Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Agriculture Welcomes New Honours Cohort at UNIVEN

The Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Agriculture at the University of Venda (UNIVEN) recently hosted a successful induction event for its 2025 Honours cohort at the 2Ten Hotel, EMM Convention Centre. The event welcomed 103 first-time Honours students, alongside faculty staff and representatives from key university directorates, including the Library, CHETL, Student Affairs, and Research and Innovation.
The induction programme began with a warm welcome from Prof Lutendo Muru-lana, Deputy Dean of Research and Postgraduate Studies. He outlined the event’s objectives: to provide critical information about the Honours programme, en-hance students’ academic and research skills, track academic progress, and in-troduce support services. The event also served as a platform for students to en-gage with various university structures and address potential academic challenges.
Several university directorates shared informative presenta-tions on the resources and services available to Honours students:
Ms Nare Ramaboea, a faculty librarian, demonstrated how to access academ-ic resources via the university’s online databases and explained how to cre-ate a library account. Ms Ivy Khangale introduced upcoming training on refer-encing, Turnitin, navigating databases, and using EndNote. Ms Khathutshelo Phadziri presented the new Scholarly Communications and Research Support Unit, which assists with literature reviews, data management, and open-access publishing.
Mr Andisani Mathelemusa, Head of Student Governance, outlined the ser-vices offered by Student Affairs, including sports, housing, and student gover-nance. He encouraged students to engage in extracurricular activities and highlight-ed the eligibility of Honours students (excluding PGCE) to participate in SRC elections.
Dr Refilwe Pila-Nemutandani from CHETL delivered a session focused on stu-dent well-being, using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a framework. She intro-duced the services of the Student Counselling and Career Development Unit (SC-CDU), which supports psychological wellness, career readiness, and job placement.

Prof Pascal Blessong emphasised the importance of effective time management. He shared actionable strategies such as setting goals, prioritising tasks, and avoid-ing procrastination, given the compressed timeline of the Honours programme.
Prof Michael Chimonyo stressed the need for strong student-supervisor relation-ships, advising on clear communication, mutual expectations, and conflict resolution.

Prof Ntakadzeni Madala reflected on his own academic journey, encouraging stu-dents to begin their research early, read extensively, and engage with peers. He empha-sised the dual development of technical expertise and soft skills during the Honours year.
Ms Livhuwani Nemaangani from the Directorate of Research and Innovation high-lighted the importance of ethical research practices and timely submission of eth-ics applications. She introduced key units including Research Coordination, Post-graduate Studies, and the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP).

Prof Murulana concluded by outlining expectations for Honours students, including su-pervisor assignment, research planning, and ethics clearance. He provided a break-down of the 120-credit Honours structure, which includes a 30-credit research project.
Mrs Julia. Sigama, Faculty Manager, facilitated a discussion on student challeng-es. Students raised concerns such as limited computing resources, balancing course-work with research, financial constraints, and access to specialised laboratories. The session provided valuable feedback for the faculty to improve student support.

The induction event successfully equipped students with the knowledge, tools, and connections needed for their academic journey. Emphasising collabora-tion, support systems, and effective time management, the day set a strong foundation for a successful and enriching Honours experience at UNIVEN.

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Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication
University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868 1811