Mzuzu University (Tumbuka: Yunivesite ya Mzuzu) is a public university in Malawi. The university is located in Luwinga, Mzuzu City, in the northern region of Malawi.
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History
The university was founded in 1997 after being transformed from a teachers training college established in the 1970s. It accepted its first students in 1999. At the time the university opened its doors, the Chancellor was Malawi's former president Bakili Muluzi and the first Vice-Chancellor was Professor Terrence Davis.
Professor Peter Mwanza, who later entered politics and became a cabinet minister, was active in establishing the university. He was Chairman of the University Council, and later Vice-Chancellor.
Robert Ridley was the vice chancellor. He defended a proposed rise in fees at Mzuzu University after student protests in 2016. In 2018 he left Mzuzu as he was appointed as the deputy vice chancellor at the Unicaf University's campus in Lilongwe.
Academics
MZUNI is a dual mode University. The ODeL Centre offers courses through face-to face and open, distance and e-learning modes. Some of these programmes are available on block, week-end and vacation release.
Faculties and departments
The University consists of the following faculties and departments:
Faculty of Education
Educational Foundations
Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
Inclusive Education
Faculty of Environmental Science
Agri-Sciences
Built Environment
Fisheries and Aquatic Science
Forestry and Environmental Management
Geo-Science
Water Resources Management
Faculty of Health Sciences
Biomedical Sciences
Nursing and Midwifery
Optometry
Faculty of Humanities and Social Science
Language, Cultural and Creative Studies
Communication Studies
Theology and Religious Studies
History and Heritage Studies
Information Science
Governance, Peace, and Security Studies
Faculty of Science, Technology and Innovation
Open and Distance Learning Centre
The Open and Distance Learning Centre at the university was opened in 2006 and enrolled its first group of students in 2011. Interest in Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL) is growing in Southern Africa. This mode is increasingly seen as an alternative route to for Malawi citizens to access higher education. The National Council for Higher Education administers access to six institutions with their public universities selection (PUS) process. ODeL offers school leavers and mature students an alternative route to access and enter into tertiary studies. The ODeL unit has five satellite ODeL centers. They are located in Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Balaka, Mulanje and Karonga. Other public universities have followed MZUNI’s lead. For example, in 2016, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) established an ODL unit on their campus.
Research
The school operates the following research centres:
Centre of Excellence in Water and Sanitation
The Test and Training Centre for Renewable Energy Technologies (TCRET)
Centre for Inclusive Education
Malawi eHealth Research Centre (MERC)
Notable people associated with Mzuzu University
Notable Alumni
Rachel Sibande Technology expert and computer scientist
Tonthoza Uganja Ecopreneur, agroforestry expert and environmental researcher.