​Stellenbosch University's fourth ordinary Council meeting of the year took place on Monday 27 November 2017.

Council was briefed on developments in higher education, reflected on the past year at Stellenbosch University (SU), and approved the University's latest institutional plan as well as the budget for 2018.

Two members of executive management – the Chief Operating Officer and the Vice-Rector: Strategy and Internationalisation – also updated Council on developments in their respective responsibility centres over the past year.

In addition, we received reports on the decolonisation of the curriculum and the implementation of SU's Language Policy, and adopted a motion to oppose any appeal against the recent court judgement upholding said policy.

More details follow below.

George Steyn
Chairperson: SU Council

State of the University and the sector

In his report to Council (click here), the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers, said SU was grateful to have successfully completed classes for the year as one of the top universities in the country and on the continent. Final examinations have almost been concluded, and we can look forward to eight graduation ceremonies in the week of 4 to 8 December 2017.

We are proud of the fact that our student success rate is among the highest in the country, that the qualifications we award display an upward trend, and that our position on major world university rankings continues to improve.

Prof De Villiers also provided feedback from a recent meeting of Universities South Africa (USAf), where vice-chancellors met with the new Minister of Higher Education and Training, Prof Hlengiwe Mkhize, and discussed the report of the Fees Commission released by President Jacob Zuma earlier in November.

Uncertainty in the sector remains high, as the government has neither pronounced itself on the recommendations contained in the report, nor made any announcements yet on funding to universities and students for next year. This is complicating matters, with universities having to finalise their budgets. SU remains committed to assisting academically deserving students in financial need to access university studies.

Institutional Plan 2018–2023

The Department of Higher Education and Training requires universities to submit an updated institutional plan (IP) by 15 December each year. In submitting the document to Council, the Vice-Rector: Strategy and Internationalisation (VR:SI) pointed out that it has gone through a well-documented, extensive, iterative and consultative process, involving all the relevant decision-makers and role-players.

SU's IP 2018–2023 is largely a revision of the 2017 plan, with the most recent objectives and targets added. The end product integrates the strategies and action plans of the three core functions of the University, and aligns the plans of the various responsibility centres, faculties and the professional administrative and support service (PASS) divisions with SU's seven institutional strategies. The plan and the integrated budget are also aligned with each other.

Council approved SU's IP 2018–2023.

Budget 2018

Each year, Council considers the University's integrated budget, including all revenue streams, namely state subsidies, tuition and accommodation fees, research contracts, philanthropic donations and commercial revenue.

The most significant recommendations in the 2018 budget submitted to Council are as follows:

• A general staff remuneration adjustment of 6% for 2018
• A general adjustment of 8% in student fees (undergraduate and postgraduate) for 2018, plus differentiated adjustments (to be phased in for new students only) in some faculties
• A student accommodation fee adjustment of 9,2%
• The introduction of an international tuition fee
• A progressive shift of institutional expenditure on bursaries to the fourth income stream (donations) in order to free up funds in the main budget
• A reduction in library expenditure on certain, less popular electronic databases
• An increase in main budget income from indirect cost recovery
• An allocation from the Strategic Fund to balance the main budget

This has produced a balanced main budget (first two income streams) for the next six years.

At the recommendation of its Executive Committee, Council approved the University's 2018 integrated budget. However, this is subject to final confirmation of the state subsidy for 2018. Council agreed that any potential amendments resulting from the confirmation of the state subsidy be approved by the Rector along with the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of Council.

Report of the Vice-Rector: Strategy and Internationalisation

Since the new position of VR:SI was only filled in 2016, this Council meeting was the first opportunity for the incumbent, Prof Hester Klopper, to submit an annual report. (Click here for the complete document; only a few highlights are covered below.)

This responsibility centre includes three divisions – Strategic Initiatives, SU International and, since 1 October, the Division for Information Governance.

Strategy

The University has started developing Vision 2040 and a Strategic Framework 2019–2024, which will replace the existing Institutional Intent and Strategy 2013–2018. The Institutional Planning Forum (February 2017) and the Executive Planning Forum (July 2017) were both utilised to consult management on the SU of the future. Five task teams are working on specific areas that will feed into the new vision and strategic framework. Council and senior management have been consulted on vision and mission elements, as well as the proposed new values. During October and November, students and staff were also called upon for their input on the University's values. A first draft is expected to be available for broad consultation early in the new year.

Internationalisation

Reorganisation of the Postgraduate and International Office into Stellenbosch University International and the Postgraduate Office was completed in October 2016. The new SU International, which comprises six centres, was launched in November 2016. During 2017, a position paper on internationalisation was drafted, which will form the basis for SU's strategy on internationalisation. An institutional advisory committee on internationalisation has also been established with representatives from all responsibility centres, faculties and PASS environments.

Information Governance

SU's Institutional Research and Planning Division recently joined the responsibility centre of the VR:SI. It will be renamed the Division for Information Governance and will comprise three centres – Institutional Information, Student Information System Support, and Business Intelligence. The overall purpose with this change is to position information as an enabler for the University.

Report of the Chief Operating Officer

At this Council meeting, Prof Leopoldt van Huyssteen, outgoing Chief Operating Officer (COO), tabled his last comprehensive annual report. (Only a few aspects are highlighted in this communication. Click here for the complete document.)

The COO is in charge of a multidimensional responsibility centre – Operations and Finance – which focuses on creating value for, and adding value to, SU's business. As an enabler for most campus operations, this responsibility centre plays a significant role in supporting the University to achieve its strategic goals. Its activities can be summarised by the following six roles and responsibilities:

• Strengthening of business processes for financial sustainability
• Integrated planning, budgeting and reporting
• Commercialisation of intellectual property and creation of business opportunities
• The pursuit of environmental sustainability
• Operation of the transport and parking system
• Selling dormant assets

Council accepted Prof Van Huyssteen's report with appreciation (also see “Personalia" below).

Decolonising the curriculum

A year ago, Council requested management to consider the matter of the decolonisation of the curriculum, and to make recommendations as to how the University should respond to it. At its meeting this week, Council received feedback from the Vice-Rector: Learning and Teaching, Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, and the Vice-Rector: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel, Prof Nico Koopman.

They tabled the document “In search for parameters for the imperative of the decolonisation of the curriculum", which elucidates and discusses key concepts and terminology that form part of the decolonisation discourse. (Click here for the full document.)

Holistic programme renewal has been identified as a strategic priority for the Learning and Teaching responsibility centre. This includes investigations into the decolonisation of the curriculum, taking note of the decolonisation task team's report issued under the auspices of Senate's Committee for Learning and Teaching.

Council took note of the work done in this regard, and welcomed the fact that the conversation on decolonisation and systemic transformation is set to continue throughout the University, including in faculties and student environments.

Report of the Language Committee of Council

The Language Committee of Council is tasked with overseeing the implementation of SU's Language Policy, which Council adopted in 2016 for implementation from 2017.

In its most recent report to Council, the committee recognised the significant growth in the parallel-medium offering (mainly in first-year subjects), which had in effect increased accessibility for Afrikaans-speaking students who did not have much proficiency in English.

Council also took note that undergraduate students were again surveyed in the second semester regarding the implementation of the Language Policy. The committee reported that the survey mostly confirmed the findings of a similar survey in the first semester, namely that the vast majority of respondents felt that the Language Policy was being implemented satisfactorily in all or most of their modules, as well as in the administrative and co-curricular environments.

Council thanked the committee for playing a valuable monitoring role in the implementation of the Language Policy.

Legal challenges against SU's Language Policy

Last year, the Gelyke Kanse group and eight other applicants launched a legal challenge against the Language Policy that Council had adopted with the concurrence of Senate. The University opposed the challenge. The matter was heard in the Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa, which handed down judgement in October this year, inter alia dismissing the application with cost. (Click here for the University's statement, including links to the complete judgement.)

The applicants have since applied to the Supreme Court of Appeal for leave to appeal the judgement, and have also indicated their intention to apply for leave to appeal directly to the Constitutional Court. Council resolved that SU would oppose any appeal, and authorised its chairperson and deputy chairperson to take all necessary steps to this end. Senate had earlier taken a similar decision.

Personalia

This was the last Council meeting of the outgoing COO, Prof Leopoldt van Huyssteen, who will be retiring on 31 December 2017. Council expressed its deepest appreciation to him for his many years of tireless service to SU. He will be succeeded by Prof Stan du Plessis, who has been serving as COO designate since January this year.

Council also congratulated Prof Hester Klopper, VR:SI, on her election to the council of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH), which is based in Washington DC.

Finally, the Council chair thanked the two Students' Representative Council (SRC) members who had served on Council for the past year, Ms Lynshay Julies and Mr Maxwell Mlangeni. They will be replaced by representatives of the new SRC in 2018.

Next meeting

The next ordinary meeting of Council is scheduled for Monday 26 March 2018.