Dr Dee Pratt

Dr Dee Pratt, Faculty of Arts and Design Research Coordinator, retires from the DUT this year. But Dr Pratt’s association with the institution goes back to 1959, when as a schoolgirl, she won a scholarship to attend art classes at School of Arts and Crafts at City Campus.

Among the many activities of the pupils at the School of Arts and Crafts at the Natal Technical College is that of puppet-making. This picture shows Miss M. Currie (centre) inspecting some of the puppets held by two pupils, Deirdre Pratt (left) and Susan Hemphill.

During her career at the Durban University of Technology, Dr Pratt has made an indelible contribution to the academic community through her work as teacher, supervisor and research leader. She has served as Chair of the Faculty Research Committee and done pioneering work in e-learning.

Dr Dee Pratt and Prof Graham Stewart at a function in her honour at City Campus – 12 November, 2010.





Derek Staniland, the longest-serving academic staff member in the Faculty, provided this photograph of the Natal Technical College staff taken at the time of the 50^th Jubilee in 1957.

Continuous service over 70 years

Albert Nagoor - father of Arts and Design veteran, Reuben Nagoor - began work at City Campus in 1935.

Reuben Nagoor himself has worked here since 1971, in the language laboratory and as audiovisual technical assistant in the faculty. (See photograph of Reuben at the controls in the language laboratory in 1983).

Reuben is also manager of the long-standing City Campus-based community development project, the Rotary eThekwini Academic Support Programme. In the photograph, he is seated 2nd from the right behind the workbench in Room 214 which was then a Physics Laboratory.
In this 1974 photograph, Peter Ring, Head of Electrical Engineering is seated 2nd from the left. Room 214 is now a Graphic Design studio.

1926 saw the completion of the new West Street (Dr Pixley Kaseme Street) block, topped by the bell tower (see picture). The project to erect two new buildings to form a quadrangle behind the original 1910 building was awarded to Ing and Jackson, Architects, in 1925. The estimated cost was 43,995 pounds.

STUDENT FESTIVAL - 100 YEARS CELEBRATIONS

A student festival will take place at the DUT City campus to celebrate its 100 years of existance.  Current students will be show-casing their work and talents in the form of Exhibitions, fashion shows, etc.  All City campus students are welcome to participate in the festival to enjoy the festivities and prize giveaways!
Please send ideas to nomondem@dut.ac.za or birdee@webmail.co.za by no later than 15 September 2010

Are you a former Student or Staff of the City Campus, Formely known as "The Tech"?

The City campus is calling upon former students and staff, who studied and worked between 1910 to date to share experiences and visual images to commemorate 100 years of excellence.  Celebrations are earmarked for November 2010.   Please send your material contributions to nomondem@dut.ac.za / bhekanid@dut.ac.za / robin@dut.ac.za

DUT celebrates 100 years of City Campus in 2010

City Campus Foundation Stone - 1910

The Durban University of Technology (DUT) is proud to announce that it will be celebrating a 100 years of history together with the architectural significance of our City Campus to Durban’s built environment. The building, which is currently used to house DUT’s Faculty of Arts and Design, was initially built for students and staff of the Durban Technical Institute. The building’s foundation stone was laid by the Duke of Connaught on 03 December 1910.
Over the last century, the City Campus has been recognised as one of Durban’s oldest heritage sites displaying as it does, the original architectural design. The building is also listed as a historical monument by eThekwini Municipality and has attracted local and international tourists, struggle heroes and ex-South African citizens.

In celebrating the centenary DUT has embarked on a building restoration project. The first phase of the project will involve the replacement of the entire roof with all ancillary components of the ceilings, electrical and air conditioning installations. During the refurbishment of City Campus, the original architectural significance will be maintained. The project forms part of DUT’s progressive academic and social development goals which are committed to the creation of a learning environment through the provision of safe, modern and technologically advanced facilities for its academic community.

In a recent address to Faculty of Arts and Design, management said the massive revamp and renovation project is reflective of DUT’s commitment to academic excellence, scholarship and the promotion of a conducive learning and teaching environment.

The decision to close the campus during the removal and reconstruction phase was motivated by safety concerns and aims to minimise disruptions to the academic programme. The building restoration project will run from May until August 2010. However, the academic curriculum for 2010 has been designed to accommodate the four month semester break which will also coincide with the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Management said the temporary closure of the faculty is necessary for the urgent replacement of the roof. The City Campus building is valued at around R100 million and is a heritage monument that DUT wants to preserve and showcase to locals and the international community. The renovation will also allow for the replacement of support structures that have never been replaced since the building was first built.

Management has assured staff that this will not affect the academic programme of neighbouring DUT campuses. The university’s academic activity will not be affected by the project as management has engaged in extensive consultation with lecturers who have restructured their syllabuses to ensure all students complete their 2010 academic programme.

The academic calendar for all programmes offered at City Campus will include two semesters, the first semester will commence in January, a month earlier than the University wide programme, ending in April and the second will begin in September ending in December. To ensure minimum disruption to the academic programme for 2010 only contact academic work will be done during the beginning of the year. Students will be given projects to do and communication will be maintained between staff and students via e-mail. Should a need arise for lecturers to meet with their students; support venues at other campuses will be made available.

Academic support will be made available at Steve Biko Campus to ensure off campus management is maintained by the Faculty of Art and Design. Administration and recruitment procedures will also not be disrupted as the office of the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design and the Faculty office will be temporarily relocated to Steve Biko Campus.