Emotional scenes as Malawi’s first female university vice-chancellor fights back tears in farewell speech

Outgoing Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) vice-chancellor Professor Address Malata fought back tears on Thursday as she said an emotional farewell to the institution she has led for the past decade.

The visibly moved academic addressed staff, students and dignitaries during MUST’s seventh congregation ceremony at the university’s main campus in Thyolo, bringing an end to her ten-year tenure as the institution’s inaugural vice-chancellor.

Malata used the occasion to thank President Peter Mutharika for entrusting her with leading the university from the outset, while also expressing her gratitude to staff and stakeholders who had supported her throughout her time in charge.

She wished her successor, Associate Professor Mwapatsa Mipando, well as he prepares to take the reins, saying she felt confident in his ability to steer the institution forward following a three-month handover period during which the pair worked closely together.

Reflecting on her decade-long tenure, Malata said it had been an honour to guide MUST from its earliest formative years into the fully established institution it is today – a journey she described with visible pride and emotion.

Among the standout achievements of her time in charge was the creation of the MUST Endowment Trust, a fund designed to support financially disadvantaged students who might otherwise struggle to access higher education.

In a fitting tribute to her legacy, the fund has since been renamed the Professor Address Malata Endowment Fund, ensuring her contribution to the university and its students will continue to be recognised for years to come.