Where there's a will there's a way: Wits School of Mining goes from strength to strength

The Wits School of Mining Engineering, one of the leading mining engineering schools, is on track to deliver its vision of being a leading “research-intensive university in the top 100 world universities by 2022”.

Professor Cuthbert Musingwini, the Head of School at the Wits School of Mining Engineering, which is part of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, has laid out what he considers are the key successes in his annual review.

As the School continues to build on its reputation as a leading mining school internationally, I am excited to report that – despite some challenges faced – the School was able to start delivering on the five Strategic Initiatives adopted for my five-year term from 2015-2019,” he said in the review.

“These initiatives will ensure that the Wits Mining team can deliver excellence in teaching, research and service in line with the Wits Vision 2022 of being “a leading research-intensive university firmly embedded in the top 100 world universities by 2022”.

The Wits School of Mining Engineering currently sits within the top 100 mining schools out of 403 worldwide in the Quacquarelli Symonds 2016 World University Rankings, as well as being the number one mining school in South Africa.

Highlighted in the report is the school’s six newly graduated PhDs and one DEng, the highest merits ever achieved in the school’s history. Some of the research projects completed within these academics include the prediction of mining conditions under increasing temperatures, which is pertinent given mining organisations are digging a little deeper.

As a further sign of a school on the rise, the 2015 final year undergraduate size reached well over 100, the first time this has ever been achieved in the school’s long history.

In a time of challenging climates across the mining industry, Professor Musingwini believes that the Wits School of Mining Engineering will continue to serve the mining industry in South Africa, as well as across the world.

“I have no hesitation in expressing my confidence in the Wits Mining team and their continued commitment to serve our students, industry and the University with distinction,” he said.

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