The Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University (SU) on Thursday (22 March 2018) conferred its first-ever joint doctorate.
Dr Kurt Schütte received a joint doctorate in Sport Science from SU and one of its oldest partners, the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium at the fifth ceremony of SU's March graduation. This was also the first doctorate to be awarded jointly by the two institutions. Schütte's supervisors were Prof Ranel Venter from SU's Department of Sport Science and Dr Benedicte Vanwanseele from KU Leuven's Department of Movement Sciences.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have had this unique opportunity to blend inspiration and leverage knowledge from two outstanding universities. Of course, it wasn't always plain sailing, since being the first joint doctoral candidate meant that at times there wasn't any real template or anyone's 'footsteps' to follow," says Schütte who hails from Somerset West in the Western Cape.
Currently a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven, Schütte's thesis focused on how useful wearables are in detecting fatigue, energy and injury in runners on the track or trail routes.
He says he is grateful for Prof Venter's mentorship, the camaraderie during the research experiments and data collection, as well as the fantastic funding opportunities that SU provided.
“Studying abroad has been an extremely exciting opportunity to learn new European cultures and travel abroad. For me it has been a huge privilege and I really encourage all students to go for it if they get the chance."
Schütte says students should explore different scholarship opportunities, attend international conferences if possible, and also embrace diversity.
“I personally believe that being exposed to different perspectives from different universities has expanded my vision for research and creativity for new experiments."
Other joint doctorates
Schütte's joint doctorate wasn't the only one to be conferred at SU's March graduation. Joint degrees were also awarded to Dr Alanna
Rebelo and Dr Simon Couzinié. Rebello, a postdoctoral researcher in SU's Faculty of AgriSciences, received hers in Conservation Ecology from SU and the University of Antwerp in Belgium, while Dr Simon Couzinié, a lecturer at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, was awarded his in Geology by SU and Jean Monnet University in France. Rebello's doctorate was also the first in the Faculty of AgriSciences to be conferred by SU and the University of Antwerp. With joint PhD partnership agreements with 21 partner institutions, SU has awarded 23 joint doctorates to date. 
Supervised by Prof Karen Esler from SU's Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology and Prof Patrick Meire from the Ecosystem Management Group at the University of Antwerp, Rebelo looked at, among others, the benefits palmiet wetlands hold for ecosystems such as slowing the force of floods, cleaning water and providing habitat for biodiversity and sediment retention.
Reflecting on her doctoral journey, Rebelo says she thoroughly enjoyed her PhD and learning the ropes at a new international institution.
“Most of all I loved my research group. I got to attend courses abroad, conferences, and research trips. I was fortunate to meet exciting researchers from all around the world as well as see many very interesting wetland systems."
Dr Simon Couzinié says he is very honoured and proud to receive the joint degree from SU and Jean Monnet University. His supervisors were Prof Gary Stevens from SU's Department of Earth Sciences and Jean-François Moyen from Jean Monnet University.
“During the past three years, I have benefited from the high level research facilities and academic resources available at both institutions and I am grateful to my supervisors and the Science Faculties for having given me such a great opportunity."
“In South Africa, I also had the chance to collaborate and build-up friendships with local students and colleagues while getting to know more about this beautiful country. I clearly regard this joint PhD experience as a personal and professional achievement."
Commenting on the three joint doctorates, Mr Robert Kotze, Senior Director of Stellenbosch University (SU) International, says “international academic collaborations normally forms the basis for developing joint degrees and awarding a joint PhD can be seen as the culmination of the collaboration of the two supervisors."
“Not only does it bring together different academic traditions, but it recognises academic complementarity and confirms the candidate's ability to conduct research in an international context."
It is quite fitting that the three joint doctorates were awarded in the same year that SU is commemorating its centenary and also celebrating 25 years of internationalisation. Leading international activities at the university, SU International, which first opened its doors in 1993 as the then Office for International Relations, plays an influential role in positioning SU as rooted in Africa and global in reach.
- Main photo: Dr Kurt Schütte with Prof Ranel Venter at the graduation ceremony. Photographer: Anton Jordaan
- Photo 1: Dr Alanna Rebelo at her graduation ceremony. Photographer: Hennie Rudman
- Photo 2: Dr Simon Couzinié
