Rhodes University Research Report 2013

From Foreword by Dr Saleem Badat: Rhodes University has positioned itself as a research university that, alongside excellence in undergraduate teaching, also takes scholarship seriously. This has strongly shaped the intellectual identity of the university and, today, research income and expenditure are significant components of the university’s finances. Rhodes University values the scholar-teacher model of combining research with teaching and learning, and other scholarly activities. This has a strong influence on the quality of intellectual endeavour at the University, and is critical in advancing the University’s pursuit of a strong postgraduate trajectory. This is an opportunity to briefly reflect on research at Rhodes over the eight years of my Vice-Chancellorship. It is gratifying to see that scholarship and publishing has continued to blossom at Rhodes, and has also occurred over a wider academic base, and that there has also been increased enrolments of postgraduates, as part of overall University strategy. Postgraduate enrolments increased from 24% (1 397) in 2006 to 30% (2 302) in 2013, with considerable increases in the numbers of Masters and Doctoral students. Between 2006 and 2013, Honours and Postgraduate Diploma graduations increased from 453 to 719, Masters graduations increased by 73% (from 171 to 296) and Doctoral graduations by 70% (from 46 to 78). Concomitantly, there was an increase in the numbers of black and women PhD graduates. The number of Postdoctoral Fellows at Rhodes rose from 19 in 2007 to 68 in 2013, an increase of 258%.A publication of the Rhodes University Research Office, compiled and edited by Jaine Roberts, Thumeka Mantolo, Patricia Jacob and Jill Macgregor. Design and Layout: Sally Dor