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Two agricultural economists of Stellenbosch University (SU) have been elected to the highest leadership positions in two international associations. Prof Nick Vink is president elect of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE). Prof Johan van Rooyen is the new president of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA). Not only are they the first representatives from Africa to lead either of these prestigious organisations but it is also the first time that the leaders of both organisations are from the same university.

Prof Vink and Prof van Rooyen are both NRF-evaluated researchers, associated with the SU Department of Agricultural Economics in the Faculty of AgriSciences.

Prof Vink is chairperson of the SU Department of Agricultural Economics, and a recipient of the South African Agriculturist of the Year Award. He has a wide interest in agricultural development in Africa and is a regular commentator on matters such as land and agricultural transformation, policy and wine economics. He is an honorary member of the South African and Africa-wide associations of agricultural economics, as well as the American Association of Wine Economists.

He will serve as the president elect of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) for the next three years, and will take over as president in 2018.

The IAAE was founded in 1929, and has already had several Nobel Prize winners in Economics in its ranks. It currently has about 1800 members world-wide. Through its journal, webpage, symposiums and major conference every three years the Association's members debate important matters within the field of agricultural economics.

"The IAAE must ensure that it focuses on the problems of tomorrow, and not those of yesterday, and that it is geared to address those problems," believes Prof Vink.

His immediate task is to draw up the programme which will draw as many as 1200 members to the Association's next conference in Vancouver in Canada in 2018.

Prof van Rooyen is currently the director of the Standard Bank Centre for Agri-Business Leadership and Development. He has been a member of IFAMA for the past 20 years, and has served on its board for the past decade. IFAMA has a world-wide membership of about 2000 members, and includes students, academics and representatives of several agri-businesses.

Prof van Rooyen welcomes this fulfilling opportunity, as it allows him to make a difference within the exciting and growing agricultural business industry and food sector. "Especially agri-business in Africa affords exciting opportunities for an organisation like IFAMA with its unique member composition," he believes.

IFAMA holds annual conferences to investigate the future of agricultural and food business. An international case study is presented to students in cooperation with multinational companies. Regular discussion forums are also held with world leaders in the industry.

"The focus is on issues such as competitiveness, food security, agri-business intelligence, climate-smart agricultural practices and food systems, and the development of young talent," Prof van Rooyen sums up IFAMA's functions.

High on his priority list is the establishment of an Africa chapter for IFAMA. During his three-year term (and the following three years as past president) he wishes to extend the case study competition further, and help to expand the audience reached by the articles which appear in the IFAMA journal.

Prof Van Rooyen is a former executive manager of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa and the South African Wine Council, and has served on the boards of the Agricultural Research Council, agri-businesses and the Land Bank, among others. He is an expert in the field of competitiveness and transformation within the agricultural sector. He is also an honorary member of the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa.

Media enquiries:
Prof Johan van Rooyen:
Director: Standard Bank Centre for Agri-Business Leadership and Development
Department of Agricultural Economics, Stellenbosch University
021 808 4757
cjvr@sun.ac.za

Prof Nick Vink
Chair: Department of Agricultural Economics, Stellenbosch University
021 808 4899
nv@sun.ac.za

Task team highlights equitable access, accelerated parallel medium and improved student experience at SU

The main focus of the recommendations of Stellenbosch University’s language task team regarding the language policy and the implementation of the language plan, is to ensure equitable access to learning and teaching opportunities for all South Africans; that both Afrikaans and English have equal status as languages of access to Stellenbosch University’s knowledge base and that various improvements will be made to enhance the students’ in-class and on campus experience within the university’s multilingual context.

In practice this means that the options related to the acceleration of parallel-medium teaching will be investigated with a sense of urgency, and priority be given to the conversion of modules with high enrolments to parallel-medium teaching (PMT) in 2016. The student feedback process on language implementation will be revised to ensure a rapid response.

“The suggestions and demands received from the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and Open Stellenbosch (OS) focused to a large extent on the parallel-medium offering in both Afrikaans and English at SU. In this regard the task team has recommended that given the real constraints of lecturer availability, classrooms, timetable and module combinations, the modules with the highest enrolments should be considered first for conversion to parallel-medium teaching (PMT) in 2016, especially where the classes are offered in multiple groups already,” says Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, Vice-Rector: Learning and Teaching.  “And, longer term strategies should be formulated in partnership with faculties to increase the multilingual offering above 75% in English and above 75% in Afrikaans much earlier than 2020.”

“It is simply not possible to change to fully-fledged parallel-medium teaching in the remaining months of this year to allow for all classes to be taught in English and Afrikaans from January 2016. Part of the process is a consideration of the physical infrastructure requirements and timetable changes to strive to full access to the University’s knowledge base by means of multiple languages.

“The real work starts now. Due to the extensive nature of the implementation of these recommendations, individual work groups will tackle specific aspects. We sincerely hope that the SRC and Open Stellenbosch will accept our invitation to become part of these individual work groups and to assist us to address the issues raised in their memoranda,” Prof Schoonwinkel says. 

A language task team of Stellenbosch University (SU) that was established to make specific recommendations with regard to the University’s Language Policy and the implementation of the Language Plan, has released its report to address issues raised by the SU Student Representative Council (SRC) and the Open Stellenbosch collective. The report was released to the SRC and Open Stellenbosch on Monday (21 September 2015). The task team made recommendations on policy level as well as practical implementation level with a focus on the improvement of the lived experiences of students.

The recommendations were approved by the SU Management and will now be further developed for implementation. Policy-related recommendations will be tabled at the next meetings of Council and of Senate for consideration.

The report also set out to contextualise the issues raised by students with regard to the implementation of the Language Policy and Language Plan, approved by Council on 22 November 2014, within the contexts of the Higher Education Language Policy (HELP, 2002) and the University-specific Institutional Intent and Strategy. The SU Language Policy and Language Plan are fully in agreement with the summary of the HELP.

“An important consideration of the task team was that the Language Policy should clearly convey that SU utilises multiple academic languages to include more students and staff,” says Prof Schoonwinkel. “It should be made explicit that Afrikaans may not be used or experienced as a mechanism to exclude anyone from this university.”

“During the development of the new SU Language Policy the University Council inserted the word ‘safeguard’ in the preamble to ensure that Afrikaans as a national language would not be displaced by English as an international language. Unfortunately ‘safeguard’ was interpreted by some student groupings as an attempt to maintain the privileged status that Afrikaans had in the previous SU Language Policy. Consequently, the task team has recommended a reformulation of the preamble to the Policy in which the word ‘safeguard’ be removed and replaced by a requirement that languages should ensure equitable access to learning and teaching opportunities for all South Africans. The Policy should then state that both Afrikaans and English have equal status as languages of access to Stellenbosch University’s knowledge base. In doing so, the Language Policy requires that one academic language will not be used at the expense of the other.”

With regard to the accusation that SU’s investment in isiXhosa being used as a front for multilingualism, the task team recommended that the University confirms its commitment to the development of isiXhosa as an academic language, by extending the existing initiatives and to remove qualifying words like “judicious” and “where feasible” from the introduction of the Language Policy. The implementation plans and specific contexts within the university’s divisions should determine the utilisation and investments in isiXhosa.

Of paramount importance to the task team was a paradigm shift in terms of understanding learning at tertiary institutions, namely that lectures are not primarily for the transfer of content, but rather for the facilitation of learning. Student learning occurs before, during and after lectures, supplemented by academic support for all students in both English and Afrikaans should also be promoted.

 “This model, that does not focus on knowledge transfer in just one language, but rather on learning facilitation in a multilingual setting, enables students to be guided in the academic language that they understand best. It is possible to offer learning facilitation for each student in their language of preference, without necessarily teaching every concept in both English and Afrikaans. This addresses the fear of some students that they might be disadvantaged if all the content is not lectured in the student’s language of preference. Furthermore, there is a local and global recognition that multilingualism is a competitive advantage for a university graduate who cares to acquire some multilingual competency, even though SU will not force anyone to do so,” says Prof Schoonwinkel.

“It was clear to the task team that there were implementation issues with regard to the Language Plan – especially with regard to the T-option (dual medium learning facilitation in the same class contact sessions). In this regard the task team recommended that good practice guidelines for the T-option be developed in collaboration with the Language Centre, the Centre for Learning and Teaching, the Vice-Deans (Learning and Teaching) and relevant faculty and student representatives. This plan will include mechanisms to identify examples of good practice and systematically share it amongst faculties.”

Even with differing levels of academic literacy in English or Afrikaans, the effective use of the T-option will have significant pedagogical value and deepen the learning experience of the students, while improving the individual student’s literacy in both languages. In addition these classes will have the benefit of a diversity of students and perspectives in the same contact session.

A survey among students in faculties where the educational interpreting service is well established indicated that 74% agree that it is a workable support for their understanding. An interpreted message is obviously never as good as when a listener has full command of the language of the speaker. The task team recommended that a technical investigation should be done to improve the educational interpreting system. A communication plan will also be compiled and implemented to manage the expectations of students and lecturers, and improved procedures will be developed for the interaction between the lecturer and interpreters.

Whichever language option is used, PMT, the T-option or educational interpreting, students should have the opportunity to give feedback about their experience of how language is used. In this regard, the task team recommended that the student class representative system be revised to ensure prompt feedback about and action on language applications in the learning contexts. Making an academic offering in more than one language is more complex, but it benefits more students from different language backgrounds. Proper implementation and rapid feedback from students are essential elements to ensure a quality experience of any language policy.

The report is available here.

​For the eighth consecutive year, the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) was ranked as one of the top three excellent business schools in Africa.

This was as part of the 2015 Eduniversal global survey. The rankings are the result of voting by deans of business schools around the world, based on a list of criteria.

Commenting on this achievement, USB director Piet Naudé said: "The fact that such a large proportion of business school deans around the globe rated USB so highly fills us with humility and gratitude."

On October 12, the official results of the Eduniversal Ranking of the best 1000 business schools in 154 countries will be announced during the Eduniversal Annual Gala Dinner Awards Ceremony. At this event, USB will be presented with a Five Palmes award.

​​​​School dictionaries play an important role in a multilingual context and that's why it's important to think about them critically.

Schoollex, an association that focuses on coordinating and promoting research about school dictionaries as well as its users and uses was formed two years ago.

A group of researchers and lexicographers from as far away as Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe recently gathered at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Education for the second Schoollex seminar.

According to Dr Michele van der Merwe, one of the organisers of the Schoollex seminar and head of the Mobilex programme in the Faculty of Education – a trilingual web-based dictionary developed to provide language support to especially first-year students and in this way improve academic literacy​ (read more)​ – school and subject dictionaries are important sources of linguistic information.

"They are regarded as instruments to be used in learning and teaching," she adds.

The aim of the gathering was to bring people – lexicographers and publishers of school dictionaries – together to encourage collaborative research between universities and to bring publishers up to speed with research that has been or is being done.

"It is important that we share new research and identify research projects where collaboration can take place."

Some of the research presented at the meeting focused on the development of a trilingual children’s picture dictionary for Juǀ’hoan speakers, the use of examples in school dictionaries ​and a critical evaluation of English monolingual school dictionaries in Namibia. ​

The first presentation, presented by Ms Kerry Jones of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, provided a brief outline regarding the development of a trilingual children’s picture dictionary, written in the San dialect Juǀ’hoan, Afrikaans and South African English. Only approximately 11 000 people still speak this dialect.

In the second presentation Prof Danie Prinsloo of the University of Pretoria argued that a lexicographer should use all lexicographic devices – especially illustrative examples – to their full potential in the compilation of a dictionary.

The last research presentation reported on the preliminary results of an initial stage in a research project aimed at producing a functional English monolingual school dictionary for the junior primary phase in Namibia. It was presented by Prof Herman Beyer of the University of Namibia and Ms Sabine Hancock of the Delta Schule in Windhoek.

​Prof Lesley Le Grange, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Curriculum Studies in the Faculty of Education was recently elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) in the United Kingdom in recognition of his contribution to biology education.

The RSB offers different categories of membership and fellows are elected from all sub-disciplines of biology. A maximum of 2000 fellows are elected worldwide.

Prof Le Grange has always been passionate about biology and environmental education.

He was founder member of the first non-racial Biology Teachers' Association in the Western Cape, the Peninsula Biology Teachers Association (PBTA) and he taught Biology Didactics to both pre-service and in-service teachers for ten years at Stellenbosch University (1996-2005). Despite pursuing other research interests and taking up management positions at the university for almost a decade, he has continued to conduct research in the field of biology education. He has documented the history of school biology in South Africa and has written about several contemporary challenges facing the field including issues related to sustainability, food security and indigenous knowledge.

Currently, he teaches an honours module in environmental education in which he draws on insights from biology.

"Environmental education is a relatively new discipline, but some of the key challenges in the world today relates to this field, for example: Artificial intelligence, some of the dangers associated with the development of nano-technologies, the possibility of bio-warfare, climate change, the frequency of natural disasters, the availability of water, etc."

However, in his research Prof Le Grange has found that environmental education is only being addressed cosmetically in schools and at tertiary level. He recently attended an Invitational Seminar on Environmental Education Research (ISEER) with other eminent academics in the field to discuss the state of environmental education in the world and to talk about the way forward.

"Implementing environmental education remains a big challenge worldwide," he says. 

The next invitational seminar on this topic will be hosted by Stellenbosch University in 2018.​​

Four Maties mathematics and engineering students ended in the top 20 of the 250 tertiary students who participated in the annual South African Tertiary Mathematics Olympiad held in August.

Petri-Johan Last, a third year engineering student at Stellenbosch University, came second overall, while Sarah Selkirk, a first-year mathematics students, came fifth. Two first year engineering students, René Spoerer and Jaison Zachariah, share the eighth and fifteenth places with other students.

The students had two hours to solve 20 problems. The winner, a student from Cape Town University, scored 13 out of 20. Petri-Johan’s score was 11 out of 20. Most of the 250 students who participated could only solve two to three problems.

Dr. Dirk Basson, a lecturer in the Mathematics Division at Stellenbosch University and one of the organisers, says the Olympiads are fun, with the focus on ingenuity rather than subject knowledge: “The Olympiads consist of questions which test mathematical problem solving skills and usually require ingenuity more than knowledge to solve.”

Petri-Johan, who graduated from Framesby High School in Port Elizabeth, says he likes the type of problems they have to solve, as it requires both analytical and mathematical skills: “Coming from the Eastern Cape, we often did not have the chance to compete on provincial level,” he adds.

Sarah, a former learner of Hudson Park High School in East London, says she plans to continue with mathematics until she earns a PhD.

Prof. Stephan Wagner, also from the Mathematics Division, says the competition is open to all undergraduate students who have not been studying for more than four years: “The questions are elementary and can involve abstract algebra, combinatorics, graph theory or even topology. But no extensive theoretical knowledge that would go beyond first year mathematics is necessary. Most of the time the problems will only require elementary (high school level) mathematics.”

To have a look at this year’s problems (and the solutions) go to http://math.sun.ac.za/~swagner/TMO/

On the photo, Petri-Johan Last, Dr Dirk Basson and Sarah Selkirk

​Khanya Mncwabe is the new research analyst at USB's Centre for Corporate Governance in Africa. She will support the World Economic Forum's New Social Covenant project. Before joining USB, Khanya worked as a researcher and representative for Anglophone Southern and Western Africa at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.

Here she tells us more about her new role at the business school:

"I have been appointed Values Research Analyst in the Centre for Corporate Governance and I will provide research support to the South African component of the New Social Covenant project, an initiative of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Values. 

"The project proposes an ethical approach to business premised on a commitment to three values, namely the dignity of all persons, the common good and stewardship of the planet. My key priority will be to assist the companies participating in the project pilot to develop company-specific new social covenants that effectively incorporate these values into company policy and practice and to provide substance to the concept of the New Social Covenant.

"The project intends to draw on the South African National Development Plan and UN Sustainable Development Goals since both conceive of a positive role for and provide indicators to guide the corporate sector in contributing to sustainable development."

​An emerging challenge for tuberculosis (TB) control is the steadily rising number of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, particularly in developing countries where TB is endemic. Diabetes significantly increases an individual’s susceptibility for TB and although the link between diabetes and TB has been recognised for several decades, more research on the interaction between non-communicable and communicable diseases is needed.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recently awarded a grant of $1,75 million towards an international collaborative research project on the diabetes and tuberculosis co-epidemic.  

Dr Katharina Ronacher, senior researcher with the Stellenbosch University Immunology Research Group, has been appointed as the principle investigator of this NIH-SAMRC RO1 Award towards the study titled “Altered endocrine axis during type 2 diabetes and tuberculosis risk”, which will investigate population groups in South Africa and America.  

According to Ronacher, a better understanding of the link between TB and diabetes is essential to identify individuals at increased risk for TB progression.  The study’s hypothesis is that house hold contacts of TB cases (HHCs) with latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection and diabetes are characterised by a systemic dysregulation of immune-endocrine networks that lead to compromised immunity to Mtb.

“Diabetes increases the risk of TB by a factor of three and there are now more people affected by TB-DM co-morbidity than TB-HIV infection,” says Ronacher. “TB patients with diabetes have much poorer treatment outcomes than patients with only one of the two diseases and face an increase in risk of treatment failure, mortality and post-treatment relapse.”

In diabetes patients, the interplay of hormones under neuroendocrine regulation, adipokines and insulin, and chronic low grade inflammation are likely to contribute to compromised immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). “We propose studies in HHCs in two populations with different background ethnicities: Coloureds in South Africa and Hispanics in Texas,” she explained.

The five year study will be carried out in collaboration with Dr Blanca Restrepo from the University of Texas, Prof Larry Schlesinger from Ohio State University and Prof Gerhard Walzl from Stellenbosch University (SU).

Ronacher said that at the completion of the study, they will have gained critical and fundamental new insights into the interplay between the immune and endocrine systems, both in the periphery and lung; thereby helping to identify underlying risk factors in diabetes patients for progression to active TB.
A further intended outcome of the study is capacity building amongst young researchers.  Four postgraduate students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds have been appointed to the research team.
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Stellenbosch University Immunology Research Group (SUN-IRG), is a specialist Tuberculosis Immunology Group in the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, led by Prof Gerhard Walzl.  Dr Ronacher is leading the immune-endocrine studies within the SUN-IRG and with her team is trying to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms of the interplay between the immune and endocrine systems.

Photo: Dr Katharina Ronacher

​​​​​​For the next two years, Dr Gunnar Sigge will serve as a member of the Annual Meeting Scientific Program Advisory Panel of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) of the USA.

He will lead the programme development of the Sustainability Track for the IFT's annual conferences in 2016 and 2017.

Fourteen experts are part of this panel. Dr Sigge, who is chair of the Department of Food Science at Stellenbosch University, is the only member not from the USA.

Its annual conference is one of the ways through which the IFT has been advancing the science of food and its applications across the global food system since 1939. It is a dynamic forum with members in 90 countries.

​Tennis lovers can prepare themselves for five international tennis tournaments in Stellenbosch in October and November.

The Curro ITF Junior tournaments will take place during the last two weeks in October. These two tournaments will be followed by three Futures tournaments sponsored by Digicall in November. All the matches will be played at the Coetzenburg tennis courts at Stellenbosch University (SU).

Last week, Tennis South Africa (TSA) announced that Boland Tennis will host three Futures events carrying prize money in excess of R800 000 at SU in November.

Each of the men's and women's events will comprise prize money of $10 000 (R134 000).

The dates are 3-8 November, 10-15 November and 17-22 November.

"With the Rand under pressure events like these are vital for our local players because it gives them the opportunity to gain ranking points on home soil," said TSA President and acting CEO Gavin Crookes.

Le Roux Conradie from Caylix Sport Management and Maties Tennis believes the Futures tournaments will give local players the opportunity to gain some international experience.

"This is needed for the sport to grow," he added. Conradie will be the tournament director.

"ITF future tournaments are the first steps any professional tennis player needs to start a career," said Dr Danie Morkel, President of Boland Tennis.

"We would like to thank title sponsor Digicall as well as associate sponsors Curro and Stellenbosch Academy of Sport, for seizing this opportunity to partner with us in bringing professional tennis back to the Western Cape. The support of the Western Cape Department of Culture and Sport is also acknowledged."

​Maties Netball scored more than a 150 goals in two matches during a bumper weekend of Varsity netball action in Pretoria.

On Sunday they beat the University of Johannesburg (UJ) 72-32 and on Monday they showed no mercy towards their Western Cape neighbours UCT, beating them 82-21.

Centre Suné Claassens was named player of the match against UJ while wing attack Haike Brink received the award against UCT.

Currently, Maties are third on the log with 16 points. UFS Kovsies are first with 24 points and UP-Tuks second with 20 points.

In the meantime, the Varsity Sports Executive Committee, in consultation with Stellenbosch University and NWU-Pukke agreed that the third round match in this year's Varsity Netball tournament between Maties and NWU-Pukke is to be replayed on Wednesday, 30 September 2015.

The game, which took place on 14 September in Potchefstroom, was unexpectedly interrupted by unscheduled load shedding during the third quarter of the match. The rematch will now take place at the NMMU Indoor Centre at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

"The initial decision to declare the unfinished match a draw had to be revisited because of the influence it might have on the semi-final positions," said Duitser Bosman, CEO of Varsity Sports. Source: Varsity Sports 

The 2015 recipient of the CGW Schumann medal for the best postgraduate student in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University passed her honours degree in Accounting with a mark of 85% last year.

Over the course of four years (undergraduate and postgraduate) Ms Pia Lourens (23), a trainee accountant doing her articles at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in Paarl, passed all her subjects with distinction. In January 2015 she passed the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants' Initial Test of Competence (ITC) cum laude and achieved fourth place overall in South Africa.

Prof Pieter von Wielligh from the School of Accountancy described Ms Lourens as one of the "most academically gifted students to study in the School of Accountancy in recent years.

"Her marks for the postgraduate course are truly remarkable, especially when you compare it to the average performance of students in the programme," he added.

Prof Stan du Plessis, Dean of the Faculty, presented the medal to Ms Lourens at a function held in Stellenbosch on Monday 21 September. The medal is named after the Faculty's first dean and has been awarded annually since 1986.

Her mother, Mrs Louise Bailey, and fiancé Dihan Steyn also attended the function.

Ms Lourens, who was born and raised in Paarl and matriculated from Paarl Girls High in 2010, took people's warning that the first year of university and her course was going to be very hard so seriously that she focused all her attention on her studies from the very start. As PWC bursary recipient and Moshal Scholar she regarded it as her responsibility to do well.

A combination of time management and self-discipline was and still is her recipe for success: "I would work out a realistic timetable and keep to it. I put in many hours during the week so that I could rest over weekends."

There wasn't much time for rest during her postgraduate course in 2014, but she believed that she would benefit in the long run if she was willing to sacrifice one year.

Her effort during her undergraduate degree paid off. She had laid a strong knowledge foundation and she believes this contributed to her success in the challenging postgraduate programme.

"I was very surprised when I heard I was the recipient of this medal and very grateful for the acknowledgement, but I must also add: The Lord has been very good to me," she said.

She added jokingly that if her fiancé, whom she met while they were still at school, was able to put up with her during the past four years, he should be able to do it for the rest of his life.

• On the photo are (f.l.t.r.) Prof Stan du Plessis, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Schumann medal winner Ms Pia Lourens, and Prof Pierre Olivier, Director of the School of Accountancy.
  

​​Anita Engelbrecht never thought she would be a member of the Bellville Athletics Club.

However, this Stellenbosch University (SU) student who suffers from spastic diplegia and who has been in a wheelchair all her life had to be a registered member of an athletics club to take part in the Cape Town Marathon on Sunday 20 September. She sat in a specially designed buggy while fellow club member Hilton Murray pushed her all the way.

"It was amazing," Anita said afterwards. Hilton, who once completed ten ultramarathons in ten days in aid of charity, was a pace setter for the sub-5 hour 'bus' and they completed the 42 km race in 4 hours 55 minutes.

Anita participated in the Cape Town marathon to raise awareness for the Chaeli Campaign and Pink Drive. And because she likes to push boundaries. Because magic happens when you move out of your comfort zone, she believes.

She was born prematurely and experienced an oxygen shortage shortly after her birth. The part of her brain that controls the development of motor functions was affected and this caused the spastic diplegia.

"It's a miracle that I'm sitting here," she says. And she believes there is a reason why her heart started beating again.

In 2012 Anita matriculated from Bellville High School with five distinctions, resulting in her being honoured by the Western Cape Education Department for her academic achievements and determination.

At the beginning of the following year she arrived at SU's Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences to study Accounting. After her first meeting with representatives of the faculty she knew she was in the right place.

"It was clear to me from the start that my success on all levels is very important to them," she explains. "There has never been a problem too big to handle."

However, this doesn't mean there are no challenges. Anita needs the help of a scribe during exams because, as she explains, "her writing speed is that of a snail". To make things even more difficult she can only see out of one eye at a time. And her brain decides which one without her being able to control it. This makes it very difficult to read and she doesn't have time to review study material two or three times. She needs to take it all in during the first (and only) time.

At the end of her first year she met with her lecturer who asked her whether she really wanted to be a chartered accountant. This would mean that she would have to go to clients without knowing if the environment is wheelchair-friendly.

"And it would probably damage my professional image if my clients had to carry me around," she jokes.

With the bigger picture in mind they decided together that she would change her course to Management Accounting and it seems to have been the right move.

"I did very well in my second year and my marks were a better reflection of the effort I put in."

The change of degree added an extra year to her study plans but Anita believes this is a blessing in disguise because now she will be able to focus on her two main subjects next year with the aim of earning access to postgraduate studies.

"Sometimes I have to decide between what I want to do versus what is practically possible. I don't regard it as a failure that I had to change my course. If I don't try things I will always wonder about them."

She is currently a resident of Huis Russel Botman and enjoys living on campus. A personal assistant helps her with practical tasks such as getting dressed.

She loves reaching out to people and often leaves for class with ten minutes to spare so that she has time to stop and chat along the way. She also enjoys having motivational conversations (she is a mentor in her private student organisation Aristea). She tells people three things: "You have to make a choice about what you want to do in life. Then you need to be brave enough to follow through. And most importantly, never give up.

"Live is not about what you can't do. It's about what you do with what you have. I'm busy with a spiritual Comrades and the way in which God challenges us is fantastic. He is more interested in your spiritual growth than your comfort," she says.

"I don't want to pretend that everything is wonderful and that I never ask: Why me? To tell you the truth, sometimes I find my situation horrible," she admits. "But if someone gave me the option of choosing a life, I would choose my own without a doubt.

"It's better to seem broken from the outside and be whole on the inside that looking whole from the outside and being broken on the inside. I am not a prisoner of this wheelchair. In fact, it gives me wings to be the person I want to be."​ 

Photo: Hilton Murray and Anita Engelbrecht at the Moore Stephens night race in Stellenbosch last Wednesday.

​This article appeared in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences' digital publication, VIVUS.

​The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Stellenbosch University (SU) has embarked on an advanced project to enhance and improve health outcomes in underserved regions of South Africa. This will be done by supporting decentralised training sites in the region through capacity building in education, service delivery and research.

The Stellenbosch University Comprehensive Capacity Enhancement through Engagement with Districts (SUCCEED) Project's purpose is to, through engagement with stakeholders, to support and develop district health learning centres (DHLC) as centres of excellence within South Africa's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Focusing for Impact Districts. These DHLC will function as models for quality service delivery, operational research, training and mentorship in district health care.  The project strives to make a contribution to the UNAIDS's 90:90:90 goals by focusing on HIV care and treatment.

SUCCEED comprises three main activities namely the development and implementation of a model for decentralised training for undergraduate medical and health professions students; strengthening operational research; and capacity building in quality improvement in HIV care in health districts.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are funding the FMHS to offer South African University-based technical assistance aimed at improving the quality of HIV/AIDS and related services in South Africa under PEPFAR.

"We want to foster a culture of learning and quality improvement in decentralised training sites to create centres of excellence," noted Prof Marietjie de Villiers, Deputy Dean: Education at the FMHS and Principal Investigator of the project. "The project provides an exceptional opportunity to develop a model for decentralised health professions training in South Africa which will contribute to the empowerment and retention of human resources in the country's health care system," she explained.

Prof de Villiers will be assisted by three Activity Leads, Profs Lilian Dudley, Taryn Young, Julia Blitz, and Dr Kalay Moodley as Project Manager.

The SU was tasked (amongst others) to work with other universities in South Africa to jointly develop an appropriate and relevant model for decentralised undergraduate training across the country. A large scale literature review is currently being done. A consultative workshop, where experts from all nine medical schools in the country will engage with colleagues to share knowledge on best practises in district health learning, will be held in October this year.

Photo: Seated in front are from left, Profs Julia Blitz, Lilian Dudley, Marietjie de Villiers, Taryn Young and Dr Kalay Moodley
At the back are Mss Suzaan Sutherland, Jennie Slabber, Debbie Harrison, Drs Steve Walsh, Therese Fish, Ms Traci Naidoo, Prof Charles Wiysonge, Ms Tonya Esterhuizen, Prof Susan van Schalkwyk, Mss Lauren Anderson and Nazreen Abrahams.

On the eve of Heritage Day, Stellenbosch University's Division for Social Impact celebrated the 80th anniversary of Lückhoff Senior Secondary School along with learners as well as current and former teachers.

The original school building in Banhoek Road currently houses the Division of Social Impact and other community projects.

During the celebrations, former learner and principal of the school, Mr Jacques Cornelissen, told the learners about Lückhoff 's rich history. He told them the school was started in a house with only a few learners. An application for a school building was made to the Department of Education. Construction began in 1937 and two years later a new school building was inaugurated.

Cornelissen, who was a learner at Lückhoff from 1960 to 1964, vividly described the area surrounding the school and told stories about the people who used to live there. "Here, where you are sitting now in front of the school were beautiful lawns with hydrangeas. And at the corner of Banhoek Road and Van Ryneveld Street was a cafe where we used to buy sweets."

"But in 1969 we were forced to move out of town. My wife, who was head girl in that year, told how they had to carry school desks, chairs and other equipment to the new building in Bloekom Avenue in Idas Valley," Cornelissen said.

"I'm sure each and every one of you sitting here today has ambition and dreams. And you can achieve it with a good education and hard work. As the motto on the coat of arms on your chest says: Education is light (Opvoeding is lig). Education is always uplifting and there are people who will accompany you on that path, but you must allow them to train and teach you, you must create a climate in which this can happen, because no one can take his or her rightful place in society without a good education."

Prof Nico Koopman, SU's Acting Vice-Rector: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel, welcomed the learners at the school and said they have inherited three things: "You have the Bill of Rights and the insurance therein that forced removals will not happen again, and access to education and so on - it's almost like a promise. You've also inherited an example - the example of people who were involved in this school when things went horribly wrong, but who accepted the challenge and responsibility and took it upon themselves to continue, despite difficult circumstances.

"And finally, you've inherited the power of the spiritual traditions which you live - whether Christian, Muslim or secular - your God is in control."

He encouraged the students to work hard, "because we are waiting for you at Stellenbosch (University)".

​By 2030, if the United Nations has its way, poverty will be history. Nobody will wake up or go to bed hungry. Cities and communities will be sustainable. Quality education will be a reality for all.

The Millennium Development Goals have been and gone. Now, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being unveiled the focus shifts to this new list of global priorities.

The United Nations' member states say these targets can only be met through a "revitalised, global partnership for sustainable development, including for multi-stakeholder partnerships." They have also called for "increased capacity-building and better data and statistics to measure sustainable development."

Higher education can play a key role in pursuing the SDGs. Universities produce knowledge for the public good. Their best research addresses societal needs and their graduates are able to contribute to society.

The sector has also proved that it values collaboration of the type required to turn the SDGs from pipe dream to reality. But there is still room for improvement and growth.

A call to action

The Association of African Universities, a continental body working in higher education, wants institutions on the continent to rise to this challenge. They are likely to do so: already, the African Network for Internationalisation of Education is set to discuss higher education's potential role in bringing the SDGs to life at its annual conference in October 2015.

There are many opportunities for universities to collaborate on teaching, research and information exchange and dissemination. This should be done through well supported, coordinated academic networks that incorporate public and private partners throughout the continent - and beyond.

The Royal Society has showed that collaboration is crucial for researchers and institutions. It is an important indicator of competitiveness, enhances the quality of research and improves its efficiency and effectiveness.

It has also been argued that researchers based in Africa have traditionally had relatively limited contact with their colleagues elsewhere on the continent. This is probably partly because of colonialism: universities tended to maintain contact with their former colonial ties after independence but were slow to build relationships with their peers in Africa.

There has been some progress in this regard, as illustrated most recently by the formation in March 2015 of the African Research Universities Alliance in Senegal. This is a network of 15 leading higher education institutions from eight African countries. Its goal is to train research managers as well as promoting cooperation between universities when it comes to research.

My own institution, Stellenbosch University, is one of several South African universities involved in such collaborations. It has signed on to more than 150 bilateral institutional arrangements in 45 countries. In Africa, it has 350 active projects with 760 partners - institutions and individuals - in 43 countries.

One of these collaborations is the Partnership for Africa's Next Generation of Academics. This is a network between the universities of Botswana, Dar es Salaam, Ghana, Makerere, Malawi, Nairobi and Stellenbosch. It is trying to build and sustain world-class doctoral programmes and scholarly communities by creating partnerships in the arts and social sciences on the African continent.

Another example with particular relevance to sustainable development is the Periperi (Partners Enhancing Resilience for People Exposed to Risk) Universities network. It has partners in Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. The network aims to be an Africa-led approach to the increasingly important area of disaster risk management.

Periperi-U has conducted important research, educated graduates able to work in this area and offered short-course training in local languages to government officials and civil society.

Some things change, some need more attention

We and others in higher education have spent some time watching the SDGs take shape. Will our work and focus have to change entirely, or will it be a more simple matter of redirecting existing projects and networks for the challenges of the next 15 years?

The answer is: a bit of both.

Curriculum reform will have to be among the changes of focus the SDGs bring to Africa's universities. We will need to consider how sustainability gets incorporated into what and how we teach and research and engage with communities. This process is underway at Stellenbosch, with 254 projects already identified that relate to the UN's lofty goals.

But working together on African development issues is nothing new. There are a number of consortiums pursuing important work around science and maths training, climate change, water and bio-energy.

Universities have long concluded bilateral and multilateral agreements. More recently, we have seen the rise of multiple-partner networks. These are often organised around a jointly administered educational programme.

Now it's time for African universities to step on the gas. Increased collaboration around the SDGs will not only raise the share of African scientific output, but help create "The Africa We Want" outlined by the AU in its Agenda 2063.

* Prof Wim de Villiers is Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University

 This article was first published by The Conversation Africa.

Prof Wim de Villiers: Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Stellenbosch University:

The Management of Stellenbosch University has thoroughly taken note of the "Luister" video that was distributed via social media.

The video touches on several important issues that affect students at SU. In fact, it is indeed sad that some of our students are still exposed to dehumanising experiences of racism and other forms of discrimination – in spite of the progress that we as a University has made.  My management and I are not indifferent towards these issues as they are exactly the kind of challenges that are currently receiving pertinent attention on various levels and in high-level discussions with groups and individuals on campus.

However, to insinuate that the University is not serious about transformation, that it turns a blind eye to flagrant racism or that it in some sense advocates or maintain a culture of apartheid at the University, is simply not true and cannot go unchallenged.

In my mind there is no doubt that the University prioritises transformation in every sense of the word and we are very intentional in how we go about it. I am on record in stressing that the University is acutely aware of the need to accelerate and deepen the process of transformation. To this end we are working purposefully and in a structured and focused way.

I also need to be very upfront about the fact that the violation of human rights, victimisation in any sense, racism, classism, sexism and all other forms of discrimination, will not be tolerated – regardless of who is involved. Proof to this is termination of the service contract of a lecturer who sent a racist SMS to a student earlier this year.

In the Luister-video, the impression is created that I and by implication my management, do not listen to students or that we do not care about their lived experiences on campus. This borders on being disingenuous.  On various platforms – for example in my inauguration speech and in communiques to staff and students – I have repeatedly invited the campus community to enter into discussions with myself and my management and to relate to me their experiences and concerns, thoughts and dreams. Fact is that I have received very positive responses and numerous of these very fruitful conversations have already occurred.

I have also invited the campus community to make written contributions with regard to transformation and other issues affecting our students. I have received several of these contributions this year, inter alia, from the Student Representative Council, individual members of the University community (staff, students and alumni), from our Listen, Live and Learn student housing communities, the Open Stellenbosch movement and other formal and informal campus organisations. All these inputs are seriously considered by the SU administration. On certain of these issues I have responded in full, while on others a large number of staff members are working around the clock to create workable solutions and to address the concerns and needs of our students and staff.

Furthermore, we don't only listen, we act concretely.

Just over the last few months, management has, to name a few, participated in a dignity march (on invitation by students); removed the Verwoerd plaque (an initiative that was started by students); created a bursary fund for descendants of forcibly removed inhabitants of Die Vlakte (a direct response to students calling for such a bursary); announced the establishment of a Transformation Office and Transformation Committee (not only as a part of a structured process of transformation but also after being requested so by student groups); made an investment of R70 million in the  diversification of the University's staff corps (as a natural outflow of our commitment to greater inclusivity but also as a response to this being a national challenge highlighted by some of our students); and we created task teams that give priority attention to the practical implementation of the University's language policy.

I made strategic appointments to top management to directly and purposefully advance transformation. Management is also working towards the establishment of a Research Chair in Reconciliation and Transformation.

And only this past Saturday I participated in launching the Kayamandi Oral History Research Project in Kayamandi in Stellenbosch as part of our engagement with our community, where I have again confirmed our willingness in creating a better and fairer society.

These are only some of the initiatives this year that attest to the seriousness with which my management and I approach transformation. We are also working hard on various other institutional matters such as broadening access to the University and increasing the number of Black, Coloured and Indian students (currently making up one third of the institution's undergraduate student population with an objective to reach 50% by 2018/2019 – on postgraduate level it is already 50%) and improving student success. SU makes the biggest contribution to individual student funding, possibly the largest per capita of all South African higher education institutions.

(Click here for more information on these initiatives such as the recruitment bursaries.)

I have also continuously updated the campus community on the progress we are making via communiques to staff and students during the course of this year.

My management and I are also keenly aware of the fact that the institutional culture on campus is experienced by some of our students as unwelcoming. This is an issue that is receiving top priority at the University with very focused interventions aimed at creating a welcoming and inclusive campus culture. The University has, for example, instituted with great success the Listen, Live and Learn student communities on campus that already play a crucial role in ensuring that the University is becoming home to all. The LLL programme is not an isolated initiative either, with its principles applying throughout student housing. Physical and organisational structures such as new residential units, clusters and hubs have been created to facilitate change in the campus culture – advanced by a progressive residence placement policy.

The effect this ethos had on the university and its students is profound. As I have pointed out in a recent letter to staff and students: There is a clear delineation of unacceptable welcoming practices at the University and respect for human rights, intolerance of displays of power and voluntary participation have become the guiding motif. The University is acting sternly against students and student leaders who do not adhere to the University's values. In addition physical and organisational structures such as new residential units, clusters and hubs have been created to facilitate change in the campus culture – advanced by a very progressive residence placement policy.

And importantly: The progressive commitment and actions of the University, its staff and its students are sometimes negatively influenced by a few individuals who act in an insensitive and highly unacceptable manner towards others , even when off campus and in their private capacities. These incidents in no way represent the majority of SU students or staff members who understand and appreciate our diversity and contribute constructively to the South African society. Neither can the actions or words of these individuals be construed as the official stance or culture of the institution. SU sees its role as an important change agent by creating an environment in which students and staff from all backgrounds can flourish. It is therefore regrettable that reprehensible incidents can obscure years' of positive work towards redress and development.

Misrepresentations

I also need to add that as far as the video is concerned, there are certain misrepresentations that must be pointed out.

• One such issue is that the University takes disciplinary action against students who participate in protests. This is not the case. The University acknowledged in various communication pieces this year the right of students to take part in protest action, provided that it takes place within the rules and guidelines applicable to the entire campus community; that academic and administrative activities are not disrupted; that the rights of fellow students to study are not infringed upon; and that no risks are created. Actions such as the disruption of a lecture and the disruption of a careers fair in July are completely unacceptable and the University has an obligation to act against the guilty parties in these cases.
• The video also creates the impression that Elsenburg is part of Stellenbosch University. This is not true since Elsenburg resorts under the Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape.
• The video refers to certain incidents in town. The University is keenly aware of the fact that some of our students don't feel welcome in certain parts of the town and that they have experiences of social discrimination and exclusion. This is sadly still reflective of broader South African society. Although the University cannot be hold accountable for what happens in pubs and elsewhere in town, the University has nevertheless on many occasions engaged with the South African Police Force, the Municipality and even pub owners on this very particular issue. Students who feel that they are the victims of racial prejudice or that their human rights have been infringed, should report this to the authorities and to the university.

The Management of Stellenbosch University remains committed to open discussions with all stakeholders and to transformation.  

We are on an exciting journey of profound transformation and innovation and we are thankful for what we have achieved, and excited about what the University can be. In our Strategic Framework of 2000 we had acknowledged the contribution of Stellenbosch University to the wrongs of the apartheid past (and this apology has since been reiterated publicly by all three the consecutive Vice-Chancellors including myself), and we have committed ourselves to a process of restitution and transformation. This commitment has been confirmed in the Institutional Intent and Strategy of 2013. We are deeply committed to this process. We express appreciation to all stakeholders and role players, amongst others students and staff, alumni and various partners of the university who work hard to make renewal and transformation a reality.

Stellenbosch University's (SU) Human Resources Committee of the Council recently took the following decisions regarding the job titles of two Vice-Rectors.

The title of the Vice-Rector: Community Interaction and Personnel will be changed with immediate effect to Vice-Rector: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel.

Recently, the Division for Community Interaction's name was changed to the Division for Social Impact. Because transformation is such an important issue for SU, it has been included at top management level and made a salient part of this responsibility centre.

Prof Nico Koopman is currently the acting Vice-Rector in this position.

The title of Vice-Rector: Research and Innovation has also changed to Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies with immediate effect.

The additional part of the title is already part of this responsibility centre, but by including it in the title in this way, SU emphasises that research by postgraduate students is an integral component of research at SU.

Prof Eugene Cloete is currently the Vice-Rector in this position.

• Read more about these changes next month in the October issue of Kampusnuus.​

In August 2015 some staff and students of UCM and the Department of Civil Engineering had the opportunity to attend the Fifth International Conference on Construction Materials, ConMat'15, hosted at the Hilton Resort in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The conference brought together experts in materials and structures and created a platform where research and innovative solutions for current infrastructure inadequacies could be discussed. ConMat'15 hosted around 200 presentations from nearly 30 countries around the world covering various topics including fibre reinforced concrete, high performance concrete, concrete durability and life cycle costing.

Research papers by UCM staff and students, Professor Billy Boshoff, Riaan Combrinck, Wibke de Villiers, Bernard Le Roux, Arina Van Noordwyk and John Babafemi, were included in ConMat'15 which focused on aspects of concrete durability, concrete sustainability, fracture mechanics of concrete and the thermal performance of walling systems.

Apart from the academic experience guests could enjoy the sights that Whistler had to offer. Whistler was the former host of the 2010 Winter Olympics and is situated approximately 125 km north of Vancouver. Whistler is a renowned tourist attraction, characterized by panoramic views of picturesque mountains and forests, state of the art infrastructure and distinctive Canadian architecture. Conference atttendees had the opportunity to enjoy activities such as skiing, golf, gondola rides to the alpine country and mountain biking. Aside from beneficial academic discussions, ConMat'15 provided a great cultural experience as guests had the opportunity to interact with fellow experts from around the world.