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Max Price | |
---|---|
Born | Johannesburg |
Nationality | South African |
Alma mater | University of the Witwatersrand, Oxford University, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine |
Occupation | Former vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town |
Spouse | Deborah Posel |
Children | 2 |
Max Price served as the vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa, succeeding Njabulo Ndebele. He held this position for a decade, from 19 August 2008, until 30 June 2018.
Max Price, a qualified medical doctor, formerly held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand. His academic qualifications include an MBBCh degree from the University of the Witwatersrand (1979), a BA (Hons) PPE from Oxford University (1983), an M.Sc. in Community Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a Diploma in Occupational Health from Wits University. [1]
During his student years, Price served as President of the Student Representative Council at Wits University, [2] during a period marked by student protests in South Africa. He also held an executive position in NUSAS. [3]
During the organization of the first anniversary commemorations of the Soweto Uprising, Price was arrested and detained in solitary confinement for 12 days at John Vorster Square. [4]
Price received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University from 1981 to 1983. [5]
In 1988, Price became part of the newly established Centre for Health Policy in South Africa, which aimed to develop post-apartheid health policies. [6] In 1992, he chaired the first Steering Committee of the National Progressive Primary Health Care Network (NPPHCN) / South African Health and Social Services Organisation (SAHSSO) Policy Conference. [7]
Price holds an h-index of 16 according to Google Scholar. Their body of work spans across various domains including health systems research, political economy of health, health economics and financing, privatisation and medical aids, and medical education, encompassing journal articles, technical papers, and media contributions. [8]
Price served as Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University from 1996 to 2006. In 1997, the Faculty submitted a report to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and conducted an internal reconciliation process, inviting black alumni to share their experiences of medical training during apartheid. [9]
As Dean, Price oversaw several initiatives, [10] including the Internal Reconciliation Commission, the introduction of a graduate entry medical program, and the development of academic programs in rural health, bioethics, sports medicine, emergency medicine, and biomedical sciences. Additionally, Price was instrumental in establishing The Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, the country's first university-owned private teaching hospital, and Wits Health Consortium, the first university research company in South Africa. [11]
In 2004, Price was appointed an Honorary Fellow Ad Eundum of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa in Public Health Medicine. [12] Between 2006 and 2008, Price held a position on the board of directors of the Aurum Institute for Health Research, a non-profit organization focusing on AIDS and tuberculosis research. [13]
Price was installed as vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town (UCT) on 19 August 2008. During his tenure, UCT established several new institutes and initiatives, including the Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking, the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, and the Global Citizen Initiative. [14] During Price's tenure, the institution saw significant growth in research output and impact. The number of peer-reviewed publications increased by 85%, [15] the number of National Research Foundation-rated researchers doubled, [16] [17] and there was a 43% increase in the number of master's and doctoral students. Additionally, the university experienced growth in international student numbers and research collaborations, as well as a threefold increase in research income. [18] [19]
During Price's tenure, the University of Cape Town became the first university on the African continent to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs). [20] The institution consistently ranked among the world's top 200 universities according to the Times Higher Education rankings [21] and was frequently recognized as Africa's top university in various rankings.[ citation needed ]
During Price's tenure, the Vice-Chancellor Strategic Initiatives were launched to address critical national challenges through university-wide, cross-disciplinary research. These initiatives included the African Climate and Development Initiative, the Safety and Violence Initiative, the Poverty and Inequality Initiative, and the Schools Improvement Initiative.
In 2015, Price co-founded and served as the first Chair of the African Research Universities Alliance, [22] which was established to strengthen links between research universities in Africa. He was also a member of the Global Universities Leaders’ Forum of the World Economic Forum [23] and served on the Board of Directors of the Community Organisation Resources Centre (CORC). [24]
Fees Must Fall movement
From 2015 to 2017, the University of Cape Town witnessed a series of student and worker protests that were part of a broader national protest movement. The protests centered around several key issues, including the demand for free education (#FeesMustFall), calls for decolonization and transformation (#RhodesMustFall), and union demands for the re-insourcing of outsourced workers. [25]
During his tenure as vice-chancellor, Price's leadership in addressing the protests received both criticism [26] and praise [27] from various quarters. Some critics accused Price of displaying a "gross lack of leadership," [26] while others [28] questioned the necessity of using private security and police to manage the protests. Price's decisions during this period and their perceived negative impact on the status and functioning of UCT as an institution have been discussed in David Benetar's book, The Fall of the University of Cape Town: Africa's Leading University in Decline. [29]
On a national scale, the #FeesMustFall movement resulted in a government commitment [30] to provide grants to fully fund university education for students from lower-income households (earning below R350,000 annually). At the University of Cape Town (UCT), the movement prompted the removal of the statue of Cecil John Rhodes from its central location on campus. [31] Additionally, the movement led to the insourcing of 1300 workers, [32] including cleaners, drivers, security personnel, and residence kitchen staff, who were previously outsourced. [33]
Recent Memberships
Price assumed the role of Chair of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) Partnership Board from 2014 to 2016 and served as Vice-Chair during the periods of 2013-2014 and 2016-2017. [34]
From 2011 to 2018, Price held a position as a Member of the Council (Governing Body) of the University of Ghana, Legon. [35] Additionally, from 2014 to 2018, he served as a Member of the Global Council of Hanban, the Headquarters of the Confucius Institutes, as one of ten university presidents who constituted its external members. [36]
Price presently serves on a panel of senior external experts chosen for the Expert Commission of Fondation Botnar. [37] [38] This foundation offers funding opportunities for research and innovation aimed at benefiting children and young people.
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The university has its roots in the mining industry, as do Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand in general. Founded in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley, it is the third oldest South African university in continuous operation.
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest university in Sub-Saharan Africa in continuous operation.
SHAWCO, the Students' Health and Welfare Centre's Organization, is a student-run NGO based at the University of Cape Town that seeks to improve the quality of life for individuals in developing communities within the Cape Metropolitan area.
Rosina Mamokgethi Phakeng is a South African professor of mathematics education who in 2018 became a vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town (UCT). She has been the vice principal of research and innovation, at the University of South Africa and acting executive dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology at UNISA. In 2018 she was an invited speaker at the International Congresses of Mathematicians. In February 2023 it was announced that she would leave her position as vice-chancellor of UCT and take early retirement. She was succeeded by Professor Daya Reddy on 13 March 2023
The United Nations Association of South Africa University of Cape Town is an official chapter of the United Nations Association of South Africa (UNASA) and affiliated to the World Federation of United Nations Associations. UNASA UCT is a registered political society at the University of Cape Town. The aim of the society is to work in collaboration with various stakeholders in South Africa to promote and support the goals, vision and principles of the UN and its agencies.
University of Cape Town Libraries is the library system of the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa.
Frances Rix Ames was a South African neurologist, psychiatrist, and human rights activist, best known for leading the medical ethics inquiry into the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, who died from medical neglect after being tortured in police custody. When the South African Medical and Dental Council (SAMDC) declined to discipline the chief district surgeon and his assistant who treated Biko, Ames and a group of five academics and physicians raised funds and fought an eight-year legal battle against the medical establishment. Ames risked her personal safety and academic career in her pursuit of justice, taking the dispute to the South African Supreme Court, where she eventually won the case in 1985.
Bongani Mawethu Mayosi BMedSci, MB ChB, FCP(SA), DPhil, was a South African professor of cardiology He was the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town and an A-rated National Research Foundation researcher. Prior to this, he was head of the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital. his research interests included rheumatic fever, tuberculous pericarditis and cardiomyopathy. He was a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and a former President of the College of Physicians of South Africa and he headed numerous other biomedical organisations during his career.
Rhodes Must Fall was a protest movement that began on 9 March 2015, originally directed against a statue at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that commemorates Cecil Rhodes. The campaign for the statue's removal received global attention and led to a wider movement to "decolonise" education across South Africa. On 9 April 2015, following a UCT Council vote the previous night, the statue was removed.
Chumani Maxwele is a South African political activist best known for his involvement in the Rhodes Must Fall and the #FeesMustFall movements. Maxwele first gained prominence in 2010 after his wrongful arrest and interrogation for allegedly giving an obscene hand gesture to President Jacob Zuma's presidential motorcade convoy in Cape Town city traffic.
#FeesMustFall was a student-led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in South Africa. The goals of the movement were to stop increases in student fees as well as to increase government funding of universities. Protests started at the University of Witwatersrand and spread to the University of Cape Town and Rhodes University before rapidly spreading to other universities across the country. Although initially enjoying significant public support the protest movement started to lose public sympathy when the protests started turning violent.
Precious Moloi-Motsepe is a South African philanthropist and fashion entrepreneur. One of the richest women in South Africa, she started her career as a medical practitioner, specializing in children and women's health. In September 2019 she was elected Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, succeeding Graça Machel, and beginning her ten-year term on 1 January.
Kelly Chibale PhD, MASSAf, FAAS, Fellow of UCT, FRSSAf, FRSC is professor of organic chemistry at the University of Cape Town, and the founder and director of H3D research center and H3D Foundation NPC. In 2018 he was recognised as one of Fortune magazine's top 50 World's Greatest Leaders. His research focuses on drug discovery and the development of tools and models to contribute to improving treatment outcomes in people of African descent or heritage.
Tania S. Douglas was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Research Chair in Biomedical Engineering and Innovation as well as Director of the Medical Imaging Research Unit in the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. She conducted research concerning medical innovation, image analysis, and the development of technologies to improve medical device innovation in South Africa. She was also the founding Editor-in-Chief of Global Health Innovation, a journal which disseminates research results about health innovation in developing settings.
Uyinene "Nene" Mrwetyana was a South African student at the University of Cape Town. On August 24, 2019, she was raped and murdered in the suburb of Claremont, Cape Town. Her murder highlighted the broader national problem of gender based violence and femicide in South Africa, and is credited with "shifting the South African collective consciousness" and "igniting a movement".
The Mafeje affair refers to anti-government protests by South African students in 1968 in response to a decision of the council of the University of Cape Town (UCT) to rescind anthropologist Archie Mafeje's job offer for a senior lecturer position due to pressure from the South African apartheid government. The protests were followed by a nine-day sit-in at the university's administration building.
Deborah Posel is a South African sociologist who is professor emeritus at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She was the founding director of two prominent interdisciplinary research institutes, UCT's Institute for Humanities in Africa and the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research. Her academic interests are primarily in the historical sociology of apartheid and the sociology of post-apartheid South Africa.