?Last week, Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) was filled with purpose and optimism as Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 (SU) officially launched the second cohort of its SUNRISE (Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 Research and Innovation Strategic Excellence) programme.
The initiative, which supports mid-career academics on the path to professorship, formally welcomed 29 new fellows, bringing the total to 60 across all 10 faculties and the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking.
Senior university leaders addressed the group, including newly appointed Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Deresh Ramjugernath and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies Prof Sibusiso Moyo. Prof Jackie du Toit, SUNRISE advisor and lead implementer of the national DHET Future Professors Programme Phase 01, introduced the keynote speaker.
The keynote address was delivered by Distinguished Professor of Education Jonathan Jansen, recent recipient of the American Educational Research Association's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
A strategic bet on the future
Opening the event, Moyo welcomed an audience of deans, vice-deans, department heads, senior scholars and research fellows, paying tribute to the many academics and professional staff behind the SUNRISE programme's growing success.
“Today we witness the growth and the momentum this programme has achieved in just over a year," she said. “SUNRISE supports promising mid-career academics on a clear pathway to the professoriate. While many of you could become professors without this programme, it plays a critical role in helping you do so with world-class, sustainable intellectual projects that matter to society."
Modelled on the Department of Higher Education and Training's Future Professors Programme but tailored to the 中国体育彩票's institutional needs, SUNRISE aims to strengthen SU's research culture at a time of transition.
Managed by Ronel Steyn and guided by Dr Therina Theron of the Division for Research Development, the initiative provides fellows with protected time for scholarship, mentorship, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to a collaborative, cross-disciplinary academic community.
Notably, the first cohort has already demonstrated tangible success. Within a year, three scholars were promoted to associate professor and four received new NRF ratings. In total, 28 SUNRISE fellows are now rated researchers, many with Y-ratings, indicating strong emerging talent.
A bold vision for a top 100 university
Addressing the fellows for the first time in his new role as Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Ramjugernath set out an ambitious vision for the future of SU – anchored by academic excellence, holistic transformation and long-term sustainability.
“SUNRISE is not simply a leadership development initiative," he remarked. “It is a strategic, future-oriented investment in the very fabric of our academic enterprise. As many of our most senior professors prepare for retirement, we have a powerful opportunity to rejuvenate our professoriate with purpose, intention and diversity at its core."
Reflecting on his journey from a young academic at age 23 to a full professor by 31, Ramjugernath spoke passionately about the power of mentorship in academic formation. “Mentors are critical. They teach you not just how to succeed, but how to avoid the mistakes they've already made. And when the time comes, I urge each of you to pay that forward."
He also reaffirmed his long-term ambition for SU: to become Africa's first top 100 global university. “That is not a slogan, it's a call to action. SUNRISE helps us get there by building the intellectual leadership we need," he emphasised.
Philanthropy and the scholarship of generosity
In her introduction, Du Toit paid special tribute to Distinguished Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, who last year donated R1 million to the SUNRISE programme after receiving the Templeton Prize.
This gift came at a very fortuitous time, Du Toit said. “It allows this programme to imagine a 'scholarship of generosity' and it challenges us to lead with kindness, collaboration and commitment."
She also spotlighted the achievements of Dr Yaseera Ismail, a Future Professors Programme fellow and SUNRISE affiliate, who recently co-authored a landmark Nature paper on quantum satellite communication. “Her work reminds us of what is possible when we invest in potential," Du Toit noted.
Introducing Jansen, Du Toit praised both his global stature and his decades-long dedication to academic development. “Jonathan's legacy lives on in the promise this programme holds and is reflected tonight in the faces of our two SUNRISE cohorts," Du Toit said.
In a stirring keynote address, Jansen challenged the new SUNRISE fellows to aspire not merely to professorship, but to true scholarly excellence. “Anyone can become a professor," he quipped, “but I'm talking about being a scholar, someone who thinks deeply, profoundly about their field." He urged young academics to resist the temptation to become “plodders," focused only on titles or positions, and instead cultivate a mindset of deep curiosity and intellectual ambition. “Your goal should be to ask the profound philosophical questions, the ones that truly matter in your discipline, not just the operational ones." For Jansen, it is this relentless inquisitiveness and pursuit of meaning that distinguishes outstanding scholars from the merely competent.
Beyond cultivating intellectual depth, he encouraged fellows to seek out growth through bold, outward-looking engagement. “You've got to hang out with the right people," he said. “If you stay in your little bubble, you'll never grow. Go overseas, meet the best in your field because they will stretch and challenge you." He called on academics to think beyond disciplinary boundaries, to read widely and to develop a work rhythm that sustains productivity. Above all, Jansen emphasised that the role of a professor is to explore uncharted territory: “You have to ask questions nobody else has asked," he concluded.
SUNRISE as strategy in action
Throughout the evening, speakers reiterated that SUNRISE is not an isolated programme, but a cross-institutional project grounded in shared responsibility. “It needs the buy-in and support of deans, heads of departments, administrators, and peers," Ramjugernath said. “Its success depends on our collective commitment to the next generation of academic leaders."
To the new cohort of fellows, he offered a final note of encouragement: “You were selected from 80 highly competitive applicants. That says something about your calibre, but more importantly, it says something about your promise. Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 is behind you. Let us shape tomorrow together."
PHOTO: Stefan Els
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