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2019 Top Lecturers
Author: Ronél Beukes
Published: 22/10/2019

​​The names of the overall winners of the Faculty's 9th top lecturer competition sponsored by Die Burger, were announced at a gala event on Friday evening (18 October) at Beyerskloof Wine Estate. Lize-Marie Sahd and Sophia Brink, both chartered accountants of the School of Accountancy, won the top undergraduate and top postgraduate categories respectively.

This year the competition differed slightly from previous competitions as undergraduate and postgraduate students voted separately for their best undergraduate and postgraduate lecturers respectively.

Awarding top lecturers was the initiative of Mr Koos Bekker of Naspers, who was also backing it by means of a sponsorship. The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences seized the opportunity and organised the first top lecturer competition in 2011 in cooperation with Die Burger. The faculty is the only of the SU faculties to hold the competition.

The top departmental undergraduate lecturers are:

  • Prof Edwin Theron (Business Management),
  • Dr Debra Shepherd (Economics),
  • Mr Marius Meyer (Industrial Psychology),
  • Mr Melrick October (Logistics),
  • Ms Lize-Marie Sahd (School of Accountancy),
  • Dr Ruenda Loots (School of Public Leadership), and
  • Mr Luca Steyn (Statistics and Actuarial Science).

The top departmental postgraduate lecturers are:

  • Prof Pierre Erasmus (Business Management),
  • Dr Debra Shepherd  (Economics),
  • Dr Samantha Adams & Mr Marius Meyer (Industrial Psychology),
  • Prof Leila Goedhals-Gerber (Logistics),
  • Mrs Sophia Brink (School of Accountancy)
  • Prof Willie Conradie (Statistics and Actuarial Science), and
  • Mrs Sonja Cilliers (University of Stellenbosch Business School).

According to Prof Ingrid Woolard, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Die Burger is enabling the Faculty to acknowledge excellence in teaching. “We take pride in this student-centred competition.

“From students' feedback, it is clear that the same 'old' values still hold true: lecturers have to be able to teach well and explain difficult concepts in such a way that students will understand them," she added.

The names of 10 students who participated in the voting, were drawn in a lucky draw. They received cash prizes of R1 500 each. They are: Caitlin Stanton; Phillip Falck; Sasha-Lee Gerber; Nyasha Mahurayi; Michaela Christophers; Sarah-Jane Wright; Caragh Groeneveld; Anél Swanepoel; Lené Koegelenberg and Kayla Matthews. Sasha-Lee Gerber, a BAccHons student, also won a Huawei smartphone at the prizewinning function.

  • ​Photo by Anton Jordaan: The top departmental undergraduate and postgraduate lecturers​ are (f.l.t.r.) Marius Meyer (Industrial Psychology - winner of the undergraduate category as well as joint winner with Dr Samantha Adams of the postgraduate category of Industrial Psychology), Prof Leila Goedhals-Gerber (Logistics - postgraduate), Dr Ruenda Loots (School of Public Leadership - undergraduate), Dr Debra Shepherd (Economics - undergraduate and postgraduate ), Luca Steyn (Statistics and Actuarial Science - undergraduate), Lize-Marie Sahd (School of Accountancy - undergraduate), Sophia Brink (School of Accountancy - postgraduate), Prof Willie Conradie (Statistics and Actuarial Science - postgraduate), Prof Edwin Theron (Business Management - undergraduate) and Melrick October (Logistics - undergraduate).
    Absent: Prof Pierre Erasmus (Business Management - postgraduate); Dr Samantha Adams (joint winner with Marius Meyer of the postgraduate category of Industrial Psychology); and Mrs Sonja Cilliers (USB - postgraduate).

  • Photo on the right by Anton Jordaan: The Faculty's top undergraduate lecturer of 2019 is Mrs Lize-Marie Sahd (left) and the top postgraduate lecturer is Mrs Sophia Brink.
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