Shapeshifting

Through its activities in 2020 as well as the success of our first online conference, HELTASA has proven that it is resilient and relevant in times of crisis, especially where teaching and learning are concerned. As HELTASA grows in profile and membership, it became clear that the shape and fit of the organisation needed to align with its changing role and purview.

If we wish to be a strong voice in the sector, as well as offer collegial support to its members, HELTASA needs to increase its capability and capacity to fulfil these goals. For this reason, HELTASA entered a phase of repurposing and restructuring in early 2021 to expand its leadership capacity to make the HELTASA circle bigger.

During a meeting convened by the HELTASA Executive Committee in January this year, a proposal was tabled to amend section 5 of the Constitution of the HELTASA. This proposal serves to align with the ever-changing Higher Education (HE) landscape and HELTASA’s continued delivery on its mandate as a relevant, responsive and resilient professional entity, which is committed to strengthening HE practice, research and policy.

The growth of the organisation, together with its expanding and shifting role – particularly with how the coronavirus pandemic has affected HE – necessitates repurposing and restructuring the governing structure and governance mechanism to ensure efficacy and sustainability.

The proposed restructure consists of a three-tiered system to collaboratively advance and strengthen the mandate of HELTASA.

• The top tier is the Board for strategic decision making across the wide spectrum of teaching and learning. The Board is ultimately responsible for the governance of the organisation.
• The second tier includes (i) the Higher Education Representative Council with representation from all relevant HE stakeholders and beneficiaries and (ii) the Strategic Partners Council, consisting of national and global partners to provide collaborative discursive platforms and networks on strategic HELTASA and HE matters.
• The third tier is the Coordinating Council, consisting of 10 project managers (three strategic project managers and seven scholarly project managers), the scholarly projects coordinator, the executive administration, the legal manager and the coordinating council coordinator.