SU global impact

“SU has positioned itself to intentionally embrace internationalisation,” says Prof Hester Klopper, the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy and Internationalisation. She is the first incumbent of this position, which was created in 2016 to spearhead the institution’s vision of becoming Africa’s leading research-intensive university, globally recognised for excellence, innovation and inclusivity. SU International, which falls under Klopper’s portfolio, coordinates and supports many of the University’s internationalisation activities to help bring this vision to fruition.

“As part of SU’s mission, we have declared our willingness to influence and change the world around us through collaboration, as well as to be responsive and embrace change ourselves,” says Klopper. “Central to this is the notion that what happens in the world shapes our research, teaching and learning as well as our engagement, and that what happens at our university matters to the world. SU is committed to South Africa and Africa. At the same time, we are intensely aware of our role in and relation to the international arena. To inspire and be inspired, SU will engage and collaborate with stakeholders, the communities we serve, industry, government and our partners at a local, regional, continental and global level to sustain and enhance our relevance in the 21^st century and beyond.”

Klopper believes it is important that universities reflect current international trends and developments by designing relevant curricula for our globalised world: “We need to offer our staff and students the best opportunity to become responsible global citizens with a thorough understanding of the world around them, to thrive on diversity and appreciate the strengths of multicultural education. That is why global mobility is growing for both students and academics. This creates more opportunities for strategic global partnerships and collaboration with greater impact.”

Already having established collaborative ties with partners in more than 30 African countries, further extending SU’s networks on the continent remains a key priority. “SU is serious about being rooted in Africa, but global in impact,” explains Klopper. “By doing research on the numerous challenges of our continent, we want to be a key creator of new knowledge and applications to bring about real, positive change in the lives of our people. This is why we see SU playing an increasingly prominent role in the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) going forward, along with its 15 fellow ARUA members. We are the proud host of the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Energy, which we intend strengthening to establish even greater engagement and research collaboration across Africa.” Another special interest at SU is to develop scholarship on the continent and offer opportunities for the development of early-career researchers and PhD students. “Our African Doctoral Academy plays a significant role in this regard,” she adds.

Global cooperation, Klopper believes, is the key to addressing the world’s challenges. “To deal with universal challenges such as climate change, poverty alleviation and new diseases, and pursue the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, we need to pool our resources and come together in new research and knowledge networks that span the globe. Current realities offer us new opportunities for international research collaboration, with diverse, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams working together to tackle global problems.”

Photo: Stefan Els