Prof. Otieno – Deputy Vice-chancellor at Durban University of Technology QUOTE: One othe highest ranking expatriate academics chats to us about the rise to the top and dealing with cancer... Professor Fred Otieno studied civil engineering at the University of Nairobi (UON) completing his degree with an upper second class honours in 1979. He proceeded to join a consulting firm known as Gordon Melvin and Partners which was then the premier firm of consulting engineers in Kenya. I was involved in a number of significant projects such as the construction of Nolfolk Towers and the Pan Afric Hotel, Otieno recalled in an interview held at the family home in Hurlingham, Sandton. 1980, I saw a British Council scholarship for a masters degree in water engineering advertised in the local newspapers. As I had begun to find the job I was doing a bit boring and monotonous, I applied for the scholarship and subsequently pursued the qualification at the University of Newcastle. On completion, Otieno was placed on a six month internship at a water research project in Portsmouth. He returned to Kenya in 1982 where he joined Kenyatta University as a research fellow to set up a technology research centre. It was our research team that developed the energy saving stove which is lined with clay (jikos). Prior to this, people used jikos that were made out of metal which used up much more coal as heat would escape from its sides, Otieno said.\ Otieno worked at the research centre until 1986 when he returned to Newcastle to pursue a doctorate in engineering. By this time, he had wedded wife Florence (who today is CEO of Sandtons Tara Hospital) and the couple had young children. Thankfully, the scholarship for the doctorate provided for him to take his family with him to the UK. I returned to Kenya in 1990 and joined UON as a lecturer and also opened up my own firm known as Environmental Management Consultants. Unfortunately there was a prolonged lecturers strike that began in 1992 which I found very frustrating. I responded to an advertisement for a senior lecturer position at the former University of Durban Westville. After applying for the position and subsequent interviews, Otieno was the successful candidate and he and his family moved to Durban after the first democratic elections in 1994. He continued to actively participate in research projects and as a result earned the status of a full professor in 1997. I was aware that it was quite possible that I would assume a management position in a local university and I therefore enrolled for an MBA at the Durban Westville Graduate School of Business. It was not easy being a full-time professor attending part-time classes of a challenging business course while also trying as much as possible to spend time with a young family, said Otieno. He obtained the qualification in 1999 by which time he had assumed the position of Head of the Engineering department. He was lured to Johannesburg by the prospect of working at one of the largest technikon faculties in the country in a very senior position – Executive Dean of Engineering at Wits Technikon. That was a contract and therefore I did not feel secure in my position. In March 2003, I was headhunted by Technikon Pretoria who offered me a permanent position. In retrospect, I would not encourage young professionals to be too concerned about job security as no position is water-tight as one can still be retrenched. In addition, being in a contract position somehow pushes you to work even harder in the hope of it being renewed. In 2004, Tshwane University of Technology was born following the amalgamation of Technikon Pretoria, Technikon Northern Gauteng and Technikon North West. Otienos job security was rattled once again as all lecturers were required to apply for positions in the new university. He was the successful candidate and retained his position in at the merged institution up to March 2010 when he was appointed Durban University of Technologys (DUT) Deputy Vice Chancellor in the area of technology. He holds the position to date and as he is second only to the universitys vice- chancellor, he effectively is one of the highest ranking academics in SA of foreign origin. He attributed his success to a number of reasons. As a foreigner in any country you need to work much harder to justify your position. I also have strength in research having been rated a C1 researcher by the National Research Foundation. I actually think that I would be an A rated researcher today if I was not in a management position as I would have more time to study certain topics and have my articles published. Otieno admitted to also having a passion for human resource, finance and strategy having sat on the boards of various high level organisations such as the South African National Roads Agency Limited and Randwater. He was also chairman of the City of Johannesburg rubbish collection company Piki- Tup and plans to use the leadership experience gained in all these entities to continue to transform his division at DUT and elsewhere in SA as he consults privately in his areas of specialisation. We have also made great strides in our bid to produce more black graduates and post graduates. In the two years I have been at the university, we have doubled the research output at the university and I believe that in a few years time we will be very highly rated amongst second tier universities in SA. Having successfully battled a cancer scare recently, Prof. Otieno advises readers to have regular medical checkups as the earlier conditions are detected, the greater chance modern medicine has of effectively combating them. He revealed that one thing he would like to achieve in his lifetime is to head a university in Kenya. I recently visited South Korea and Singapore and tears literally welled up in my eyes because it pained me to see how far they had come in spite of having had a lower GDP than Kenya when we gained independence. I would love to be the vice chancellor of a Kenyan university and bring some fresh thinking from the experiences I have gained here. If that is not possible I will do my best to play a role in some other way because I was educated by e Kenyan taxpayer for my first degree which formed the foundation of my career, he concluded. atlast #dreamcame tru
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 06:54:20 +0000
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