College of Business and Economics launches officially at UJ

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These are the Johannesburg Business School; the School of Accounting; the School of Consumer Intelligence and Information Systems; the School of Economics; the School of Public Management, Governance and Public Policy; and the School of Tourism and Hospitality. The CBE has 19,500 full-time students and a further 6,600 part-time continuing education students, totalling 26,100 students.

Professor Daneel van Lill, acting executive dean of the CBE, said, “The establishment of the College highlights the university’s drive to become an international university with the vision to serve pan-African ideals, presenting a unique opportunity for serious conversation on the way we understand the world and how we relate to it.”

The senior director of CBE’s School of Accounting, Professor Amanda Dempsey adds, “The new structure enables the combination of substantial and well-established programmes serving both the private and public sectors. We want to continue positioning our university as a centre of academic excellence, transforming professions and contributing to solving social and economic problems in our country. We balance shareholder interest with intellectually rigorous curricula and research that reflects on Africa.

“We are transforming professions not by default but by design – purposefully, deliberately, definitively - influencing the economic condition of our society. We are proud of the confirmation of UJ as a leader in transforming the Accounting profession in line with the national imperatives of addressing skills shortage and nation building. UJ is annually producing more than a fifth of all successful black candidate chartered accountants.”

Prof Van Lill concludes, “The interest of business leaders has shifted to some extent from BRICS to focus on future opportunities offered by India, Southeast Asia and Africa. It is anticipated that half of the global economic growth over the next decade will come from these regions. In this context, the UJ CBE is growing its footprint as a new-generation higher education provider, shaping the future.”