Our Purpose, Vision, and Values

Our purpose is to make a positive impact on society through:

• creating and advancing global knowledge; and
• fostering graduates to be leaders with integrity.

Vision

By driving innovation throughout the University, embracing the diversity of our people, disciplines and ideas, Wits will be a place where our students and staff thrive.

We will strive to empower our graduates to be socially-responsive and adaptive to an ever-changing world.

We will build on Wits’ 100 years of academic scholarship and research excellence, and use our abundance of knowledge, talent, and innovation to find solutions to the challenges of the 21st Century.

Our locale will enable us to lead from the Global South, to serve as a hub of knowledge on the continent to advance inclusive and sustainable futures for all.

We will be at the leading edge of innovation and academic excellence in the Global South.

Values

Excellence underpins all that we do.

Our people are at the centre of what makes Wits great. We are collegial, open-minded, and respectful, and we are accountable and always act with integrity. We foster a welcoming environment and embrace the diversity of our backgrounds.

Innovation is what drives us forward. We enable a space to create, collaborate, and engage in robust and informed debate, across disciplines and boundaries.

We are committed to using our knowledge for the advancement of our community, city, country, continent, and the globe.