UNAM’s Psychology and Social Work academic staff receive boost from US scholar
Visiting Fulbright scholar, Associate Professor Nicole Bromfield from the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work, in the USA has availed funding for staff members in the department of Psychology and Social Work at UNAM to ensure that planning sessions take place off campus to enhance participation and innovation.
This was announced by the department at their annual strategic planning session held at the Barn in Windhoek on 9 February.
The university said the half-day session was divided into three parts with the first part re-evaluating the roles and ambitions of each staff member
“This part highlighted the motivating factors of academics and the roles they play and the session revealed different ways to prioritise strategic objectives for the individual, the department, and for UNAM,” they added.
UNAM further explained that the second part of the session focused on the importance of aligning activities with strategic objectives and missions.
“Colleagues in the department shared their experiences related to some of the tasks that are less enjoyable but need to be completed, the tasks that they struggle with, and other tasks that are mostly enjoyed,” they said.
During the session, the emphasis was placed on finding a balance between all domains of work, including time to rest and recover. Considering that promotion at UNAM is mainly focused on research, staff members were tasked to identify and plan how the rest of the year will be utilised regarding research and publication.
Prof Bromfield noted that if goals are scheduled and planned for, staff are more likely to avail the resources and time to execute them.
The third part of the planning workshop focused on discussions related to the department’s community engagement agenda for 2023, how to accommodate and utilise their students, conducting departmental seminars, research projects and grant-writing workshops.
The head of the department Dr Hlatywayo applauded the staff for their continued effort for the work in the department and encouraged them to continue to do good work.
“At times resources and support might be limited however staff members must remain steadfast in their pursuit for excellence and pursue the strategic goals,” concluded Hlatywayo.
