Stellenbosch University
Welcome to Stellenbosch University
New vision and strategy in the home stretch
Author: Corporate Communications Division
Published: 04/05/2018

3 May 2018

Thank you to everyone who is contributing to make Stellenbosch University's Centenary special. This year, however, we are not only looking back on our journey thus far, but we are also looking ahead – to the road we still need to travel.

Our current roadmap, the University's Institutional Intent and Strategy 2013–2018 (IIS), including SU's Vision 2030, was drafted five years ago and expires this year. For this reason, we are hard at work on a new guiding document for the future.

Our Vision 2030 was to become increasingly “inclusive, innovative and future-focused: a place of discovery and excellence where both staff and students are thought leaders in advancing knowledge in the service of all stakeholders". And I believe we have done well in achieving that. We have broadened access to the University, built on our excellence and enhanced our societal impact.

Circumstances have changed since the IIS was drafted. We have seen important developments in our sector and the country as a whole, as well as on our continent and elsewhere. We are living in a rapidly changing world and must continue to change – not only to keep up, but to set the pace.

For the past two years already, we have been intensively working on a new framework for the future. This work is led by Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy and Internationalisation, and consists of three stages.

Stage 1 entails the drafting of the new vision, along with the strategic framework that defines the key strategic themes and the institutional objectives for each. As part of the drafting process, five task teams explored a range of aspects, and various levels of management provided input on several occasions. Staff and students were consulted on the University's values for the future. And Council also provided input, including on elements of a new vision, mission and the values of the University.

We are now in the home stretch of stage 1. The new strategic framework will be submitted to institutional structures, such as the Executive Committee of Senate, the Institutional Forum as well as Senate, before being tabled at Council for approval.  

Stage 2 will follow once Council has approved the new Vision 2040 and Strategic Framework 2019-2024. At that stage, the key strategic themes and objectives will be practically applied by setting context-specific objectives. This implies interaction with faculties and other environments to ensure alignment between the strategic framework and environment plans.

This will go hand in hand with stage 3 – namely bridging the gap between strategy planning and formulation on the one hand and strategy implementation on the other by way of appropriate structures and processes. This amounts to a new approach to integrated planning and implementation.

Thank you for all the contributions thus far. I encourage everyone to take part in the implementation discussions in their respective environments in the second semester. In this way, we will conclude SU's Centenary year on a high and enter our second century as a leading, research-intensive university in and for Africa with purpose.

Prof Wim de Villiers
Rector and Vice-Chancellor