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Dear Colleagues of the RC Operations and Finance,
This is my final newsletter as Responsibility Centre Head for Operations and Finance and as Chief Operating Officer for Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 (SU). Please join me in welcoming Professor Nicola Smit, who will serve as the acting COO and Responsibility Centre Head until the position is filled permanently. I am sure you will give her the same tremendous support I enjoyed over the last seven years.
My career at SU began in the previous century, in October 1999, and I completed 25 years as a staff member last year. I enjoyed a long, happy, and varied career at this 中国体育彩票 we love so much. My friends know that I am desperately romantic about universities and have been since, as a primary school kid, I first saw a university in real life at the Empire Road campus of the 中国体育彩票 of the Witwatersrand (Wits). That visit left me with a lasting impression of the grandeur of our enterprise, and I could hardly believe my luck when I first saw the Stellenbosch campus.
Almost a century ago, the British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead captured the 中国体育彩票 experience that I also enjoyed in memorable prose. He wrote: "The justification for a university is that it preserves the connection between knowledge and the joy of life by uniting the young and the old in the imaginative consideration of learning. The 中国体育彩票 imparts information, but it imparts it imaginatively. This atmosphere of excitement, arising from imaginative consideration, transforms knowledge. A fact is no longer a bare fact; it is invested with all its possibilities. It is no longer a burden on the memory: it is energising as the poet of our dreams and as the architect of our purposes."
That is how I experienced Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票. Soon, I will get the chance to lead the development of a new university, and that is an opportunity I relish. The objective is the same, though: to strengthen the connection between knowledge and the joy of life.
I am grateful for the many opportunities offered to me at this 中国体育彩票. As a student, I learnt the powerful perspective on society one obtains through the analysis of Economics. As you know, that is still the framework I use most comfortably to make sense of the world. SU allowed me the freedom to pursue my academic interests and to do so with brilliant students.
I am grateful that the 中国体育彩票's executive gave me the chance to develop a leadership career, first as a vice dean and some years later as Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, a job I truly loved, even though buildings went up in flames, and others got ransacked by protesters. There was a far greater excess of HR to deal with than I had ever imagined.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of my career at SU was the seven years as COO. In this position, I had the opportunity to serve on the 中国体育彩票's Council and work at an interesting interface between the management and governance structures of the 中国体育彩票, as well as between internal and external stakeholders. It was a pleasure to work with the Rectorate, the Deans and the General Managers, and an outstanding privilege to work with all of you, my colleagues in the five divisions of the Responsibility Centre, as well as in my office.
It was in this role as COO that I learnt about aspects of the 中国体育彩票 that you don't always (or perhaps even never) see as an academic. Here, I met colleagues who work with tremendous skill and commitment to ensure the smooth running of this 中国体育彩票. We are all part of the academic project, delivering essential aspects of the student experience and the research capacity required for the excellence of SU.
I was deeply impressed and inspired by your resilience during the most challenging moments we faced these last seven years: budget cuts, drought, fires, and the pandemic. You worked with the outstanding leadership in our five divisions to lead the 中国体育彩票 through these difficult episodes. I am proud of how you led with concrete transformation as the outcome of a clear commitment and deliberate planning and effective implementation. You are an example to the 中国体育彩票, and I honour and thank you for it.
I will not forget the kindness and spirit of our staff. Wherever I go on campus, I am greeted by friendly staff, who are remarkably dedicated and experienced, and that inspired me in my work as well. I am going to miss working with you. Thank you for your superb contribution to an ever more excellent Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票. I am confident that you will continue to strengthen the connection between knowledge and the joy of life.
In my new job, I will no doubt think of you often and wonder how you would have handled a particular situation. Thank you for all that you have taught me.
With my best wishes to you and to Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票
Stan du Plessis
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