Dear Commons Community,

Yesterday was Election Day in South Africa and a national holiday. The University was closed as were most stores.  South Africans have a reputation for being very hospitable and welcoming to visitors and guests.  I spent the morning and had lunch with Dr. Gerhard de Plessis at his home in Potchefstroom where he hosted a barbecue for me and six of his colleagues.  There was a fine mix of excellent food, wine, and stimulating conversation about a variety of topics including higher education in our two countries, technology, and traveling.  A most pleasant morning and afternoon.

In the later afternoon, I met with Dr. Martin Oosthuizen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, and we discussed his plans for integrating technology into the academic programs at North-West University.

In the evening, I traveled to Parys where I had dinner with two young faculty, Chrisna Botha and Werner Ravyse, who will be getting married next week. Chrisna is a faculty member in the Sports Nutrition Program and Werner is the program manager of North-West University’s Serious Games Institute.  Both of them are enthusiastic educators who represent North-West University well.

Thank you Gerhard and Martin and congratulations to Chrisna and Werner on their upcoming nuptials.

Tony