Dewald Roode
Encyclopedia
Johannes Dewald Roode was a South African academic and Professor at the University of Pretoria
, specializing in Information Systems
research.
, his M.A. in mathematics
from the University of Potchefstroom
in South Africa, and his PhD the supervision of Alex Verrijn Stuart
at the University of Leiden.
In 1988 Roode was appointed to head the new Department of Informatics
at the University of Pretoria
, while continuing on a part-time basis with consultancy work. Within five years of starting, the Department of Informatics at the University of Pretoria
was internationally known, and welcomed a regular stream of international visitors who contributed tremendously to the continued development of the Department.
After his early retirement in 2001, Roode was a visiting professor in the Department of Information Systems
at the University of Cape Town
from 2003 till his death in 2009, and also at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
since 2004. Apart from his continued academic involvement with various universities, he completed a six-year term in 2007 as chair of Technical Committee 8 on Information Systems of the International Federation for Information Processing
(IFIP), and was a member of the Steering Committee of IFIP’s World Information Technology Forum in Lithuania
in 2003 and in Botswana
in 2005. In 2008, he developed and presented a series of 14 seminars on research and innovation core skills for the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR). Roode supervised more than 30 doctoral students to completion.
He was the recipient of the 2008 Association for Information Systems Leo Award for exceptional lifetime achievement in the Information Systems discipline. In 2008 Dewald Roode was also honoured by the International Federation for Information Processing
(IFIP) with the highest accolade for service, the Silver Core.
since the positivist paradigm had failed to embrace the complexities inherent in african academic research. To share his insight, Roode exercised an early retirement option from the University of Pretoria
in 2001 enabling him to work at different universities, and to devote more time to the high-level training of individuals in the computer
industry who had not had the opportunity to receive formal tertiary education.
He published widely on the sociotechno divide in society and more broadly on the Information Systems discipline.
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
, specializing in Information Systems
Information systems
Information Systems is an academic/professional discipline bridging the business field and the well-defined computer science field that is evolving toward a new scientific area of study...
research.
Biography
Dewald Roode received his B.A. in theoretical physicsTheoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
, his M.A. in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from the University of Potchefstroom
Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education
The Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education was a medium-sized South African university located in Potchefstroom. Tuition was mainly in Afrikaans...
in South Africa, and his PhD the supervision of Alex Verrijn Stuart
Alex Verrijn Stuart
Adolf Alexander Verrijn Stuart was a Dutch computer scientist, and the first Professor in computer science at the Leiden University from 1969 tot 1991.- Biography :...
at the University of Leiden.
In 1988 Roode was appointed to head the new Department of Informatics
Informatics (academic field)
Informatics is the science of information, the practice of information processing, and the engineering of information systems. Informatics studies the structure, algorithms, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process, access and communicate information...
at the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
, while continuing on a part-time basis with consultancy work. Within five years of starting, the Department of Informatics at the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
was internationally known, and welcomed a regular stream of international visitors who contributed tremendously to the continued development of the Department.
After his early retirement in 2001, Roode was a visiting professor in the Department of Information Systems
Information systems
Information Systems is an academic/professional discipline bridging the business field and the well-defined computer science field that is evolving toward a new scientific area of study...
at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
from 2003 till his death in 2009, and also at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, a university in Cape Town, South Africa, is the only university of Technology in the Western Cape province, and is also the largest university in the province, with over 32,000 students.-History:...
since 2004. Apart from his continued academic involvement with various universities, he completed a six-year term in 2007 as chair of Technical Committee 8 on Information Systems of the International Federation for Information Processing
International Federation for Information Processing
The International Federation for Information Processing is an umbrella organization for national societies working in the field of information technology. It is a non-governmental, non-profit organization with offices in Laxenburg, Austria...
(IFIP), and was a member of the Steering Committee of IFIP’s World Information Technology Forum in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
in 2003 and in Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
in 2005. In 2008, he developed and presented a series of 14 seminars on research and innovation core skills for the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the city of Pretoria...
(CSIR). Roode supervised more than 30 doctoral students to completion.
He was the recipient of the 2008 Association for Information Systems Leo Award for exceptional lifetime achievement in the Information Systems discipline. In 2008 Dewald Roode was also honoured by the International Federation for Information Processing
International Federation for Information Processing
The International Federation for Information Processing is an umbrella organization for national societies working in the field of information technology. It is a non-governmental, non-profit organization with offices in Laxenburg, Austria...
(IFIP) with the highest accolade for service, the Silver Core.
Work
His work embraced antipositivismAntipositivism
Antipositivism is the view in social science that the social realm may not be subject to the same methods of investigation as the natural world; that academics must reject empiricism and the scientific method in the conduct of research...
since the positivist paradigm had failed to embrace the complexities inherent in african academic research. To share his insight, Roode exercised an early retirement option from the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
in 2001 enabling him to work at different universities, and to devote more time to the high-level training of individuals in the computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
industry who had not had the opportunity to receive formal tertiary education.
He published widely on the sociotechno divide in society and more broadly on the Information Systems discipline.
Publications, a selection
- 1968. Generalized Lagrangian functions in mathematical programming
- 1972. Modelle, rekenaars en werklikheid
- 2008. Advances in Information Systems Research, Education and Practice: Ifip 20th World Computer Congress, Tc 8, Information Systems, September 7–10, 2008, Milano, Italy. David Avison, George M. Kasper, Barbara Pernici, Isabel Ramos, Dewald Roode. Springer, 2008.