Stellenbosch University (SU) lived up to its reputation as a major strategic and international role-player in higher education when it officially launched a partnership with world-renowned French-based business school SKEMA. This partnership, the first between SKEMA and a tertiary institution in South Africa and Africa, paves the way for the establishment of the SKEMA Business School South Africa at SU.

The launch took place on Friday (31 January 2020) at the Adam Small Theatre on the Stellenbosch campus where Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy and Internationalisation at SU, and Mr Damien Roux, Director of Global Marketing & Communication at SKEMA, signed a formal agreement on behalf of the two institutions. Representatives of SU, SKEMA, the French Embassy, the French Chamber of Commerce, as well as the first cohort of 30 SKEMA students attended the event.

In terms of the agreement, SKEMA Business School South Africa will offer courses at SU with the latter providing the logistical support and infrastructure needed to implement its academic activities on campus. This includes classrooms as well as office space for the SKEMA administrative staff and academics on a rotational basis. Students will be staying for one semester, have access to the University's facilities, and follow the academic programme that will be delivered by lecturers from SU's Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) and SKEMA. It's envisaged that the partnership will spawn joint programmes, research projects, faculty exchanges and visits of SU students to other SKEMA campuses around the world.

Highlighting the significance of the event, Prof Klopper said “the signing of this agreement with SKEMA undoubtedly takes our partnership to the next level. It carries the blueprint of SU's strategic endeavour to provide all our students with a transformative learning experience and equipping them for the demands of the global job market."

She mentioned that the partnership between SU and SKEMA was another example of the strong and fruitful ties between SU and tertiary institutions in France.

“SU has had a long-standing bond with French higher education institutions in the form of bilateral and research agreements and student mobility. We're committed to this relationship and are looking forward to working collaboratively."

Roux said SKEMA wanted to play a role in the local community and wanted to be part of the regional system. He encouraged the first group of students to make a contribution in this regard.

In addition to France and South Africa, SKEMA has campuses in the USA, China and Brazil.

• ​​Main photo: Prof Hester Klopper and Mr Damien Roux sign the agreement. Photo 1: Representatives of SU, SKEMA, the French Embassy, the French Chamber of Commerce, and SKEMA students at the launch. Photographer: Stefan Els