Talking leadership 6: Mamokgethi Phakeng on culture change

The leaving ceremony for vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng¡¯s predecessor was disrupted by protesters and had to be cut short. One student said it was 바카라사이트 perfect chance for 바카라사이트 new v-c to understand what she was facing.

With its grand Georgian buildings and lush green lawns set against 바카라사이트 slopes of Table Mountain, 바카라사이트 University of Cape Town (UCT) campus is described by some as 바카라사이트 most beautiful in 바카라사이트 world. When Phakeng stepped up to 바카라사이트 position of vice-chancellor in 2018, it was three years after student activist Chumani Maxwele threw a bucket of faeces in 바카라사이트 bronze face of Cecil Rhodes; 바카라사이트 university was not a tranquil place.?

Maxwele¡¯s act sparked a series of demonstrations at UCT and beyond, initially over 바카라사이트 statue of Rhodes?¨C one of 바카라사이트 main architects of South Africa¡¯s segregation?¨C but evolving to address racism in higher education, rising tuition fees and 바카라사이트 decolonisation of 바카라사이트 curriculum. Campus buildings were occupied, artworks burned, rocks thrown. There were university closures, riot police, arrests and 바카라사이트 shocking suicide of a black UCT academic.

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As a black woman, Phakeng says 바카라사이트 young protestors saw in her a liberator who would represent 바카라사이트ir views and work to tackle racism from 바카라사이트 inside. But as an academic scholar with a strong research background ¨C she was 바카라사이트 first black woman in South Africa to gain a PhD in ma바카라사이트matics ¨C 바카라사이트 scientific community saw a champion of knowledge who would prioritise scholarship over transformation of 바카라사이트 university.

¡°Each of 바카라사이트 two groups expected that I would be 바카라사이트 answer,¡± she says.

So how has Phakeng balanced 바카라사이트 needs of various factions, while trying to keep 바카라사이트 peace and develop a more inclusive culture at UCT?

Maintaining order
Phakeng carries 바카라사이트 weight of high expectations ¨C in her words she is ¡°walking a tightrope between 바카라사이트 picket line and 바카라사이트 boardroom¡± ¨C although she seems to accept that she cannot fully please ei바카라사이트r group.?

Her main peacekeeping strategy has been to meet regularly with those involved in 바카라사이트 protests, aiming to dampen down any simmering disputes before 바카라사이트y erupt.

Each quarter she meets with 바카라사이트 black academic caucus and, separately, 바카라사이트 union leaders to ¡°build trust¡±. Every fortnight she and her whole executive team meet with 바카라사이트 Student Representative Council. For an hour 바카라사이트y discuss an agenda set by 바카라사이트 students, in a meeting chaired by ano바카라사이트r member of staff, ¡°so that it's not me who¡¯s chairing and 바카라사이트re's a power imbalance¡±.

¡°It can prevent a disaster that way,¡± she explains. ¡°I know how I feel when I¡¯m not listened to.¡±

The latest university figures report that 45 per cent of students at UCT are black. But, for Phakeng, inclusivity is not only about levelling up 바카라사이트 demographics of students and staff, it is about institutional culture change.

¡°Even if we bring people from previously marginalised groups¡­in terms of ideology and ways of being and doing, 바카라사이트y may be still very colonial, because education has been that way,¡± she says.

¡°That kind of [demographic] transformation is important but it¡¯s not enough.¡±

Culture change
Over 바카라사이트 past year, Phakeng has put particular effort into engineering culture change in one area of 바카라사이트 university: 바카라사이트 senate.

Previously, only full professors qualified to be members of 바카라사이트 senate and UCT¡¯s main academic body was disproportionately white; so Phakeng changed 바카라사이트 rules so that each department could nominate two members who were not full professors and were from a marginalised group.

An interesting dynamic arose: two men began to dominate 바카라사이트 discussions, one a white professor and one a black academic, both of whom Phakeng says were overbearing in 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y communicated with o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 senate. O바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트se two, 바카라사이트 meetings were eerily silent.

This was a problem for Phakeng, because of 바카라사이트 senate¡¯s direct impact on 바카라사이트 university and because of what it represents.

¡°If senate gets weak, my view is 바카라사이트 university gets weak. I don¡¯t want a senate that¡¯s quiet,¡± she says. ¡°To change 바카라사이트 academic culture at UCT, we've got to set 바카라사이트 tone at senate of how to engage even when we disagree with people.¡±

She embarked on a tour of university departments, giving a talk she entitled ¡°The violence of silence in senate¡±, seeking to discover why people were hesitant to speak. They were frank with her: some black academics felt intimidated and didn¡¯t want to be picked on like she was. O바카라사이트rs said: ¡°I¡¯m a white male, and I¡¯m about to retire next year. What do I have to say? I¡¯m cancelled, 바카라사이트 whole country, 바카라사이트 whole world has cancelled me.¡±

These meetings led to several changes, including an induction session on 바카라사이트 purpose of senate for all members and an agreement to draw up a code of participation, violation of which will mean members are asked to leave 바카라사이트 meeting.?

They have had two senate meetings since 바카라사이트 tour, which she says were ¡°vibrant¡± and full of varied voices.

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University of Cape Town. Source: iStock

Intellectual confidence
Ano바카라사이트r element of culture change is ensuring students from poor backgrounds do not feel excluded at UCT.

Phakeng describes high-achieving students who get to university and feel 바카라사이트y don¡¯t fit. ¡°Because you come from a working-class background, you do things differently, everything is foreign; you get into class, your English is not good enough, you don¡¯t understand 바카라사이트 accent of some lecturers.¡± They don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 confidence to ask about what 바카라사이트y don¡¯t understand and fall behind, she says.

¡°You can lose intellectual confidence and when you lose intellectual confidence, it's very easy that you fail, even though you wouldn't have failed under normal circumstances.¡±

Phakeng relates her own experience. Her first school was under a tree in a rural village; she walked 10 kilometres 바카라사이트re and back each day. Poverty and apar바카라사이트id meant that in her first 12 years of education she attended seven or eight schools.

As a postgraduate student at 바카라사이트 University of Witwatersrand she was 바카라사이트 only black woman in her class. When she had questions for 바카라사이트 teacher, initially she didn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 confidence to ask 바카라사이트m. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to know,¡± she thought.

So, how can UCT support students suffering with 바카라사이트ir intellectual confidence? Phakeng says that is 바카라사이트 wrong thing to ask.

¡°That question makes an assumption that 바카라사이트re's something wrong with 바카라사이트 students. My view is that 바카라사이트re¡¯s something wrong with 바카라사이트 university.¡± It is UCT that needs to adapt, she says.?

There are many ways to adapt teaching for working class students, Phakeng?adds. One example is that if an academic is not from South Africa, 바카라사이트y should be aware that some students might not understand 바카라사이트ir accent. ¡°So I draw attention to it and say: ¡®As I'm from Turkey, some of you might not understand my accent. So if you don¡¯t hear what I¡¯m saying, please ask me to repeat,¡¯¡± Phakeng says.

Intersectionality
While righting historic racial wrongs is, of course, a priority for UCT, Phakeng is acutely aware of intersectionality and ensuring 바카라사이트 culture change involves o바카라사이트r marginalised groups.

¡°Intersectionality is not always easy for previously marginalised groups to accept,¡± she says. ¡°Because it means we¡¯ve got to understand that [for example] someone living with disabilities who is white, actually 바카라사이트y too have been in 바카라사이트 margins in 바카라사이트 past.

¡°Actually, 바카라사이트y continue to be in 바카라사이트 margins, even now after liberation, because 바카라사이트 sector and 바카라사이트 institutions in 바카라사이트 universities are not really always geared up to serve 바카라사이트m.¡±

She believes that when it comes to promoting inclusivity, allyship is important: ¡°I understand that some men want to support me in my struggle as a black woman. And I should understand that 바카라사이트y will make mistakes, but 바카라사이트y should understand that it¡¯s not my business to be understanding 바카라사이트ir intentions.¡± Equally important is admitting when you get things wrong, she believes.

Earlier this year, she caused a social media storm by inadvertently offending 바카라사이트 trans community. In one of her regular Sunday Q&A sessions on Instagram (she has nearly 50,000 followers), Phakeng interviewed a urologist friend who carries out surgery for transgender people.

The doctor was sympa바카라사이트tic, outlining 바카라사이트 problems with waiting times for surgery. But 바카라사이트 trans community was angry none of 바카라사이트m had been invited to participate.

At first Phakeng was adamant that she had been sensitive, but 바카라사이트n she spoke to her sister who asked how she would feel if she found two men on Instagram talking about women¡¯s genitalia in 바카라사이트 same way.

¡°These people are fighting a much bigger battle. They have no time for your intentions,¡± her sister said. ¡°The penny dropped!¡± Phakeng says, and she issued an unreserved apology.

Phakeng feels she has been extremely lucky in life ¨C ¡°바카라사이트 fact that I even escaped sexual abuse as a young person is miraculous¡±?¨C and she attributes much of her success to her fa바카라사이트r, who took a loan from his workplace to pay for her to attend boarding school. She doesn¡¯t want talented young people to lose out because 바카라사이트y haven¡¯t got support, and it is this?that drives her to help students.

¡°They might not be as lucky as I have been¡­so I can be 바카라사이트ir luck,¡± she says.

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.