Stellenbosch University
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Arts Faculty's 8th cohort of Graduate School scholarship holders welcomed
Author: Lynne Rippenaar-Moses & Natalie Kowalik
Published: 17/03/2017

Earlier this year the eight cohort of PhD scholarship holders of the Graduate School of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences were welcomed by the Faculty; pushing the total number of doctoral candidates enrolled to 180 since the School's inception, in 2010.

The Graduate School programme has been considered a huge success with 93 PhD students having graduated between 2012 and 2016. This year, 2017, a total of 21 doctoral candidates from African countries, including South Africa, were selected to be part of the programme. It will be the first time that the Graduate School will have PhD candidates from Ethiopia and Mauritius.

The 21 doctoral students are spread across 10 departments within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. 

"We are incredibly proud to welcome our eighth cohort of doctoral scholarship holders to Stellenbosch University. The Graduate School is considered to be the biggest success story for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences as we have developed and implemented a comprehensive and concerted set of measures to address the critical current and future shortages of trained academics in South Africa and the continent at large," says Dr Cindy Steenekamp, Chair of the Graduate School Board.

A welcoming function for the students was held at Middelvlei Wine Estate on the 1 February 2017 with the new doctoral candidates, their supervisors, members of the Graduate School Board as well as Faculty management. During the welcoming, Prof Anthony Leysens, the Acting Dean of the Faculty highlighted the importance of international ties with neighbouring countries and the need for African scholarship.

"The pool of African intellectual talent that forms the foundation of this doctoral scholarship programme is key to its success. Embracing scholars from a diverse range of nationalities, disciplines, cultures and traditions has created a vibrant and transformational scholarly community within our Faculty," said Leysens.

In closing, Prof Leysens went on to wish the new 2017 cohort of doctoral students' great success with their PhD studies.

Photo: The Acting Dean, Prof Anthony Leysens, welcomed a new cohort of 21 doctoral candidates to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Graduate School earlier this year. (Hennie Rudman, SSFD)