Former vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State, Professor Jonathan Jansen, has accepted a position at Stellenbosch University (SU).
Professor Jansen, 61, who is an A-rated scientist with the National Research Foundation, will take up the position of distinguished professor in the faculty of education, where he will be teaching and conducting research on school governance, management, leadership and policy – and serve as a mentor to postgraduate students.
Announcing the appointment, Professor Wim de Villiers, SU rector and vice-chancellor, said the institution would greatly benefit from Professor Jansen’s expertise as foremost author, thought leader and education specialist.
“Professor Jansen is arguably one of the leading pedagogues of our time, but also the proverbial voice in the wilderness, addressing not only the state of the nation, but – equally important – the state of education in our beloved country.”
Professor Nico Koopman, vice-rector: social impact, transformation and personnel, added: “Professor Jansen is a scholar at heart. We are confident that his research expertise will have a meaningful social impact on all levels of the education system in South Africa.”
Commented Professor Jansen: “I am very excited about this opportunity to work at one of the best universities on the continent and with some of the leading educational researchers in the field.
“I do hope to make a small contribution with my colleagues to making research count in the transformation of schools and in preparing the next generation of scholars.”
Professor Jansen, a recipient of three honorary doctorates and a fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioural Sciences at Stanford University in 2016/17, will take up the position at SU as from Wednesday November 1.
