Biographies

Vice Chancellor

Rukudzo Joseph Murapa

Professor Murapa was born in 1940 at Marara in Mutasa District in the Eastern Highlands area of Zimbabwe. He grew up in the Old Location section of the Sakubva high-density suburb of Mutare. They were five in the family and their home consisted of one bedroom, a kitchen and a rough one-room addition constructed to house the children.

Professor Murapa attended primary school at Sakubva. Though he was consistently at the top of his class, at graduation, he could not gain entry to secondary school immediately.

Professor Murapa first came to the Nyagambu Valley, to the Old Mutare Mission across the road from the University, as a young worker fresh from primary school. His work at the Mission included cutting grass, gardening and doing general cleaning of the grounds. He later served as a clerk to the school superintendent.

These were Professor Murapa's duties while he waited for an opportunity to enter Hartzell High School. Throughout his years at Hartzell, he engaged in informal business activities--laundry services that included borrowing the family iron and pressing his classmates uniforms and other clothing; and acting as an agent for elderly women mending torn clothing and for the Umtali Steam Laundry in town.

As his education progressed, his business activities at Hartzell grew to include the sale of tea, cocoa, bread and butter to weary classmates after the evening study period. He sold eggs and chickens from a makeshift stall behind the dormitories--all this in an effort to help pay his own school fees.

From Hartzell High School, Professor Murapa went to Luveve Technical College in Bulawayo to study business. In 1961, he entered Kendall College in Illinois supported by a United Methodist Church scholarship. Professor Murapa was in the second group of young African students sent from Zimbabwe to the USA for higher education through the efforts of Bishop Ralph Dodge. He graduated from Kendall College with an Associate of Arts degree in 1963.

Professor Murapa now holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science and Economics) degree from Hamline University in Minnesota and a Graduate Certificate in African Economic and Political Development from Syracuse University in New York. He has attended American University in Washington, D.C. and earned his Master of Public Administration and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Northern Illinois University.Professor Murapa has also been confered with Honorary Degrees by Hamline University(USA) and Kwansei Gakuin University (Japan), both in Humane Letters.

Professor Murapa has been involved in teaching research, and senior administration at universities in Africa and the USA. From 1969 to 1980, he was an Associate Professor (Political Science, Public Administration and African Political and Economic Development) at Cornell University. While on sabbatical from Cornell, Professor Murapa was asked by UNESCO to assist in setting up the Center for the Coordination and Documentation of Social Science Research in Africa (CERDAS) at the University of Kinshasa(1976-78). He was Head of the Department of Political and Administrative Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe from 1979 to 1988. In addition, Professor Murapa has been a visiting professor and external examiner at the following universities: University of Nairobi, University of Tanzania, University of Zambia, University of Lesotho, University of Swaziland,University of Witswatersrand and University of Botswana.

His keen interest in and commitment to African economic and social development are illustrated in his work with regional, bilateral and multilateral agencies engaged in capacity building efforts in Africa. Professor Murapa has undertaken a number of short-term consulting assignments with UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank, the Commonwealth Secretariat, USAID and GTZ. His assignments include work on the condition of women and children in Zimbabwe (UNICEF); and an evaluation of the UNDP Management Development Programme (MDP) in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

He is a member, past vice president and also past regional president of the International Associations of Schools and Institutes of Administration. Professor Murapa is a founding member of the African Association of Political Science and the African Association of Public Administration and Management.

As Chairman of the International Planning Committee, Professor Murapa directed the development of the Faculty of Management and Administration and the design of the MBA programme at Africa University. He was instrumental in securing the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat in the establishment and operations of the programme in its early stages.He also served on the United Methodist General Board of Pensions and Health Welfare.

In April 1998, Professor Murapa succeeded Professor John W. Z. Kurewa, as Vice Chancellor of Africa University.Professor Murapa also serves on several Boards including Air Zimbabwe, Astra and Fidelity Assurance.He is the current President of the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities(IAMSCU).Also he is member of the United Methodist University Senate .

Professor Murapa is keen golfer,loves tennis and jazz music.He is married to Helen Murapa (formerly Mtetwa) of Chipinge. The Murapas have two children: Meleni and Kudzai.