It should not be a surprise that Stellenbosch University (SU) boasts the highest undergraduate pass rate in the country. Student success is central to just about everything that SU does. At the heart of this is a holistic approach that focuses on the wellness of all aspects of being a student – academic, emotional, social and financial.
This approach is in line with the challenges of our country and society. Not only do a large number of students enter university from a deficient school system that prepares them insufficiently for further study, but employers these days require so much more than just academic achievement.
The University has reacted to these challenges in a tangible manner and has put various initiatives in place to find solutions to these and other challenges – all under the banner of the HOPE Project . This, however, makes heavy demands on the University that are not sustainable without financial support from outside.
A variety of initiatives give shape to this approach. Some focus on prospective students and the preparatory work in schools to equip learners for study at university, while others, such as the First-year Academy, focus on the in-house experience of first-year students. SU was the first institution to introduce such an Academy. This virtual, campus-wide initiative consists of a number of programmes aimed at improving the through-flow rate of first-year students. Via early assessment the students get an early idea of their academic progress. All students are also incorporated into tutor and mentor programmes for a year-long ‘learning journey’ on the way to achieving academic success.
The integration of students’ learning and living worlds, both inside and outside of the classroom, is equally important for the promotion of student success. The Centre for Student Communities therefore establishes learning and living communities that pursue academic excellence and a culture of learning – in the places where the students reside and live – whether in residences or in private accommodation.
This multifaceted approach to student success is supported further by the Centre for Academic Support, which is home to the Centre for Student Counselling and Development. The latter provides individual services and development workshops for students. Services include a mentoring system, counselling, support for students with special learning needs and emotional and social support for students.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks on the way to student success is financial support, and therefore the University has been hard at work over the past few years to also significantly increase its bursary offering – not only to attract the best students, but also to encourage a greater diversity of students.
To this end, SU granted R73,9 million from own funds in 2012, among others for merit bursaries (R14,1 million), for recruitment bursaries – particularly for (generically) black students (R40,4 million), and to provide support for needy students (R19 million). More than 230 outside organisations currently provide bursaries to the value of about R257 million (in 2011). Not included in these amounts is government assistance, largely in the form of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and bursaries from the Department of Higher Education and Training.
However, much more is needed to support student success via financial support.
A number of other initiatives on campus are also aimed at student success. Among these are the Frederik van Zyl Slabbert Institute for Student Leadership Development (FVZS), the first of its kind in South Africa and focused on the development of students’ leadership, entrepreneurial and life skills; the ultramodern Learning Commons in the JS Gericke Library, which offers rapid and effective access to sources of information for undergraduate students; the Carnegie Research Commons, a brand-new facility for postgraduate students; the Language Centre, which offers a variety of language services; and SciMathUS, which offers matriculants from disadvantaged schools who do not meet the requirements for admission to higher education, but show potential, a second chance to improve their Grade 12 marks in Mathematics and Physical Sciences.