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Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Bureau
Midlands State University (MSU) plans to enrol more than 60 000 students in the next five years, up from the current 22 000.

Speaking during the institution’s 2017 graduation ceremony on Saturday, MSU acting Vice Chancellor Professor Victor Muzvidziwa said the tertiary institution was fast developing and would have the capacity to enrol 60 000 students.

Prof Muzvidziwa said the institution’s development and growth strategy is grounded in both Zim-Asset’s philosophy and the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) thrust.

“Today MSU has over 22 000 registered students.

“We want to increase our student enrolment to 60 000 within the next five years.

“All our achievements and future plans as the leading institution of higher learning are informed by our dynamic strategic planning, which is aimed at contributing to the industrialisation and modernisation of our national economy.

“Our strategic plan is development-oriented and focuses on key issues such as research and innovation, industrialisation and modernisation and poverty alleviation.

“Our strategic plan is informed by the Zim-Asset philosophy, as well as the STEM thrust with its need for equipment acquisition and other initiatives,” he said.

Prof Muzvidziwa said MSU has plans of opening a new campus in Kwekwe, which will house faculties of Law, Natural Resources Management, and Agriculture.

Already, MSU has campuses in Zvishavane, Harare, Botswana and is incubating a university in Swaziland.

“Plans are afoot to relocate our house faculties of Law, Natural Resources Management, and Agriculture to the Kwekwe campus.

“We are confident that the Kwekwe campus will significantly enhance the socio-economic development of that area,” said Prof Muzvidziwa.

In terms of staffing, the acting Vince Chancellor said the institution now has 141 PhD holders, with 240 academic staff members registered for PhDs.

“Our members of staff with PhDs have increased by 5,3 percent since our last graduation. Furthermore, an international dimension of our qualifications is that of the 240 registered for PhDs, 67 percent are registered with external universities, while 82 percent have external supervisors.

“As for academic leadership at MSU, our number of professors has increased by 25 percent from last year and our STEM publications stand at 48 percent.

“I am pleased to inform you that MSU has also already translated the Zim-Asset economic blueprint document into Kalanga and Sotho, and the documents are currently with our local press,” said Prof Muzvidziwa.