Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch University (formally University of Stellenbosch; Afrikaans: Universiteit van Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape.

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Stellenbosch University (abbreviated as SU) designed and manufactured Africa's first microsatellite, SUNSAT, launched in 1999.

Stellenbosch University was the first African university to sign the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities.

The students of Stellenbosch University are nicknamed Maties. Some claim the term arises from their maroon rugby colours: a tamatie is the Afrikaans translation for tomato. It is more likely to come from the Afrikaans colloquialism maat (meaning "buddy" or "mate") originally used diminutively by the students of the University of Cape Town's precursor, the South African College.

History

The origin of the university can be traced back to the Stellenbosch Gymnasium, which was opened on 1 March 1866, which became the Stellenbosch College in 1881 and which was located at the current Arts Department. In 1887 this college was renamed Victoria College; when it acquired university status on 2 April 1918 it was renamed once again, to Stellenbosch University.
Name

Both descriptions, University of Stellenbosch and Stellenbosch University are correct, although the latter more informal format should be used in marketing and communication activities. This also holds true for the corresponding Afrikaans versions of the name, Universiteit van Stellenbosch and Universiteit Stellenbosch. Some departments favour one over the other, for example, the University of Stellenbosch Business School, which is regularly shortened to USB.


University rankings


Stellenbosch University's staff and students like referring to the institution as "world class". This indicates a high sense of pride and appreciation for their university. The university is one of only three public universities in the Western Cape and one of about 20 universities in the country.

There are no existing South African or African university ranking systems, but several international rankings have ranked SU.

In the latest edition of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Stellenbosch University was ranked in the 251-275 category in the world and third in Africa.

Another reputable ranking system, QS World University Rankings recently ranked SU in the 401-450 category in the world and also third in Africa.

The Leiden University ranked SU 395th out of the top 500 universities worldwide on its CWTS Leiden Ranking list of 2013. This list also ranked SU second in both South Africa and Africa, behind only the University of Cape Town.

In 2012, Webometrics ranked Stellenbosch's web footprint 2nd largest in Africa, again behind the University of Cape Town(UCT).

The University of Stellenbosch Business School's MBA program was ranked 65th out of 100 MBA programmes of the leading business schools in the world the Aspen Institute’s 2011-12 edition of its Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey. The USB is also the only business school in South Africa, as well as the rest of the continent, to be included in the Top 100 list.

Stellenbosch, South Africa's oldest town after Cape Town, is a university town with a population of about 90,000 (excluding students). It is located about 50 kilometres from Cape Town and is situated on the banks of the Eersterivier ("First River") in the famous wine-growing region and is encircled by picturesque mountains. Teaching at Stellenbosch University is divided between the main campus in Stellenbosch, the Tygerberg campus (where the Faculty of Health Sciences is situated), the Bellville Park campus (where the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) is situated), and the Saldanha campus (housing the Faculty of Military Science at the Military Academy of the South African National Defence Force).
Language

Stellenbosch University is a predominantly Afrikaans medium university, especially at undergraduate and honours course level. However, students are allowed to write their assignments, tests and examinations in both English and Afrikaans. The language of tuition also varies depending on the faculty, with the Faculty of Arts for example being 40% English, most if not all courses are lectured bilingually and the language of most handouts or prescribed material is determined by the student.

At postgraduate level the language of tuition is determined by the composition of the class. The majority of advanced postgraduate courses are conducted in English. According to the current[when?] language profile of the university, 60% of its students state Afrikaans as their home language, 32% have English as their home language and 1.6% of students have Xhosa as their home language.

The language policy is still an ongoing issue for the University, since it is one of the very few tertiary institutions left in South Africa offering tuition in Afrikaans. Because of this, it is held in very high regard by the Afrikaner community, with the university even being considered a central pillar of Afrikaner life.
Student profile

Stellenbosch University's student racial profile is as follows:[citation needed]
Ethnic enrolment, 2009     Percentage     Total
number
White     67.6%     17,753
Coloured     15.2%     4,000
Black     14.4%     3,800
Indian     1.9%     500
Total     100%     26,243
Faculties and schools
The university's Tygerberg medical campus, viewed from the air

Stellenbosch University consists of about 150 departments divided amongst 10 faculties. It also has more than 40 research (and other) institutions.

The faculties that are situated on the main campus are:

    Arts and Social Sciences
    Science
    Education
    AgriSciences
    Law
    Theology
    Economic and Management Sciences
    Engineering

The faculties and schools that are not situated on the main campus are:

    Military Science — situated in Saldanha Bay
    Health Sciences — situated in Tygerberg
    University of Stellenbosch Business School — situated in Bellville

The Southern African node of the Pan-African University is based in South Africa and will concentrate on space sciences. This decision was connected with South Africa's bid to host the Square Kilometre Array of radio telescopes. In September 2009 Jean-Pierre Ezin, African Union commissioner for science, said the node at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa could open as early as February 2010.
Student societies
List of societies
List of academic student societies
Facilities and services
Students gathering on the campus' "Red Square"

The J.S. Gericke Library, is notable for being subterranean, on two levels, and occupying a surface area equivalent to two and half rugby fields. The library has collections scattered around the campus outside of the main facility, and all of which are catalogued on a computerised database, using the university's original mainframe, a UNIVAC. There are several other satellite libraries servicing the different faculties, including the Theology Library, Law Library and Tygerberg Medical Library.

Stellenbosch University also has a Conservatory, including two concert halls. The Conservatory is the home of the internationally acclaimed Stellenbosch University Choir, who, along with being the oldest South African choir have received numerous awards overseas.

The university also has a 430 seater theatre, known as the H.B. Thom Theatre and an open air amphitheatre. Accompanying these facilities is the university's own drama department, under the guidance of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The department regularly puts on plays, dramas, productions, cabarets and musicals.

The Langenhoven Students' Centre (Neelsie) houses the Student Representative Council, a food court, a cinema, a post office, a shopping centre, an advice office and all the student societies' offices. Student bands and various entertainment and activity promotions usually appear in the main food court during lunch hour.

The university has its own radio station known as MFM (Matie FM), situated in the Neelsie. It broadcasts over the entire Stellenbosch area at 92.6 FM. Broadcasting a mix of music, news, entertainment and campus news.

The university also distributes regular publications, Die Matie (appearing every fortnight), for its students and Kampusnuus (appearing monthly) for its staff. An official yearbook, Die Stellenbosch Student, is published annually and presented to all graduating students. Matieland is the name of the official alumni magazine. It is published twice a year and distributed to some 100 000 alumni and friends of the University.
Sport

Sports facilities for the more than 30 competitive and recreational sports that are supported by the university include two sport stadiums, two large swimming pools (one under roof), the D.F. Malan Center, a multi-purpose center for ceremonies and indoor sports, numerous playing fields, including a hockey field, a gymnasium and a new football complex. The university offers the following sports to its students:

List of sports

Stellenbosch has served as a test site in 2006 for a set of proposed modifications to the rules of rugby union, commonly referred to as the Stellenbosch Laws.
Student housing

Stellenbosch University halls of residence

The university has various residences, or koshuise (Afrikaans for residence halls).

Students in private lodgings can become a member of the Private Students' Organisation (PSO), also known as Private Wards. There were previously 6 PSO wards until 8 October 2008, when four new PSO wards were commissioned. Students are assigned to the various wards through a system of random allocation. Private Wards allow students to enjoy all the same functions, from academic support to sport opportunities, as a Residence provides, while the student remains in their private lodging.