Women of NWU: Shaping the Present, Inspiring the Future
- Karen Scheepers
- Aug 28
- 6 min read
At the North-West University (NWU), the presence of women is not only visible but deeply influential. Their contributions extend from classrooms to laboratories, from leadership offices to community spaces, and from local engagements to international forums. This Women’s Month, the university’s recognition of women highlights the diverse ways in which they shape the institution, their communities, and the wider world.
Women at NWU are not celebrated only for their achievements but also for their resilience, compassion, and authenticity. The focus extends beyond accolades to the invisible labour of balancing careers, families, research, and personal growth. It recognises the consistency of effort, the commitment to mentorship, and the ability to nurture progress across multiple spheres.
Importantly, NWU’s emphasis on women’s empowerment is not confined to August. It is embedded in policies, programmes, and cultural practices throughout the year. From nurturing women in leadership roles, to advancing research in critical areas such as food security and health, to encouraging participation in international collaborations, NWU demonstrates a sustained commitment to ensuring that women are not only included but central to its mission.
Women in Leadership and Representation
One of the clearest demonstrations of empowerment at NWU is the increasing visibility of women in leadership. Across faculties and departments, women occupy roles that require decision-making, direction, and influence. Their presence reflects the university’s recognition that representation matters and that leadership is strengthened by diverse voices.
Leadership at NWU is not portrayed as a competition for titles but as an opportunity to lead authentically and inclusively. Women are acknowledged not only for what they achieve but also for how they approach leadership, with empathy, adaptability, and a focus on uplifting others. The symbolism embedded in faculty celebrations, such as the act of wearing colourful headscarves to signify unity and respect, reinforces the idea that leadership is rooted in cultural acknowledgement and shared identity.
Representation in leadership also extends beyond formal roles. Many women at NWU provide direction through mentorship, committee participation, and research guidance. Their leadership is as much about influencing decisions as it is about shaping institutional culture, ensuring that women’s contributions are acknowledged in both visible and subtle forms.
Celebrating Strength, Compassion, and Authenticity
The celebration of women’s roles at NWU has also highlighted values that underpin empowerment: strength, compassion, and authenticity. These qualities are not viewed as soft skills but as vital attributes that shape effective leadership and sustainable community building.
Events hosted across campuses emphasised the importance of authenticity in a world that often rewards conformity. Women were encouraged to embrace their identities, imperfections, and values as sources of power. By prioritising authenticity, the focus shifts from external validation to inner strength, creating environments where women feel encouraged to lead with confidence.
The celebrations also underscored the role of compassion in leadership. Women at NWU are seen as balancing multiple roles while continuing to support colleagues, students, and communities. Their ability to hold together professional demands and personal responsibilities is recognised as a strength that sustains institutions. Compassion is viewed not as a weakness but as a form of resilience that enables women to create meaningful connections and drive transformation.
Strength is further expressed in the willingness to navigate challenges without compromising identity. Whether in research, teaching, or administration, women at NWU demonstrate the capacity to balance pressures while maintaining a clear focus on contribution and progress.
Women in Research and Global Impact
Research is one of the strongest indicators of NWU’s commitment to women’s empowerment. Women researchers are leading projects in areas of national and global importance, including education, climate resilience, community health, food security, and language development. Their work demonstrates not only technical expertise but also a commitment to addressing challenges that impact society at large.
The diversity of research areas led by women reflects NWU’s strength as a multidisciplinary institution. Some focus on advancing innovations in health sciences, particularly in nursing and neonatal care, while others concentrate on improving resilience in agriculture, or exploring cultural and linguistic dynamics in diverse communities. Their collective output illustrates how women’s research is not confined to one discipline but is spread across fields that are vital to development.
The international recognition of women at NWU further underscores their impact. Appointments to global committees, such as participation in the Newborn Brain Society, ensure that the voices of African professionals contribute to global conversations. These roles highlight how women researchers act as translators of evidence across contexts, ensuring that insights from the Global South influence international policies and practices.
By contributing both locally and globally, NWU women reaffirm the role of research as a vehicle for empowerment. They demonstrate that solutions can emerge from Africa and that South African women researchers are capable of shaping practices on the world stage.
Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing Beyond Borders
The role of NWU women extends beyond research and into collaborative international platforms. Invitations to participate in global events, such as educational hackathons, provide women with opportunities to engage in cross-cultural knowledge exchange. These platforms encourage the co-creation of solutions to pressing challenges in education, inclusivity, and study success.
Such collaborations demonstrate that empowerment is not only about individual progress but also about collective advancement. By working alongside peers from different countries, NWU women bring their unique perspectives to global discussions while simultaneously drawing inspiration from others. Their involvement positions the university as a hub of innovation and strengthens South Africa’s contribution to international debates.
Importantly, participation in these events creates visible role models. For younger students and early-career academics, seeing women represent NWU abroad reinforces the message that academic careers can extend beyond borders. It provides tangible proof that leadership and expertise are recognised internationally, and that the university values the professional growth of its women academics and staff.
Everyday Excellence and Community Impact
While leadership positions and international recognition capture headlines, NWU also places emphasis on everyday excellence. This perspective acknowledges the contributions of women who ensure that the institution functions effectively on a daily basis.
Administrative staff who manage complex processes, lecturers who devote themselves to both teaching and mentorship, and postgraduate students who balance academic and personal responsibilities all contribute to the university’s success. Their efforts may not always be highly visible, but they represent the backbone of the institution.
By acknowledging everyday excellence, NWU ensures that empowerment is not defined only by extraordinary achievements. Instead, it is viewed as the sum of consistent and meaningful contributions. This inclusive understanding makes space for women across roles and disciplines to feel recognised and valued.
Community engagement further expands the scope of women’s impact. Many NWU women actively participate in outreach projects, addressing local needs in areas such as health, education, and development. Their involvement bridges the gap between academic knowledge and societal needs, ensuring that empowerment is not confined to university grounds but extends to surrounding communities.
Diversity and Shared Identity
Another key dimension of women’s empowerment at NWU is its emphasis on diversity. Women at the university represent a wide range of cultures, traditions, and family backgrounds. Rather than being defined by these differences, they are united by shared identity and collective purpose.
The symbolism of standing together across lines of race, culture, and circumstance reflects a deeper truth: empowerment is strengthened when diversity is embraced. NWU acknowledges this by fostering spaces where women from varied backgrounds can collaborate, support one another, and celebrate their differences as strengths.
This recognition is particularly important in a South African context, where historical inequalities have shaped opportunities for women. By embracing diversity as central to empowerment, NWU contributes to the broader national project of inclusivity and transformation.
Beyond Women’s Month: Sustaining Empowerment
While August provides a focal point for recognition, NWU positions women’s empowerment as a continuous process. The university acknowledges that challenges remain, including achieving full gender parity in leadership, balancing family responsibilities with professional demands, and ensuring equitable access to research resources.
Addressing these challenges requires policies that go beyond symbolic gestures. It involves mentorship programmes that support young women scholars, leadership training that prepares women for executive roles, and research funding that ensures women have equal opportunities to pursue projects of significance.
The institution’s year-round commitment signals that empowerment is not an event but an embedded practice. By aligning policies with lived experiences, NWU aims to create an environment where women feel supported at every stage of their academic and professional journeys.
Final Note
As Women’s Month concludes, the stories of women at NWU reveal an institution shaped by resilience, compassion, innovation, and leadership. The celebration is more than symbolic—it reflects a sustained commitment to ensuring that women’s voices, talents, and contributions are central to the university’s identity.
Women at NWU are not only advancing their fields of research and leadership but are also influencing communities and global conversations. Their strength lies not in isolated achievements but in their collective ability to inspire, support, and redefine possibilities.
By embedding empowerment into its daily practices, NWU ensures that recognition of women is not confined to a single month. Instead, it builds a lasting legacy of inclusion, opportunity, and transformation. This legacy stands as both a recognition of progress and an invitation for future generations of women to continue shaping the future with courage and authenticity.
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