​​In future all 13 parts of the Stellenbosch University Calendar (yearbooks) that until 2020 have been published annually in printed and digital format, will be available in digital format only on the institutional website, starting with the 2021 editions.

Having also consulted with the Academic Planning Committee (APC), the Rectorate agreed on 4 November 2020 that SU would no longer provide printed copies of the Calendar. The web-based 13 parts of the publication – General Calendar (part 1), Bursaries and Loans (part 2), Student Fees (part 3) and one part each per faculty – as well as updated addenda, will be regarded as the authoritative versions of the Calendar.

Since the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March this year, SU has been focussing on keeping the academic year on course, an even deeper transition into the digital world and institutional sustainability. As the country moved from one risk adjusted level to another, the changes to functioning remotely and gradually re-opening resulted in various amendments to the 2020 academic programmes.

Although these changes were communicated to the SU community and also published on the SU Calendar website, the risk remained that students or staff may have missed the amendments and referred to the printed Calendar parts, assuming that it contained the latest information. With uncertainties and potential changes expected to continue into 2021, the digital publications allow for much greater flexibility and immediate updates, so reducing the risks related to incorrect and outdated “hard copy" information.

To ensure ease of access to the digital versions of the Calendar parts, the following will be implemented:

• Links to the SU Calendar webpage from the SU homepage and faculty and library webpages, as well as staff and student portals will be clearly visible.
• All students will be notified of the availability of the digital Calendar webpage with the relevant links.
• The notice of the online Calendar Parts will be published on SU's social media platforms.

Even though all the Calendar parts are available on the SU central web space for external and internal visitors, it will also be included on the SUNStudent platform currently under construction, to make comprehensive information about the full academic offering available in an interactive online catalogue. The planned implementation of this online catalogue is scheduled from 2022 onwards.

The campus community will be informed as soon as the 2021 Calendar parts are available on the website.