Conference Participation

Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship in the Digital Era

Addressing Poverty and Inequality in South Africa: Exemplary Experiential Learning Pedagogies for Economic Inclusion

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Biography: Professor Michelle Esau has been with the UWC for more than thirty years. Before her appointment as Dean of the Economic and Management Sciences Faculty in 2018, Michelle was a faculty member in the School of Government. As a Full Professor she taught in the areas of Human Resources Management, Public Sector Ethics and Bureaucracy and Democracy. She has supervised students at the Masters’ and PhD levels and has published in the areas of citizen participation, youth active citizenship and public sector leadership. More recently, Michelle’s research focus is largely related to student success and experiential learning approaches. She has participated in both national and international research collaborations over the years. As Dean of the faculty, Michelle is responsible for a number of strategic areas that include: Establishing and maintaining a conducive faculty culture; the Academic Project; Issues related to the faculty’s footprint in the broader national and international context; and Initiating Partnerships and Networks with Industry, Government and Universities. She was instrumental in establishing the faculty’s Small Business Clinic and leading the restructuring of key units in the faculty. Overall, the strategies and initiatives introduced under Michelle’s leadership has focused on graduate employability and broadened participation of young people in the economic development and growth of South Africa, and beyond.