2018 Graduations

The Centenary commemorations concluded in 2018 with graduation week in December. For the first time an opportunity was created for the new alumni, their family and friends to buy institutionally branded materials, such as the University’s wine, Centenary book, and clothing at a ‘pop-up’ shop in a tent at Coetzenburg, right next to the Coetzenburg …

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FFD Exhibition

The final Centenary exhibition at the Stellenbosch University Museum, “Forward? Forward! Forward…”, opened on 5 December 2018. The exhibition succeeded in looking towards the future, thus positioning the University for its next 100 years. Collaboration on the exhibition with the Institute for Futures Research was particularly welcome and led to a publication that included both …

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Maties Cycle Tour

In our Centenary year, a cycling team from Stellenbosch University, which included rector and vice-chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers, participated in the Cape Town Cycle Tour to raise funds for student bursaries. The following year, Prof De Villiers and a group of Maties completed the cycle tour again, this time in aid of #Move4Food, a …

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Town and Gown

As part of Stellenbosch University’s centenary activities, the rector and vice-chancellor hosted the Town and Gown Conference from 28 to 30 November 2018 on campus in collaboration with the office of the executive mayor of Stellenbosch. The aim of the conference was to bring together universities who constitute a noteworthy part of their cities/towns to …

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Library Memorial Wall

The Stellenbosch University (SU) Library launched a Centenary exhibition on a memorial wall in the library on 27 July 2018 and hosted 95 of their current and retired staff at a cocktail reception on the same day. The exhibition offered a pictorial glimpse of SU’s past and present and addressed the themes “Library Services – …

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100 Artefacts

Hosted at the Stellenbosch University Museum, “100 artefacts for 100 years” opened on 31 October 2018. This exhibition aimed to creatively narrate the stories of the University of the past 100 years. Items on display included a Feldmeyer iron used when the University still had a Department of Home Economics, and a film camera, dating …

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Varsity Cup Final

The televised Varsity Cup final on 16 April 2018 offered an excellent Centenary branding opportunity. Branding elements were clearly visible in the alumni tent, inside the stadium and on the field. The Maties team went on to triumph as FNB Varsity Cup champions for 2018.

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Varsity Cup – Ikeys vs Maties

On 5 March 2018, Stellenbosch University (SU) harnessed the opportunity presented by the Varsity Cup match between SU and the University of Cape Town (UCT) to commemorate the establishment of both these universities in 1918. The Division of Development and Alumni Relations also added to the prestige of the event by inviting old Matie Springboks …

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Centenary Gala Dinner

The Centenary Gala Dinner was hosted on 23 March 2018. The selection of Paul Roos Gymnasium as the venue for this event was a nod to the link between Paul Roos and Stellenbosch University (SU), which dates back 152 years. Guests included Western Cape premier, Ms Helen Zille, Stellenbosch mayor, councillor Gesie van Deventer, rectors of …

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Woordfees Family Day

On 3 March 2018, the Centenary Fun Walk started out in a reflective mood at the Old Lückhoff School in Banghoek Road in Stellenbosch. This was chosen as the starting point to recognise residents who were forcibly removed from ‘Die Vlakte’ during apartheid. In Victoria Street, students from the Military Academy and the band of …

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Centenary Concert

The Centenary homecoming concert took place on 2 March 2018 as part of the Stellenbosch University Woordfees. All those attending received Centenary commemorative buttons as a memento of the evening. The star-studded line-up included artists such as Laurika Rauch, Coenie de Villiers, Arno Carstens, Valiant Swart, Gloria Bosman, Tim Moloi, Mi Casa, the SU choir …

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Centenary Book Launch and Centenary Exhibition

On Thursday, 1 March 2018, Stellenbosch University (SU) officially launched its Centenary publication, Stellenbosch University 100: 1918-2018, and unveiled the Centenary Exhibition at the SU Archives on Stellenbosch campus. Click here to read more about this publication.

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100% Stellenbosch

The first special Centenary event, the 100% Stellenbosch production, was hosted from 23 to 25 February 2018 in conjunction with the Stellenbosch University Woordfees. Described as ‘a whole town on one stage’, the production consisted of 100 Stellenbosch residents who were selected according to the statistical profile of the town. These residents offered the audience …

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Centenary Wine

Stellenbosch University (SU) released a Pinotage as part of the commemoration of its Centenary. Only 2 200 bottles of limited ‘Eeufees Pinotage’, the official centenary wine, were bottled by SU’s Welgevallen cellar. Each bottle was individually numbered. According to Riaan Wassung, winemaker at the Welgevallen cellar, the wine was made from the best Pinotage vines of Welgevallen …

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2018 Welcome

The Centenary year was officially launched with the welcoming of newcomer first-years on 25 January 2018. This was the first event where the Centenary narrative was introduced and the first opportunity to showcase the Centenary in the public eye by branding Coetzenburg Stadium. Following the branding of Coetzenburg Stadium, other selected Stellenbosch University (SU) buildings were …

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AgriSciences celebrates a century of teaching and research

Commemorations bring with them recollections. The centenary dinner of the Faculty of Agrisciences at Spier took our memories back to afternoon practicals at Welgevallen or far out of town with a small pick at a soil profile, or to an Agricultural Economics class full of uncertainty about how Prof Kassier was going to challenge us …

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100 Artefacts to tell SU’s story

The Stellenbosch University Museum will soon host an exhibition, 100 Artefacts, in commemoration of the Centenary year of Stellenbosch University (SU). This exhibition aims to creatively narrate the stories of the University of the past 100 years. Prof Matilda Burden, Senior Curator: Museum research, says the items on display will each have its own unique story …

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Delicious meals – and lots of cake – to commemorate 100 proud years

Turning 100 warrants a big commemoration and the Centre for Student Communities (CSC) wanted students to join in the festivities all across campus. For this reason, special Centenary commemoration meals were hosted at all the University’s residences on Friday, 2 March. The three food service suppliers on campus, namely Royal, Fedics and C3, were approached …

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Maties Rugby’s historic gift to SU

A historic double in the Varsity Cup competition was the best gift possible from Maties Rugby to Stellenbosch University it its Centenary year. Maties Rugby won the Varsity Cup on Monday (16 April 2018) for the first time since 2010. Last week the Young Guns won the Varsity Cup’s u20 tournament for the very first …

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SU is 100 years old!

Stellenbosch University (SU) is a hundred years old today (2 April 2018). On 2 April 1918 Victoria College made way for the University of Stellenbosch (in 2000 Stellenbosch University) and four faculties (Science, Education, Arts and Social Sciences, and AgriSciences), 503 students and 40 lecturing staff officially started a new day as a fully-fledged University. …

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A leading higher-education institution that reaches out inclusively – Rector at centenary gala event

  “Stellenbosch University has become a leading higher-education institution that is making a crucial contribution to human development in our country, on our continent and in the rest of the world. Our graduates are well qualified and they are internationally in demand, our research is innovative and relevant and our impact on society is extensive. …

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First SU graduation of the Centenary year

Stellenbosch University (SU) will be awarding 3 315 degrees and diplomas at its March 2018 graduation ceremonies this week. Among these will be a record number of PhD and master’s degree candidates – 164 and 1 061, respectively. As part of its centenary commemoration?, SU will also bestow honorary doctorates upon 13 foremost thought leaders. The recipients are Mr Max du Preez, …

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Cape Town #CycleTour2018 a great success for #Maties100

“We enjoyed the ride, the University’s name was held high, and our fundraising drive for bursaries is well under way. It was a great success,” Maties Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers said upon finishing the Cape Town Cycle Tour on 11 March. The tour – the world’s largest timed cycle race – extends …

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Maties victorious in ‘match of the century’

Nearly 40 former Springbok rugby players who also played for Maties were witnesses to the Maroon Machine of Stellenbosch University (SU) outplaying the Ikey Tigers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in their Varsity Cup encounter last night (5 March 2018). The Springboks were guests at a special function of SU’s Division for Development …

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SU launches Centenary book and unveils exhibition

On Thursday (1 March 2018), Stellenbosch University (SU) officially launched its Centenary publication, Stellenbosch University 100: 1918-2018, and unveiled the Centenary Exhibition at the University Archives on Stellenbosch Campus. The book will be available in both English and Afrikaans, and contains 536 full-colour pages. The editors are Prof Albert Grundlingh (Part 1) and Mr Hans …

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BSc students’ field trip in April 1918

Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Science is also celebrating its centenary in 2018. Here is the first of many fascinating anecdotes from our history?? On foot and, for the luggage, a donkey cart. This is how a group of 19 Victoria College students and their lecturers, all from geology and botany, undertook a “hike between Prince Albert Station …

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Faculty of AgriSciences celebrate 100 years with 100 trees

First-years of the Faculty of AgriSciences celebrated the centenary of not only Stellenbosch University but also of the faculty by ceremonially planting 100 indigenous tree saplings that will, in future, grace the premises of the Welgevallen experimental farm in Stellenbosch. The Faculty of AgriSciences was one of the founding faculties of Stellenbosch University and four …

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Centenary kicks off with welcoming event

The welcoming event for first-year students and their parents on Thursday 25 January 2018 marked the official start of Stellenbosch University’s Centenary year. The year’s commemoration will occur against the backdrop of many decades of excellent academic achievements and valuable lessons learnt from the institution’s complex history. The Centenary theme is 100 years of learning, …

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Commemorating a Century

Stellenbosch University will commemorate its centenary in 2018. DR BARBARA POOL, who manages the centenary project, writes about the spirit and a few of the highlights of these commemorations. Next year, we will commemorate 100 years since Stellenbosch University formally came into being from Victoria Kollege in accordance with a parliamentary act. In addition to …

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Maties to ride Cape Town Cycle Tour for bursaries

A team from Stellenbosch University, which will include Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers, is to participate in the Cape Town Cycle Tour on 11 March 2018 to raise funds for student bursaries. I would like to invite all keen cyclists to join me, and former Springbok cyclist Carinus Lemmer, as well as Nicky …

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From ‘Kweekskool’ to University of Stellenbosch

When the University of Stellenbosch (today Stellenbosch University) was granted university status by an act of parliament on 2 April 1918, it was not a newly established institution. Over the preceding 60 years, it had gradually evolved through various stages, becoming a college and then a university. It all started in the 1850s. The ministers …

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