Transformation of Academic Leadership
Building a Network of Female Academic Leaders
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Who Are We?

FALF seeks to develop a pipeline of South African, African and Africans of mixed ancestry female academic leaders in tertiary institutions (Chancellor’s Fellows).

The Female Academic Leaders Fellowship NPC (FALF) was founded by Dr Judy Dlamini, the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) Chancellor, in 2020. 

FALF seeks to develop a pipeline of South African, African and Africans of mixed ancestry female academic leaders in tertiary institutions (Chancellor’s Fellows). This initiative was informed by the slow racial and gender transformation at leadership level in tertiary institutions nationally, especially when it comes to black females. Out of the 26 Vice Chancellors, only 4 are women; out of 30 Deputy Vice Chancellors, only 12 are women; less than 5% of Professors are black females (MTT Report 2020). FALF’s objectives are the transformation of academic leadership, the contributors to the body of knowledge and the creation of role models and mentors, starting with the University of the Witwatersrand. 

The initiative adds to an existing University Transformation Plan that has been in place for more than ten years at Wits. FALF intends to create a cohort of no less than 100 (One Hundred) Chancellor’s Fellows in the first five years.

The Founding Board of Directors

Statement by the FALF Board

A Message from the Female Academic Leaders Fellowship NPC Board to Stakeholders

As a valued partner to the the Female Academic Leaders Fellowship programme (FALF), we wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and partnership in pursuing our joint commitment to the transformation of our society. As you are aware, FALF was created to contribute to the gender and racial transformation of the academic leadership at our public universities.

In this regard, we wish to inform you that Dr Judy Dlamini our chairperson has taken the responsibility for executive management of FALF. We look forward to strengthening and growing our partnership with you. Since our establishment in 2020, with the support of our funders and university executives, we have supported the professional growth of over 90 female academics with many attributing their successful promotion to senior positions to the support received from the program. We’ll also be launching two research chairs in the next quarter, a GBVF research chair to be hosted at Wits University and a Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion research chair to be hosted at Tshwane University of Technology.

Again, thank you for your continued support and commitment to the gender and racial transformation of our society.

Yours sincerely,

The FALF Board of Directors

FALF Management Staff

Annual Reports

INTERNAL RESEARCH REPORT 2023

This report documents the results of the research study designed to assess the FALF’s impact on and document the fellows’ experiences in their career trajectories.