New Wits Vice-Chancellor takes the reins on June 1
- By Deborah Minors
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Professor Adam Habib officially takes office as the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University on 1 June 2013. He is an academic, an activist, an administrator - and outspoken. He is a Professor of Political Science and a renowned political media commentator and columnist. He brings to Wits more than 30 years’ academic research, institutional and administration expertise spanning five universities and multiple institutions, boards and task teams. In his Statement of Intent application for the post, Habib wrote that his professional involvement in institutions had always been defined by three distinct engagements: the contest for ideas; their translation into actionable initiatives; and the building of institutions. Habib is currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, Library and Faculty Coordination at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Prior to UJ, he was Executive Director at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and a Research Director on Governance and Democracy. He preceded his HSRC post as Professor in the School of Development Studies at the University of Natal and Research Director at its Centre for Civil Society. Habib was instrumental in transforming the image of UJ (formerly Rand Afrikaans University) from that of a conservative university associated with apartheid into a liberal, progressive one, following nationwide mergers of tertiary institutions in 2005. Habib has since more than doubled the accredited research output at UJ. Wits University’s mandate to develop quality graduates and create knowledge for South Africa and the world inspired Habib’s application for the post of Wits Vice-Chancellor. It’s a mandate he’s eminently equipped to fulfill. He holds qualifications in Political Science from three universities including undergraduate and Masters degrees from the University of Natal, an Honors degree from Wits, and an MPhil and Doctorate from the Graduate School, City University of New York. Transformation, democracy and development are fundamental themes in Habib’s research. In 2007, he supervised a team commissioned to investigate peace initiatives that the United States and European Union (EU) undertook in the Middle East, with a view to advising the South African government. Most recently, he delivered research to the South African Presidency and foreign offices on the impact on political stability and development of the EU’s, USA’s and China’s engagement with Africa. Habib delivered the keynote address at the Worldviews Conference co-hosted by Times Higher Education at the University of Toronto in June 2011, and he has published commentary on the relevance of university rankings (“A League Apart”) in the Times Higher Education supplement. Habib is married to Fatima and they have two sons, Irfan, 17, and Zidaan, 14. Habib enjoys running, ping-pong and TV games with his boys, and lunch with his wife.
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