, business and skills programmes; short courses and other executive training programmes. Programmes and courses will be presented on an open public enrolment format (available from the George office or the NMMU Business School’s website) and also in-house delivery of programme to organisations. The new facilities also serve as an information center for prospective students from George and the Southern Cape.

Commenting on the opening, NMMU Business School Director Prof Steve Burgess expressed enthusiasm for the dawning of a new era in management education and lifelong learning in George, which reflects the Business School’s commitment to the region’s businesses, adult learners and public enterprises.

Burgess says, “This is an exciting time.  These new facilities are made possible by the University’s continued investment in the NMMU Business School.  They express the NMMU Vision 2020 mission statement and the importance of the Southern Cape to the University.

“Vision 2020 challenges us to be a new type of higher education institution that breaks the mould. We are driven to find more inclusive and sustainable ways to deliver higher education to the regions and communities we serve. Pursuing that goal, the NMMU Business School is becoming internationally-recognised as a thought leader in emerging markets business, management and research.

“These facilities will open a new window to the world for our students and stakeholders.  They will be able to watch as professors from the world’s leading business schools and executives from some of the world’s top companies share secrets to improve financial and nonfinancial performance, as George executives did last year when we broadcast the European Foundation for Management Development Practice Prize presentations live from overseas.

“With South African-born entrepreneurs in the news for space achievements, who knows, maybe a future Practice Prize winner will come from George!”

The opening of a dedicated presence and employees to serve George and the Southern Cape market stems from an increasing demand in quality education products and programmes and the absence of fully-fledged business school in the city, according to Elsa Myburgh, NMMU Business School George & Southern Office Manager.

She says: “NMMU Business School strives to be the leading authority in cutting-edge and high-quality training and education in George and the Southern Cape. Our vision is to make a meaningful contribution to the local economy, businesses, commerce, industry, government and adult learners through research, education and engagement.

“Our organisational vision is to create leaders who are innovators and independent thinkers empowered to shape the future by directly contributing to economic prosperity, personal wealth, the upliftment of society and sound ecological sustainability practices.”