Every year I stand in awe when I look back on what we as the Responsibility Centre of Operations and Finance achieved. This year was no exception, and allowed me, once again, to present our annual report to Stellenbosch University’s Council with pride. The 140-page long report tells the story of you, the people in our RC who went out of your way to make our Institution even better. For this, I want to say thank you.
At our sixth annual awards function, we celebrated ten outstanding colleagues who touched our hearts and minds with their stories of endurance, perseverance, loyalty and love in their work. These colleagues earned our respect for their unwavering service to students, colleagues, and the broader SU community. We thank them for their exemplary work and for making us want to follow them and excel in our work.
This year, we commemorated significant accomplishments like launching our first cloud-based financial accounting system, SUNFin and cutting the ribbon on the magnificent BMRI building on our Tygerberg campus. Research and education can proceed on our campuses despite heavy load shedding because of around sixty generators that are maintained around the clock, seven days a week, by a dedicated crew. Thanks to a well-thought-out environmentally sustainable plan currently in place with projects that keep us on track, we are on our way to reaching net zero. We honoured the leaders of the University’s companies who support our fifth-stream revenue and help no-fee schools reduce their electricity costs, as well as the new spinout enterprises that have joined our university family.
We appreciate the employees who went above and beyond to keep our institution running smoothly. We are grateful to the staff members who volunteered to recover Admin A from a major flood over the precious festive season to those who worked long nights and weekends to load data and test our new financial system, to those who walked the campus day and night to ensure the safety of our students and staff, and to those who support our student-athletes as they strive for greater success. My list of gratitude never ends.
Being a member of this amazing team makes me really proud and appreciative, and I look forward to seeing what our colleagues will accomplish in 2024.
I wish you all a blessed holiday season and some quality time spent with your families.
Stay safe and see you all in 2024
