The Registrar's Division of Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) are delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Farah Fredericks to the position of Deputy Registrar (Tygerberg Campus) as of 1 December 2016.

Fredericks, who matriculated from DF Malan High School, holds an Honours Degree in Psychology and is currently enrolled for an MPhil in Higher Education Studies. She is also involved within governance structures at an institutional level – she is an executive member of the Institutional Forum, a mediator for the Equality Unit and has served on appointment committees for senior management positions at the University.

Dr Ronel Retief, the incumbent registrar of SU, who previously held the position of Deputy Registrar at Tygerberg, described Fredericks as "a strategic thinker and innovator who does not shy away from change".

"Her involvement at managerial level in the Faculty, especially during the past few turbulent months in the higher education sector as a whole, has proven to be invaluable. Her well-established relationships with students of the Faculty, albeit with formal leadership structures or individuals, are of particular relevance in this regard and for the road ahead," Retief said.

Fredericks said she feels honoured to be taking up her new role. "I hope to contribute to the development and implementation of administrative strategies and services to improve the experience of students at the Tygerberg Campus, by leading a division that is agile and responsive to the ever-changing landscape of higher education in South Africa, that facilitates equitable access to the university and that promotes student success," said Fredericks.

The Dean of the FMHS, Prof Jimmy Volmink, said Fredericks will have big shoes to fill as Deputy Registrar, but that he had no doubt that she will be very successful in her new role. "She brings to the position a unique background, deep insight into the socio-political realities faced by our students and staff, and a people-centred approach which resonates well with the vision of the Faculty. As a strategic thinker and courageous leader she will be able to inject new energy and ideas into the business of student administration," Volmink said.

Retief said that Fredericks' institutional knowledge, combined with her experience in student recruitment, student support and academic administration within the FMHS, will enable her to "hit the ground running" in her new role.

"Her skills in project management, systems thinking, risk management and strategy development will assist her in positioning the Centre for Student Administration (Tygerberg Campus) as an enabler of the academic project and a partner in institutional transformation and renewal," Retief said.