Dear Chris
Five years at any other place one would describe as a relatively short
period, with the underlying emotional sense of the fleeting nature of
time. One can hardly say this about your term as Rector and
Vice-Chancellor of this University, which could at times be such an
emotional powder-keg.
Your term of office here could be characterised as high-energy years. I
think you managed to fit into five years what would, in a normal
time-scale elsewhere, have been the impact of a much longer stay.
These were five years which I can describe in no other way than: “it
was the best of times; it was the worst of times". Perhaps the
quotation is a bit hackneyed, but for me it is wholly appropriate for
what I want to call “your high-intensity term of office". Please allow
me considerable poetic licence in using it.
The best of times
Where do we come from? Where are we now? Where do we want to be? How do
we get there? In your clear and incisive way you summarised the
challenges of the Strategic Framework for the Turn of the Century and
Beyond and condensed it into a five-point vision statement in way that
could give direction to a university community that was seeking some
foothold in a new and changing sociopolitical climate.
This highlighted practical facets of self-renewal and transformation,
through which you led us during often intensely heated and
emotional discussions. And when emotions made way for reason, you could
construct, reconstruct, deconstruct and abstract in a way that was
enriching for all of us. Logical and crystal clear.
Your convincing two-dimensional model for the academic sphere and the
way it reflected the University’s strategic goals raised some
eyebrows at first, but your logical and meaningful exposition convinced
the academics. This gave greater content and direction to Stellenbosch
University’s overarching business plans, and brought to life the vision
statement in all our core activities and initiatives. You cast new
light on the business of the University, and the University as a
business.
Matters such as the first-year academy (where you strengthened my hand)
and your influential thoughts on the positioning of Stellenbosch
University as a research-driven institution made the academic adrenalin
flow. As Vice-Rector (Teaching) I experienced your student-centred
approach as manna from heaven. Exciting times – which is what
colleagues in the University Management team and the faculties said
repeatedly.
But this was the inside picture. The inconspicuous one. The world of
e-mail encouragement, support for particular ideas and initiatives,
your understanding of, and guidance in, difficult issues and decisions,
your academic leadership and world-class value-added processes and
structures to serve the academic cause of the University. Academically
speaking, the proverbial “best of times".
The worst of times
In my brief vote of thanks last year at the Management’s end-of-year
function I said that you were the one person who is so totally
misunderstood. And today I am more convinced of this than ever. The
complete reversal of public opinion since your arrival here from “Brink
the builder" to “Brink the wrecker" typifies this for me.
The high expectations of you did not take full account of the real
challenges of the task you had to perform. The path of change is never
easy. Most people have a spontaneous resistance to change and anything
that questions the old ways of doing things. Furthermore, it introduces
uncertainties that most people find difficult to process – especially
if a stable environment suddenly no longer offers the safety and
security of the past.
You had to deal with difficult issues. Many of them are still with us
and will be with us for many years. The language debate and diversity
are two of the most familiar. These are issues that cannot be resolved
overnight at the stroke of a pen. You set out on a path requiring
courage and sometimes took “unpopular" decisions for the sake of the
country’s wider interests. In your search for the most practical way of
dealing with language issues at the University, Management adopted a
language model that allowed room for the growth of Afrikaans next to
the world language, English.
Your determined seriousness about diversity and your attempts to make
Stellenbosch University accessible to people who could not study here
before were interpreted by your opponents as ringing the death knell
for Afrikaans. For doing this you were condemned and attacked. The
Afrikaans media were merciless in their campaign against you and fierce
in their criticism of you. But through it you all you kept your
dignity, even in the internal discussions, when the external struggle
around you was at its most intense. Those of us who worked closely with
you every day could not but admire you.
For Stellenbosch University this was “the worst of times". But is spite
of this, you leave a university that is today so much better in so many
fields: academically, financially, in the field of research and in
terms of the University’s service to the wider community. You strove
for, and practised, the granting of equal opportunities and equity in
the broadest sense. The vigour and energy with which you made the
communities of Ida’s Valley, Cloetesville and Kayamandi part of the
University and the town are to your credit. It was always a
heart-warming experience for me in talks with leaders from these
communities to experience the goodwill towards the University that you
managed to cultivate in the face of the suspicion and the pain left by
apartheid. The recording of the suppressed history of the people of
‘Die Vlakte’, to which you gave impetus, won over many hearts for the
University. And this is just one example.
I inherit a University that is in many ways more prepared to deal with
the demands of our time, thanks to your leadership and initiatives over
the past five years. History will not characterise your time here as
fleeting or forgettable. As the saying goes: “Your efforts were not in
vain."
Thank you for your collegiality, the moments of deep discussion and
reflection on the role of Stellenbosch University and its role in the
wider world, and for the opportunities of growth for me and for others.
They have left me spiritually and intellectually enriched as a person,
and have equipped me better for the task that the University community
has entrusted to me as your successor.
I wish you well in facing the challenges that await you at Newcastle.
My best wishes to you, Tobea and the children.
Russel
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