On Saturday, 8 February 2020, Sol Plaatje University (SPU) welcomed over 700 first-time entering students and their families, its biggest group ever of new students as SPU begins its seventh year of existence.

The first session began at 09:00 in the Library Auditorium on the Central Campus for students in the School of Humanities and the School of Natural and Applied Sciences.  

The second session was held at 11:00, in the same venue, for students in the School of Economic and Management Studies and the School of Education.

In her welcoming remarks, the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jean Baxen, congratulated the new first-year students on making an excellent choice of university. 

She said that they had made the choice to come to a university that aspires to be at the cutting edge of the intellectual project in a number of ways.

She told the parents and guardians that their children had entered programmes in four schools, each of which is geared towards developing them as thought leaders, future innovators and citizens who will take their rightful place as employers themselves or as employees who contribute towards the betterment of society. 

Professor Baxen assured them that the university commits to ensuring that they have the requisite resources and support to enable them to realise their dreams and aspirations.

Sol Plaatje University is one of two universities that was established in the new democracy. Its vision is to uphold democratic values, enhance the social justice project, and develop students who understand that each has a part to play in the creation of the society they want to live in.

The first-time entering students in 2020 come from all nine provinces in South Africa and are registered across the full bouquet of programmes offered by the University.  

These include Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Data Science, Heritage Studies, ICT and Retail Business Management.