USSA News The Seventh President The USSA Management Committee held its last meeting for the year on Friday 9th February 2017, chaired by the outgoing President Professor Tyrone Pretorius who is also the Vice Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Western Cape. The meeting took place in Cape Town and was set to rectify decision taken at USSA statutory meeting late last year. The meeting further looked into the plans ahead, before the NEC Meeting which is scheduled for early April followed by the Annual General meeting which will serve as an elective after it was postponed last year October due to the students protest at member Institution. The USSA MANCO as part of its broader commitment,the General Delegation Management was mandated to extend an invitation of the 29th Summer Universiade scheduled in Chinese Taipei later in the year to the Vice Chancellors and Rectors of our member institution. Speaking to the President of USSA at the side-lines of the MANCO meeting, he mentioned that his three years as a USSA President has gone pretty fast while one was finding his feet, he is grateful for the opportunity to serve this glorious movement as its seventh President since its establishment in 1994. Under his leadership strides where made in formalising the relations between USSA and Varsity Cup/Sport, the council meeting approved that the President of USSA, be the Chairperson of the University Sports Company that looks after the interest of member institutions. The USSA Sports Associations that are part of the sponsored competitions receives financial support for development and the USSA National Office also receives financial support towards the employment of additional personnel annually. When quizzed about not standing for a second term as USSA President, Prof Pretorius stated that an organisation like USSA should in the near future look to have an Executive President, someone who will be able to give USSA his/her undivided attention. He is a Vice Chancellor and a Rector of an Institution that has over 20 000 students and at this stage such becomes his immediate priority. Prof, as he is referred to by many in the sports circles, will always be available to serve USSA in any other position than the President. He is happy to know that the organisation does honour previous Presidents with an Honorary status, so that on its own means that he will forever remain one of us. The Vice Chancellors of all Institutions in our country need to be constantly engaged and kept entertained about all USSA activities in the same manner we do for Varsity Sports Competitions, the sports administrators need to engage their Rectors and update them on upcoming USSA activities whether internally or externally. The University Sport South Africa brand remains the most exciting brand and entity that this country has ever had and we need to continue in building it to be on the same level as our counterparts in the United States. In his closing remarks President Pretorius stressed that his colleagues in Universities across the country have seen the importance of sport; as the best marketing tool for their Institutions, this also present an opportunity to build a sense of united community in their campuses. His university (UWC) after their football team won the 2015 edition of varsity sport, there was a huge interest from both sporting and non-sporting prospective students who had an interest to enrol for an academic programme back in 2016. USSA as an Organisation needs to continue to grow from strength to strength and cease greater opportunities that came its way with the cooperation and involvement of its members. Posted by USSA Communications Unit on 13 Feb, 2017. Source: