UNIVEN-UCLA Partnership Deepens with Delegation Visit: Advancing CAR and SACERT for Student Health, Well-being and Academic Success

The University of Venda (UNIVEN) is currently hosting an international academic delegation from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 17-25 June 2025. This visit, part of the “Cookies and Relationships” (CAR) and “South Africa Sustainable Academic Capacity Building for Excellence in Research Training” (SACERT) collaborative research projects, aims to promote sexual, reproductive, and mental health (SRMH) among university students on campus while strengthening global academic partnerships. The main session of this visit was held at the CHETL Boardroom.

The primary purpose of this visit is to reinforce our long-standing collaboration and to actively support and enhance the visibility, resourcing, and strategic advancement of the CAR and SACERT projects. These initiatives focus on piloting a culturally contextualised health promotion programme to enhance student well-being, reduce risks of sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs), HIV/AIDS, unintended pregnancy, and sexual violence, and improve emotional well-being. The collaboration aligns with UNIVEN’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025, supporting objectives related to student success, curriculum enhancement, research innovation, and international visibility.

The session began with an enthusiastic opening and welcome by Prof Lufuno Makhado, emphasising a spirit of openness and family rather than mere collaboration as he welcomed every participant, especially international guests from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Setting a tone of academic collaboration and shared purpose, Prof Takalani Mashau from the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education (FHSSE) welcomed the UCLA delegation with a thoughtful historical and geographical overview of South Africa. His presentation highlight-ed the evolution of provinces, homelands, and the higher education system. He also traced the development of the University of Venda, from its origins in the former Republic of Venda to its current role as a comprehensive university offering a diverse range of academic programmes.
A remarkable insight followed from Mr Matome Mokoena of the International Relations and Partnership directorate. His remarks highlighted the institutional support behind this im-pactful partnership to the UCLA delegation, highlighting Limpopo as one of the most fer-tile regions globally, known for its healthy, organic food. He encouraged delegates to ex-perience local produce and emphasised the importance of using technology to maintain global collaborations, especially amid funding challenges. He also advocated for initiatives like Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) to foster internationalisation at home for students and closed by celebrating Limpopo, referring to it as “Africa’s Eden.”

Prof Gail Wyatt, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioural Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour Prof Gail Wyatt from UCLA gave an inspiring presentation on the purpose of their vis-it, emphasising the importance of addressing youth relationships, consent education, and mental well-being in higher education settings. Prof Wyatt’s remarks reflected on the deep purpose and legacy of her visit to the University of Venda. She empha-sised the importance of mentoring, building long-term partnerships, and empower-ing scholars, particularly people of colour, through knowledge, research, and shared experience. She spoke of creating safe, inclusive spaces for learning and collaboration: “We invited them into our bubble, we pretty much keep out the negative, keep the positive, let people know how to do things, how to get ahead.” She further emphasised that this underscored a continued commitment to nurturing transformative education and mental health awareness through collaborative global efforts.
Prof Michele Cooley-Strickland, Clinical Psychologist and Project Scientist in the Department o Psychiatry and Biobehavioural Sciences at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine The session progressed with a comprehensive presentation of the CAR project by Prof Michele Cooley-Strickland (UCLA), who engaged the audience in insightful discussion and strategic plan-ning.
Prof Michele Cooley-Strickland’s deeply personal presentation highlighted the importance of education in sexual, reproductive, and mental health as a foundation for student well-be-ing and academic success. Drawing from her own ancestry and experience, she emphasised the need for culturally sensitive interventions that empower both male and female students to build healthy relationships and prevent sexual violence. She introduced the collaborative “Cookies, Relationships, Education, and Well-being (CRU)” programme between UCLA and the University of Venda, aimed at reducing risks related to STIs, HIV, unintended pregnancy, and gender-based violence while enhancing emotional wellness. “Education is the key; it is liberating,” she said, reinforcing that understanding one’s roots and fostering respectful, informed relationships are essential to transforming lives and communities.
She outlined the CAR programme as an interactive, culturally adapted intervention aimed at improving UNIVEN students’ sexual, mental, and interpersonal health. “You have to know how to communicate with other people, not just in a roman-tic relationship,” she emphasised, highlighting the programme’s focus on building communication and self-esteem. She noted that the programme is rooted in collaboration, stating, “We are in a rhythm,” referring to regular cross-continental planning meetings.
The Head of Academic Development Unit, Dr Fhatuwani Ravhuhali expressed heartfelt grati-tude to the visiting UCLA team and reflected deeply on the relevance of the CAR proj-ect, saying, “Everything about this project involves what Dr Pila-Nemutandani is trying to do at our university.” He emphasised that sexual and mental health are central to stu-dent success, questioning, “How do we enhance teaching and learning if these issues are not addressed?” Drawing from his role in academic development, he stressed the impor-tance of student well-being, especially during the vulnerable transition into university life, warning that higher education spaces can be “very dangerous” without proper support.

Dr Refilwe Pila-Nemutandani expressed enthusiasm about the project’s relevance, not-ing, “I am already imagining how we may fit in, and I am quite excited.” She highlight-ed pressing student issues such as identity loss, sexual health, and emotional dis-tress, linking them to cultural expectations and survival struggles. Overall, she saw the project as a vital step toward developing well-rounded, emotionally intelligent graduates.
Funded by the Global Health Seed Grant Programme, the CAR project adapts a preventive intervention piloted at UCLA for UNIVEN students. It includes train-ing junior investigators and fostering a multidisciplinary approach involving medicine, psychology, and nursing. This collaboration enhances UNIVEN’s inter-national reputation and supports long-term research and mentorship goals.

A great turnout turned to the SACERT Project, with Professors Gail Wyatt and Angie Ma-phula outlining the project’s vision to reduce trauma and violence through structured cam-pus-based programmes. The SACERT project provides multidisciplinary training, mentor-ship, and research support for emerging South African scholars. While the SACERT-Learning Collaborative and Integrated Measures Bank (IMB) strengthen research infrastruc-ture through shared resources, collaborative learning, and capacity-building, particular-ly among historically disadvantaged institutions, via an open-access, evolving online platform.
This was followed by impactful reflections from Dr Sinah Sekhula of the Directorate of Re-search and Innovation, as she was highlighting the value of strong, long-term research partner-ships. She also emphasised the importance of collaboration in securing funding, noting, “Only through this kind of engagement can we give the kind of support that is required by faculties.”
Prof Lufuno Makhado added, stressing the urgency of collaborative efforts to tack-le deep-rooted student challenges, stating, “Let it start now, for us to understand how deep those challenges are, and then how best can we address them.” He highlighted fi-nancial hardship as a core issue in postgraduate success. He also warned against produc-ing graduates without the right values and morals, saying, “They will have the certificate, but will they have the behaviour, values and morals necessary to see us moving forward?.”

The session concluded with a vote of thanks from Prof Lutendo Murulana, express-ing deep appreciation to all participants, especially the U.S. delegation, for their im-pactful contributions and years of dedication to the project. He highlighted the in-sightful presentations on mental health, well-being, and education, and acknowledged the powerful reminder that “education is a gift of life.” He also celebrated the suc-cess of the SACERT project and its beneficiaries, noting its alignment with the univer-sity’s strategic goals and its transformative impact on student well-being and success.
A campus tour led by Prof Lufuno Makhado provided the visiting delegation with firsthand in-sight into UNIVEN’s facilities and student environment. The UCLA visit marked a significant step toward innovative health promotion and global academic collaboration at UNIVEN.

Issued by:
Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication
University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868