The PE Technikon has its roots in the country’s oldest art school, the PE Art School founded in 1882; the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE), the country’s first dual-medium residential university, came into being on 31 January 1964; and the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista university, which opened up access to higher education for disadvantaged students.

• Mandela believed that education was a force of good and called on all South Africans to treasure knowledge and never stop learning. He valued diversity - especially the coming together of different minds, different backgrounds, different talents and different approaches to achieve greatness. 
• He also made it clear that his contribution was just the beginning; calling on students, academics, and universities to forge new paths, and bring about new cycles of economic innovation, democratic change and equality.