Engaged citizenship at Rhodes University: A holistic approach to academics

Rhodes University has the highest proportion of student volunteers of any South African university, recognising engaged citizenship as a transformative approach to societal growth and education. Rhodes University is located away from major city distractions.

For 120 years, Rhodes University has consistently distinguished itself by offering high-quality academic programmes and producing groundbreaking research of global repute. The University has nurtured academically accomplished, respected and internationally acclaimed graduates. Its investment and embeddedness in the community are unparalleled in a significant way.

As South Africa’s only research-intensive university located outside a major urban area, Rhodes University offers a unique experience that blends an excellent research environment with a commitment to quality scholarly teaching and learning while fostering a strong sense of social responsibility, creating an environment where engaged citizenship and research flourish.

Nestled in Makhanda in the beautiful Eastern Cape province, Rhodes University’s open campus and community-focused approach create a natural extension of its location. This year, as the University celebrates 120 years, the Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE), the biggest in the country, is celebrating 16 years of excellence in deepening community engagement and expanding global influence. RUCE is the only programme of its kind in South Africa to have won the MacJannet Prize for global citizenship.

Through RUCE, the University has forged meaningful partnerships in early childhood development, education, health and economic development, promising a bright future for the City of Makhanda and beyond.

“Our ties with the City of Makhanda and the broader Eastern Cape enable students to immerse themselves in academic and community development projects that nurture social consciousness and responsibility”, explains Professor ‘Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic and Student Affairs.

This unique blend of academic rigour and community engagement enables students to develop a deep sense of purpose while creating and applying their knowledge to real-life contexts. Rhodes University has the highest proportion of student volunteers of any South African university, recognising engaged citizenship as a transformative approach to societal growth and education. Rhodes University is located away from major city distractions, providing a conducive environment for intense teaching and learning, research, and community engagement.

Professor ‘Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs

Professor ‘Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs

With about 8,500 students, Rhodes University is small enough to offer a personal touch but large enough to impact students' lives and the local community immensely. Our students are not just numbers but individuals with names and faces. Most of the academic staff know them by name.

“Despite its small size, Rhodes University plays a crucial role not only in South Africa’s knowledge economy but globally,” says Prof Monnapula-Mapesela. “We are reputed for academic excellence, superior student success and throughput rates, and significant contributions to cutting-edge research, including incubating the National Arts Festival for 50 years.”

A unique value-offering

Rhodes University excels at combining its research strengths with community engagement and teaching and learning, exemplifying its scholarly approach to knowledge creation.

“Even at the undergraduate level, students are taught by scholarly teachers, research-active academics who guide their research projects and share the latest developments in their fields,” says Prof Monnapula-Mapesela. “Our student-centred interventions have maintained a success rate of over 80%, rising to 84% in 2023.”

Rhodes University has six faculties: Pharmacy, Commerce, Law, Science, Education and Humanities. The University is famous for offering a flexible curriculum in four faculties and professional qualifications in Pharmacy and Education. Rhodes University is one of the very few universities that permit students a maximum choice of undergraduate major subjects across faculties and to graduate with unique combinations that interest them.

The academic value offered at Rhodes University has some hidden gems. For example, the Faculty of Pharmacy is a hub of innovation, focusing on advanced drug delivery systems, taste masking technologies, and the pharmacology and toxicology of medicinal plants—particularly those used in African traditional medicine. The Faculty also emphasises understanding diabetes disease development at the molecular and cellular levels, contributing significantly to medical research.

In the Humanities Faculty, the University offers unique programmes like Medicinal Anthropology, which explores the intersection of culture and medicine. This programme complements Rhodes University's traditional strengths in fields such as Journalism and Drama, providing students with a broad and nuanced educational experience. These programmes prepare students for diverse career opportunities and foster critical thinking and a deep understanding of societal issues.

After a meteorite landed in the Eastern Cape, Rhodes University collaborated with Nelson Mandela University and Wits University on a scientific investigation, having obtained an exclusive permit to study the meteorite. This showcases the University's commitment to cutting-edge research, interdisciplinarity, and institution-to-institution collaboration. Our academics are at the cutting edge of their fields of research, knowledge generation and dissemination.

They are South Africa’s leaders in several fields globally. We have leaders in medicinal chemistry and nanotechnology, water research, physics and radio astronomy techniques, biotechnology innovation, global change, environmental sustainability, and medicinal anthropology.

Highlighting its global recognition, Rhodes University's Tebello Nyokong Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation Director, distinguished Professor Tebello Nyokong, holder of three international honorary awards and member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, has been appointed to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences by Pope Francis. This footprint underscores the University's impact on the global stage and is not limited to our academics. Our students continue to shine on the world stage, too.

Shaping a new legacy

Rhodes University promotes student access with success. For over twenty years, the University has focused on developing its academic staff as professional teachers with students' success in mind. Continuous emphasis is on student development and inducting students to the nature and intricacies of knowledge creation. Students are central to teaching and learning, research, and community engagement.

Prof. Monnapula-Mapesela’s "Pathways to Success” series connects first-year students to ways of learning at university, practical advice, motivational talks, and support structures. These sessions link students with Faculty Deans, the Student Counselling Centre, the Career Centre and senior students, providing strategies for academic success, personal stories of achievement and tips on navigating university life.

"Given the opportunity and support, all people can succeed, not in the same way and not at the same time. But all people can succeed," concurs Prof Monnapula-Mapesela, reflecting the University's inclusive and supportive ethos for students and staff.

Developing leaders of tomorrow

For 120 years, Rhodes University has been recognised as the place “where leaders learn.” The institution has developed leaders across various sectors, including renowned scholars and professors, journalists, judges, advocates, pharmacists, businessmen/women, and scientists, through its uniquely holistic and engaged student experience. It offers leadership opportunities, such as the Student Representative Council (SRC), extra-curricular societies, and unique residence living and learning programmes designed to develop accomplished and responsible citizens.

This leadership is also locally evident through collaborative initiatives like the Masakhe Enterprise and Supplier Development Programme (MESDP), which accelerates enterprise and supplier development to benefit Rhodes University and the broader community, Rhodes Business School, and the Non-Profit Organisation—Assumption Development Centre (ADC). As Rhodes University continues to evolve, it remains dedicated to developing curious, critical students who can solve complex real-world problems.

Rhodes University students are taught how to think, not what to think. This legacy of teaching excellence and community sets Rhodes University apart, nurturing outstanding, ethical leaders of tomorrow.