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Prof Jonathan Jansen will step down as Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State on August 31.
The university said in a statement Jansen will take up an invitation as a Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University in the United States in September. The fellowship was awarded to him earlier this year.
The statement said Jansen's departure is a great loss for the university, but the Council accepts his decision to pursue his academic career as well as other opportunities. Should his position not be filled by the end of August, Prof Nicky Morgan, current Vice-Rector for Operations, will act as Vice-Chancellor and Rector. A group of students recently demanded that Jansen be removed from his post, following violent protests at the university. The calls, led by SRC president Lindokuhle Ntuli, came after a brawl at Shimla Park during a Varsity Cup rugby match.
The students said Jansen had failed to unite students. During the brawl, a group of students invaded the field, whereafter spectators attacked them.Meanwhile chairperson of the UFS's Alumni, Pieter du Toit, says Jansen accomplished a lot in his tenure, but some issues on campus could have been dealt with in a more positive and definitive way over the last few months. Du Toit says students from all walks of life, including alumni members, are of opinion that certain sensitive issues could have been dealt with through thorough dialogue instead of using revolutionary rhetoric. Du Toit wished Jansen well for the future on behalf of all alumni.
