Stellenbosch University (SU) obtained a grant that will contribute to funding educational expenses and offer mentorship to 1 000 disadvantaged students over the next five years.
This is owing to the university’s new partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF), which was announced on 17 September.
Sarah Archer, director of fundraising at SU’s Development and Alumni Relations Division, said that SU received the funding as part of the Dell Young Leaders programme, which MSDF started in 2010.
Sarah Archer, director of fundraising at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Alumni and Relations Division, says that this programme aims to contribute to SU’s vision of inclusivity and giving equal opportunity to all students, irrespective of their backgrounds. PHOTO: Supplied/Martin Viljoen.
This programme hopes to improve the lives of young people who are living in poverty, said Helen Vaughan, programme manager of the MSDF’s University Success portfolio.
“[The programme aims] to help students from low-income backgrounds to graduate and be able to find employment,” said Vaughan.
According to Archer, 554 students were invited to apply on 21 September, with the first successful cohort of 100 students for 2020 scheduled to be announced on 6 November. The number of students selected for the programme would go up by 50 each year, from 2021 until 2024, said Archer.
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation’s Dell Young Leaders programme runs in three regions: the United States of America, India and South Africa. Here are some statistics on what the programme has achieved thus far. INFOGRAPHIC: Carl Thomas.
Although SU had already received the grant from MSDF in February, the announcement was pushed back due to Covid-19, Archer said. The selection team wanted to wait until they were ready to select the first cohort of students, she said.
Archer added that to qualify for the scholarship, students need to be in their first year, study a professional degree*, and meet the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) criteria.
“Students will receive a maximum of R150 000 – with a R30 000 cap per year – in addition to their NSFAS funding,” Archer said. “A student can have any partial bursary and still qualify for the top-up if they meet the NSFAS criteria.”
This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Dell Young Leaders. The Dell Young Leaders have been operating in South Africa since 2010, first starting at the University of Cape Town in 2010, and expanding to the University of Pretoria in 2012. VIDEO: YouTube/Dell Foundation.
According to Vaughan, the Dell Young Leaders programme is also aiming to ensure that the lives of students are prosperous – especially for students of colour.
“I think students of colour are under-represented in many professional industries in South Africa,” she said.
Archer said that part of the program is to ensure that each student receives personalised support from dedicated staff members.
This was a group of Dell Young Leaders at their event launch. Stellenbosch University’s launch event will happen in the first term of 2021. Apart from receiving financial and other customised support, such as psychological help, Dell Young Leaders will also receive benefits such as a laptop. PHOTO: Supplied/Helen Vaughan.
“Most students in South Africa experience an education system that is continuously dogged by stark inequalities and chronic underperformance,” Archer said. “The customised support helps such students to not get overwhelmed by the challenges that university presents.”
Snegugu Vilakazi, a Dell Young Leaders alumni who obtained an accounting degree from the University of Cape Town (UCT), said when she applied for the programme, she didn’t think she could make it, because she lacked confidence.
“The programme gave me a renewed sense of motivation,” Vilakazi said.
UPDATE: A previous version of this article included the amount of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation grant. The foundation has requested that the amount not be disclosed and is available upon request.