Tyrone Pretorius Tribute to Tony Monaco

Professor Tyrone Pretorius
Vice Chancellor
University of the Western Cape (South Africa)

I had the privilege to be part of the Talloires International Conference “Live Engagement, Transform Lives” at Spier Conference Centre, Stellenbosch, South Africa in December 2014 as the Rector designate. This was my first exposure to the network and I resonated with the mission and vision of the network “to commitment to the ideals of university community engagement, social service and responsibility, international collaboration, and local collective action to address pressing problems”. It aligned perfectly with the mission and vision of the University of Western Cape as an Engaged institution and I did not hesitate when approached by Lorlene Hoyt during a visit to UWC to join the network.

I am proud that UWC is part of a growing network from twelve engaged members in 2017 to global coalition of over 400 universities committed to work with communities worldwide in strengthening the civic roles and social responsibilities of their institutions. I would like to salute Tony Monaco for his guidance and leadership in steering this network in the creation of a platform for students, academics, their community partners and stakeholders to share and explore best practices, measure impact, demonstrate accountability, reward and support excellence and develop future leaders who will facilitate social justice and equity in our global society. I wish him well with his future endeavors.