Pictured are the last group of Distinguished Professors and the Deans from their respective faculties announced in 2015. Current Rector and Vice Chancellor Wim de Villiers is pictured bottom row fourth from left. PHOTO: Hennie Rudman.
Stellenbosch University (SU) announced a new group of 37 distinguished professors as recognition for their academic contribution at the university, on 16 October. These appointments form part of the university’s tradition to honour new professors every five years.
The new group of distinguished professors, which also include reappointments, will see their title effective on 1 January 2021, said Martin Viljoen, SU spokesperson. Meanwhile, the other researchers to hold the title will see their term come to an end in December 2020, he said.
This year’s group of professors is a drop from the current cohort. According to Viljoen, 45 professors currently hold the title.
“The first group of 30 was appointed in July 2014. At the time, the title was senior professor, which was later changed to distinguished professor in 2015,” said Viljoen.
Viljoen explained that a further list of 15 professors were added to the list in January 2016, who were the last cohort to receive the title.
The University just announced the latest group of distinguished professors: 37 in total across nine faculties. Congratulations! https://t.co/BbG9rMA9fr pic.twitter.com/k1OssLKz7W
— Stellenbosch Univ (@StellenboschUni) October 19, 2020
A total of 37 Distinguished Professors were chosen across nine faculties which included the faculty of Science, Engineering, and Law among others. TWITTER POST: Stellenbosch University.
According to Viljoen, a new procedure to choose the group of professors was approved by the Distinguished Professor Appointment Committee this year.
“The revised procedure allows for the total number of distinguished professors up to 15% of the total number of professors at SU. For 2020, this came to 37,” said Viljoen.
Professors are eligible for this title at SU if they have been a professor at SU for at least five years and have had a “continuous excellent performance over the last three years,” according to a SU press release, on 16 October.
Keymanthri Moodley, director at the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law at SU, is one new distinguished professor to make the list at the university.
“I was delighted to be acknowledged for my contribution to the field of bioethics and to Stellenbosch University. It was a particularly happy moment given the context of the pandemic and the general state of despair that we have all experienced during 2020,” she said.
Professor Bert Klumperman, Distinguished Professor at Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science, pictured fourth from left, was one professor who retained his title at SU. He was one of six people who retained their title from the faculty of science. In this photograph, Klumperman is pictured after being announced as an NRF rated scientist. PHOTO: Twitter/Bert Klumperman.
Bert Klumperman, one distinguished professor at Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science, was originally announced as a distinguished professor in 2014, and has held his title in the latest list released by SU.
“I was very happy and relieved when my reappointment was announced. I certainly hoped for the application to be successful, but in a competitive environment like Stellenbosch University, you can never be certain about the outcome,” Klumperman said.