admininstitution of higher learning for the past seven years.
The GZU council said it was looking for a new Vice Chancellor to run the university for the next five years.
Among the front-runners for the job is Professor Maravanyika.
He has already hinted that he wants to continue leading GZU as it strives to evolve into an international university with a niche towards heritage and cultural studies.
Prof Maravanyika yesterday confirmed he wants to renew his contract. He said he still had a lot of unfulfilled plans for the institution.
“I still remain very much ready to work in the service of the public through development of GZU into a reputable university with a bias towards heritage studies, arts and cultural studies,” said Prof Maravanyika.
“I still feel that there is a lot more that I can offer to make GZU a reputable institution of higher learning with special emphasis on culture in fulfilment of his Excellency, President Mugabe’s dream that GZU becomes such a university.
“Having said that let me make it very clear that I am available to serve my country as the GZU Vice Chancellor if entrusted with another opportunity,’’ he said.
Prof Maravanyika added that under his leadership the university had already completed crafting a master plan that will pave way for the institution to have its own permanent campus.
Currently the university does not have its own campus and is sharing structures with Masvingo Teachers’ College. Professor Maravanyika praised the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary
Education for providing funding to build a new Fine Arts and Physics blocks that are about 50 percent complete.
Under Prof Maravanyika’s stewardship GZU grew from a university with less than 100 students to over 4 000 students.
GZU has so far produced over 6 000 graduates since the university’s inaugural graduation in 2007.
The institution was founded at the insistence of President Mugabe who called for the creation of a major university named after the Great Zimbabwe monuments with a bias towards arts and cultural studies.
Online Reporter