Mr Pieter Kloppers has been appointed as Stellenbosch University's Dean of Students after management reinstated this position from 1 October 2015 in response to requests from the student community.
With the restructuring of the responsibility centre for Learning and Teaching in 2013, the position of Dean of Students was ended as a result of overlapping functions between the Dean's position at that time and the position of the Director: Centre for Student Communities.
According to Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, Vice-Rector: Learning and Teaching , the Rector's Management Team decided to reinstate the position after serious consideration was given to requests from the student community. "We acknowledge that our students can identify much easier with the post title of Dean of Students than that of for example a Director: Student Structures and Communities."
Mr Kloppers said he is looking forward to fulfilling the role as Dean of Students: "A Dean of Students should contribute to the campus community understanding each other better. The development of friendships across boundaries is an important way to achieve this. Friendship improves our willingness to listen to each other, it deepens our commitment to creating spaces where our friends feel welcome and can be successful and it prevents us from giving easy answers on complex issues.
"I look forward to keep making new friends that will help me to understand better and to create opportunities where others can also make friends like that."
Due to the fact that in the position of Director: Student Structures and Communities Mr Kloppers already has a heavy work load, changes have been made to the structure of the Student Affairs division to ensure that he can meet the expectations of a Student Dean. A second deputy director will be appointed shortly, as well a Manager: Co-curriculum, a coordinator for the tracking, mentor and tutor projects and two PSO coordinators. A Multicultural Educator/Coordinator was appointed from 1 September 2015.
"These additional members of staff will support Mr Kloppers in his role as Dean of Students, and will focus on ensuring the success of students, and help to accelerate the further development of a welcoming campus culture for all our students," said Prof Schoonwinkel.
Mr Kloppers will function as the first and most important access or contact point for student affairs; and as liaison between the University management and students on the vision, mission and key strategic priorities for the co-curricular environment, as well as the student community's needs, issues and aspirations.
"Mr Kloppers has been fulfilling this role to a large extent already over the past few years, but with the additional staff support his availability for students will be significantly increased," added Prof Schoonwinkel.
Clik here to view.
