After serving two five-year terms as dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU), prof Jimmy Volmink’s term has been extended for one more year to ensure stability during the period of the current global pandemic.
Volmink’s current term will end on 31 December 2020, according to a notice on SU’s website.
“This was going to be [my] last year,” Volmink told MatieMedia. “Then Covid-19 happened, and we were all very worried about what the implications are for higher education.”
Volmink said that he was asked to stay on as dean for another year as there was a “need at this time for stability and continuity in leadership”.
According to Volmink, he is happy to continue for another year.
“The current conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic [made] it very difficult to launch a recruitment process for this position that is of pivotal importance,” said rector and vice-chancellor, prof Wim de Villiers, in a statement to MatieMedia.
According to De Villiers, SU is grateful that Volmink is willing to continue in his role as dean until the end of 2021.
“We look forward to his making further strategic contributions to the training of our doctors and other health professionals,” De Villiers added.
Prof Jimmy Volmink. His term as dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences has been extended until 31 December 2021. PHOTO: Facebook/ Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Looking ahead
“Hopefully next year will be a more normal year in terms of how one can engage with students and staff,” said Volmink, looking ahead to his next term.
He said that with the current pandemic, he would need to think differently about how they operate.
“Because we’re in health sciences education, it makes it a little tricky, because our students have to be immersed in practical work,” said Volmink.
Volmink would need to think about how to get students to see patients while still protecting them, he said.
Despite the challenges ahead, Volmink said he also looks forward to embracing the opportunities for innovation.
“We’re in a time of uncertainty, but it’s also a time of possibilities,” he said.
The Tygerberg campus for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. PHOTO: Facebook/ Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Student response
“We understand the decision because it would probably be difficult to continue with the [recruitment] process during these unprecedented times,” said Ntsako Mtileni, chairperson of the Tygerberg Student Council (TSR).
Mtileni said that the TSR trusts that the decision is in the best interest of the faculty.
“I wish him all the best in his future year,” said Shannon Muller, a medical student at SU.
Muller said that she values the continued representation of people of colour in higher leadership positions at SU, and would also like to see more of Volmink’s presence in student matters, such as social issues like gender-based violence on campus, in his coming term.