Tawana Kupe is a Zimbabwean academic. He was the vice-chancellor of the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Prior to this appointment he held several senior positions at the

University of Witwatersrand 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 ...

, including deputy vice-chancellor and vice-principal, where he also founded the Media Studies Department. He also lectured at

Rhodes University Rhodes University () is a public research university located in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the prov ...

. Before Rhodes, he worked in various academic capacities at the

University of Zimbabwe The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the Univers ...

Life

Professor Kupe served as the executive dean of the Wits Faculty of Humanities for six years, between January 2007 and December 2012, after serving as the head of the then Wits School of Literature and Language Studies, and the founding Head of the Media Studies Department. Prior to joining Wits, Professor Kupe lectured at Rhodes University between 1999 and 2001. He joined Rhodes from the University of Zimbabwe, where he worked in various academic capacities from 1988, including as chairperson of the Department of English, Media and Communication Studies. He was announced as vice-chancellor in November 2018, replacing Cheryl de la Rey. Professor Kupe holds a BA Honours degree and Masters in English from the University of Zimbabwe, as well as a DPhil in Media Studies from the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

in Norway. In December 2019, Professor Kupe was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in humanities by

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

(MSU) and by the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier () is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous opera ...

. Kupe was named a Knight of the French Legion of Honour for his contributions to interdisciplinary research and academic collaboration. University council announced Kupe's resignation from his position as vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Pretoria, effective July 2023.

Controversy

In June 2023 Kupe unexpectedly resigned from his post as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Pretoria, 6 months before the end of his term. Local media reported that he had recently been cleared of sexual harassment allegations. It was subsequently revealed that Kupe had previously been found guilty of sexual harassment at the University of the Witwatersrand where he was given a final written warning.

Current positions

* Chairperson for Africa – Australia-Africa Universities Network (AAUN), (2019-)

Former positions

* Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-Principal – University of the Witwatersrand * Vice-Chancellor and Principal – University of Pretoria, South Africa (2019- 2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kupe, Tawana Vice-chancellors of the University of Pretoria Academic staff of the University of Pretoria University of Zimbabwe alumni Living people Academic staff of the University of the Witwatersrand Academic staff of Rhodes University Year of birth missing (living people) 1960s births