Stellenbosch University
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Prestigious fellowship for Prof Hester Klopper
Author: Wayne Muller
Published: 04/12/2020

Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy & Internationalisation at Stellenbosch University (SU), has received yet another accolade. On 14 December 2020, she will be inducted as a Fellow Ad Eundem of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).

The Fellowship Ad Eundem is a prestigious award that is conferred by the Faculty of RCSI on individuals in recognition of their work and achievements in nursing and midwifery, as well as their contributions to nursing, midwifery, healthcare, education and research.

Prof Klopper, who is also a professor in SU's Department of Global Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, was nominated, followed by a review process by an oversight committee and the School, and finally approved by the Surgery and Post Graduate Faculties Board. This fellowship is especially prestigious in Europa, and Prof Klopper will be the first from South Africa to be appointed in this fellowship.

As an international academic leader, Prof Klopper serves on the Board of Consortium for Universities in Global Health (CUGH) and is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). In 2016, she received an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University for her contribution to nursing education and research globally.

During the RCSI virtual conferring ceremony, Prof Klopper will make her declaration and affirmation as Fellow in the presence of the President of the RCSI and the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery.

“I feel privileged to receive this fellowship. It is always a huge honour when you are recognised for your work by your peers. As DVC, a large part of my portfolio revolves around the building and nurturing of SU's international profile, and I am sure this fellowship will also give me the opportunity to further our cause in continuously expanding SU's global footprint," says Prof Klopper.

On Monday, 30 November, the SU Council also confirmed Prof Klopper's re-appointment for a second five-year term as DVC: Strategy and Internationalisation, starting 1 August 2021.