Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (South Africa)

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is situated in Port Elizabeth South Africa. It views itself as an Engaged and Comprehensive University with an extensive range of Engagement and Outreach initiatives targeted at the various communities that it serves . The University  is a member of the South African Higher Education Community Engagement Forum. Its history dates back to 1882, with the foundation of the Port Elizabeth Art School. More than 25,000 students are enrolled at NMMU each year.

NMMU’s definition of Engagement is as follows:

“Engagement is a reciprocal process of mutual sharing of knowledge, skills and resources between the NMMU and the broader community to enrich scholarship, research;  enhance teaching and learning and creative activity; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; contribute to public good and transformation and to enhance social, economic and ecological sustainability”

The Engagement Information and Development (EID) Unit was formed in 2014 within the Centre for Academic Engagement and Collaboration (CAEC) to facilitate management of the strategic institutional projects related to the advancement of Engagement at NMMU. The unit comprises the following portfolios: Engagement Entities, Engagement Excellence Awards, Engagement Advancement Funding, Engagement Management Information System, and the annual Engagement Colloquium as flagship event for Engagement at NMMU.

Different structures enable the scholarship of engagement at NMMU:
• InnoVenton
• Centre for African Conservation Ecology
• Centre for Expertise in Forecasting
• Centre for Energy Research
• Coastal and Marine Research Unit
• Sustainability Research Unit
• Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Unit
• eNtsa
• Volkswagen Chair of Automotive Engineering
• The Advanced Mechatronic Training Centre
• The General Motors Chair of Mechatronics
• Mathematics and Technology Education Unit
• The Visual Technologies for Social Change Unit
• Unit for Economic Development and Tourism
• HIV and Aids Research Unit
• Centre for Post School Education and Training