In reflecting on 2022, most people would probably view it as the year in which they tried to return to a sense of normality and the way of life they knew before the global COVID-19 pandemic. While 2020 and 2021 had been years of disruption, I believe 2022 provided us with the opportunity to reflect on the trauma felt during the pandemic and enabled us to embrace the future with vigour.
For Stellenbosch University (SU), 2022 has been a year in which we experienced some low points but also highlights that give us hope for the future. Throughout we have been guided by our values of excellence, compassion, accountability, respect and equity.
Our internationalisation efforts have supported the University's vision to be Africa's leading research-intensive university with a global impact. In 2022, we also continued our commitment towards comprehensive internationalisation, and our students and staff could again have a global experience. We were able to strengthen our partnerships and our participation in international networks.
Although SU have had many highlights over the past year that served to cement our global root, I would like to mention a few that stand out for me.
- For the first time in history, the Nobel Symposia was held outside Sweden and at Stellenbosch University's Institute for Advanced Study in October 2022, a great honour for our institution.
- In August 2022, the SU-Japan Centre was established at our University with the aim of enhancing Japan-South Africa relations through the Centre's programmes.
- Our work on the African continent ensured greater impact, especially through SU's African Doctoral Academy and our participation in the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA).
- We ended the year with a delegation visit by The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, which was an enlightening engagement with future prospects.
The year 2022 has indeed been a good year for internationalisation at SU, and we look forward to next year to deepen our engagement with our partners and networks globally.
-Prof Hester C. Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs
