Rand Afrikaans University
Coordinates: 26°11′0″S 27°59′56″E / 26.18333°S 27.99889°E
The Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) was a prominent South African institution of higher education and research that served the greater Johannesburg area and surrounds in from 1967 to 2004. It has since merged with the now defunct Technikon Witwatersrand and Vista University to form the University of Johannesburg.
Origins
On 5 November 1968, 468 delegates at a conference unanimously accepted a motion to establish an Afrikaans University. An act of Parliament was promulgated on 4 August 1965 to establish such a university in Johannesburg. Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) was founded as an Afrikaans language university in 1967 with just over 700 registered students. The first campus was situated in a brewery in Braamfontein. The RAU was officially opened on the 24th of February 1968. The first chancellor of the University was Dr Nicolaas Diederichs (then Minister of Finance of South Africa) and the first rector was Prof Gerrit Viljoen.
Over time the university evolved to a dual medium institution, offering nearly all degree courses in both Afrikaans and English.
Faculties
The faculties of the RAU were as follows:
- Faculty of Commerce and Economics
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Health Sciences
Location
What was the main campus is now the APK Kingsway Campus Auckland Park of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and is situated in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa. Satellite campuses in Auckland Park, Soweto and Doornfontein are now APB, DFC and SWC campuses of UJ.
Merger
On 1 January 2005, RAU, Technikon Witwatersrand ceased to exist as such, when its campus and some campuses of the now defunct Vista University merged to become the University of Johannesburg. The outgoing and final vice chancellor of the University was Prof Roux Botha.
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