Professor Deresh Ramjugernath outlined his objectives for the university at a business breakfast that brought alumni, donors and private sector partners together.
It has been six months since Prof. Ramjugernath was appointed as Vice-Chancellor and Rector of Stellenbosch University (SU) and he has wasted no time in reaching out to the university’s partners. Fresh off a visit to Australia, one of several destinations in an outreach strategy that has seen him engage over 3,500 stakeholders in multiple countries, he addressed private sector partners in Cape Town. Stellenbosch Visio was there to hear first-hand what the university’s leadership envisions for the future.
Prof. Ramjugernath revealed that the vision for 2040 is to make SU the number 1 tertiary institution in Africa for impact, not purely from an academic point of view, but in service to society. The university is already well on its way to reaching this goal. The recently published Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2026 placed SU second in Africa for the fifth consecutive year and among the top 350 universities in the world overall.
The rankings evaluate universities across five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry, with SU particularly excelling in the last mentioned. In the past 10 years, the university has spun off 40 companies, playing a significant role in shaping the economy and the country’s future.
Appropriate then that Prof. Ramjugernath invited the private sector to collaborate. “This is a moment for co-creation,” he said, as he explained the opportunities for shared laboratories, data partnerships and research questions that tackle real-world challenges.
With the objective for the university to be strategic, sustainable and impactful, the 2040 vision addresses three key areas. First and foremost is academics and Prof. Ramjugernath reassured the audience that academic excellence remains front and centre.
In terms of teaching and learning, this equates to greater student success i.e. the percentage of students graduating and finding employment. SU is concentrating its efforts on holistic support to empower students and ensure graduates are engaged citizens. In the fields of research and innovation, the university is pursuing transdisciplinary initiatives, where academics co-create solutions with external partners.
The second focus area is partnerships and sustainability. Here, SU seeks to design partnerships that support its strategic direction and enable long-term sustainability across the financial, social and environmental spheres.
In the third area – people, culture and processes – the university seeks to create an enabling environment, so students and staff can focus on excellence. Ultimately, it is not about publishing the most research papers or having the most highly ranked professors, but about translating outputs into outcomes that serve society. Prof. Ramjugernath issued an invitation to industry to “turn ideas into initiatives and initiatives into impact”.
The Rector’s address was followed by a Q&A session where business leaders and invested parties could directly question him. Judging by the active participation of those present, his message struck a chord, which bodes well for Stellenbosch University’s objective of forming partnerships for impact. As the university’s alumni association puts it, “The future is built together.”