In recent months we have dealt with some tough issues at the University, the wrath of staff, alumni, donors and the broader public, largely as a result of research in emotionally-charged areas that have, through the media, been given the status of the position or opinion of ‘The University’.
In the brevity of this previous sentence you should not assume that I am simply sighing at a “bad day at the office”. I do not wish to sweep away the uproar, hurt, anger, confusion that the publicised research has caused. Nor the justification therefor. Not at all. The past few months have been painful ones for us all.
The article “Age- and education-related effects on cognitive functioning in Coloured South African women” was published in an international scientific journal on normal and dysfunctional development, Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition. The editors and publishers of the journal, in consultation with the authors, have since retracted this article. SU strongly supported this, as indicated in a media statement issued on 3 May 2019.
As an institution we acknowledged that the particular article caused offence and injured the dignity of fellow South Africans. In a communiqué to staff and students on 30 April 2019, which was also issued to the media, we apologised unconditionally for the trauma, pain and anger among members of the general public, Stellenbosch communities, University stakeholders and our campus community.
As an institution Stellenbosch University aspires to be a transformed and integrated academic community that celebrates critical thinking, promotes debate and advances democracy, human rights and social justice.
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An objective of the Recognition, Reparation, Reconciliation: The Light and Shadow of Historical Trauma conference held at Stellenbosch University in December 2018 was to bring together scholars and practitioners to deliberate on important questions relating to historical wounding and haunting legacies as a result of trans-generational trauma. To name but a few: What is the appropriate response to the echoes of historical wounding that extend far beyond the generation that experienced the trauma directly? What strategies might quell the haunting repercussions of genocide, slavery, colonial oppression, and mass violence that play out in the lives of affected individuals and groups from both sides of these acts?
It was therefore regrettable that the Israeli/Palestinian narrative spilled over to the conference, achieving exactly the opposite of the vision for the event, and in the process vilifying Stellenbosch University and Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, chair of the conference committee and Research Chair for Historical Trauma and Transformation at the University.
At a meeting between representatives from Stellenbosch University and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) at the University on Friday, 25 January 2019, discussion centred around academic freedom which we all agreed should be embraced, defended and never be taken for granted.
The conference brought together a global network of scholars and practitioners to deliberate on questions relating to historical wounding and its transgenerational repercussions. However, scholars from Israel ended up not participating because of a misunderstanding of efforts that were intended to ensure peace and security around the conference in the wake of calls to exclude Israeli participants. Professor Thuli Madonsela, Law Faculty Trust Chair for Social Justice and Law Professor at Stellenbosch University, who attended the meeting between the SAJBD and SU, said it was unfortunate that these efforts were judged for their outcome rather than for their intent.
Professor Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of SU, expressed regret that the Israeli academics ended up not attending the conference and added: "Stellenbosch University continues to support freedom of expression and academic freedom. As a research-intensive university of global significance, we continue to welcome academics from all over the world at Stellenbosch University—including scholars from Israel—and co-create excellent research with significant social and academic impact.”
Every year, SU hosts several scholarly events that attract academics from across the globe. The university continues to welcome scholars as part of the university’s commitment to internationalisation and as a leading centre of higher education research.
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At the nexus of alumni relations and donor relations, what have we learned through these incidents?
We all have a tendency to do our own thing and listen to our own voice(s) first, rather than to seek the wisdom and truth others hold. I believe that we will find it IF we are curious and listen. I am so grateful that our Vice-Chancellor is a great listener. An essentially kind and thoughtful man. And under Professor De Villiers’ leadership, I really believe that we are a Learning Organisation.
Solving a problem and reengineering processes all require seeing the world in a new light and acting accordingly. In the absence of learning, organisations—and individuals—simply repeat old practices. Change remains cosmetic, and improvements are either fortuitous or short-lived.
Peter Senge, who popularised learning organisations in his book The Fifth Discipline, described them as places “where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together”.
These recent incidents and the responses that have resulted inside our University have helped to focus thinking, encourage dialogue, and make tacit, instinctively understood ideas explicit.
Am I sounding a little idyllic? Absolutely. But is this painful process ultimately desirable as a means of strengthening us all? Without question.
Karen Bruns
Senior Director: Development & Alumni Relations
