Celebrating 25 years of international relations at Stellenbosch University.
Celebrating 25 years of international relations at Stellenbosch University.
Celebrating 25 years of international relations at Stellenbosch University.
“We have become what we are as a university today in great deal thanks to internationalisation. We rely on internationalisation to help sustain us into the future as we enter the second century of our existence,” Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, told staff, students, international partners and stakeholders at a gala event celebrating 25 years of international relations. The event, held on 13 April, has been one of many events hosted by SU International this year, looking back at milestones and achievements since the Office opened its doors in 1993. To celebrate the occasion, about 400 people gathered in the Endler Hall on Stellenbosch Campus for an evening of festivities and entertainment. The night topped off a week of activities hosted by SU International for its annual Stellenbosch International Academic Network (SIAN) conference held from 10 to 14 April.
Delegates from more than 30 partner universities representing 20 countries took part in the SIAN conference, engaging on topics of internationalisation with SU International staff and other stakeholders. Extending the scope of the conference, SIAN activities were combined with meetings of the SU Programme for International Administrators and the Erasmus+ support staff Mobility Programme.
Addressing participants at a workshop held at the Devon Valley Hotel, Robert Kotzé, Senior Director of SU International, said that internationalisation is about alliances, partnerships and global engagement. “It’s much more than mobility, it’s about giving students a global experience and a global dimension towards their studies and experiences.” He highlighted the development of scholarship on the continent, referring to SU as “an African university that wants to make a difference in our community, in our country and on our continent”.
As was highlighted throughout the week, Kotzé was the sole staff member of the Office for International Relations, as it was known when it opened its doors in 1993. Kotzé was part of the process when the University signed its first three bilateral agreements, these being with the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen (Germany), Leiden University (the Netherlands), and KU Leuven (Belgium). Recognising this long-standing collaboration, the three universities recorded video clips with congratulatory messages for SU International and the University.
In one of the video clips, Wolfgang Mekle, Director of the International Office at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, thanked the University for partnering with his institution, saying that the two universities have been working together on various levels, with student exchange the core of the relationship. Joined by his colleague Barbara Owen, Coordinator of the South African/Tübingen Programme, they expressed gratitude for SU coordinating the programme in South Africa. “We thank you for this wonderful collaboration between Stellenbosch and Tübingen over the years and we very much look forward to the next 25 years of working together,” Mekle concluded.
SIAN activities for the week included a Study Abroad Fair, where representatives of partner universities provided SU students with information about opportunities at their institutions, and an International Food Evening.
July 1993: The Office for International Relations (OIR) is established.
March 1996: The OIR offers a one-stop service for all incoming international students.
March 1997: The name of the OIR is changed to the International Office.
July 1998: The Study Abroad Programme with the American Institute for Foreign Study is formally started.
Late 90s/2000: The International Programmes at Stellenbosch University courses are introduced.
Late 90s/2000: The international students are housed in the residences Concordia and Academia.
January 2000: The international registration fee is introduced.
March 2003: The Your International Knowledge Partner Strategic Plan is initiated.
2003: A decade since the first Stellenbosch Family meeting is celebrated.
November 2009: The Confucius Institute joins the International Office.
1 January 2010: The name of the International Office is changed to the Postgraduate and International Office (PGIO).
September 2014: The PGIO is externally evaluated.
Late 2014: The African Doctoral Academy joins the PGIO.
29 May 2014: The Preferential Partnership Agreement with KU Leuven is concluded.
2015: The first SU-KU Leuven Think Tank Project is initiated.
1 August 2016: The first Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Strategy and Internationalisation is appointed.
1 October 2016: The PGIO is reorganised into two offices: Stellenbosch University International; and the Postgraduate Office.
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