Rhodes University is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...

located in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province's oldest university, and it is the sixth oldest South African university in continuous operation, being preceded by the

University of the Free State The University of the Free State is a multi-campus public university in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State (province), Free State and the judicial capital of South Africa. It was first established as an institution of higher learning in ...

(1904),

University of Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

(1896),

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

(1873) as the

University of the Cape of Good Hope The University of the Cape of Good Hope, renamed the University of South Africa in 1916, was created when the Molteno government passed Act 16 of 1873 in the Cape of Good Hope Parliament. Modelled on the University of London, it offered examinati ...

Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...

(1866) and the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

(1829). Rhodes was founded in 1904 as Rhodes University College, named after

Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Br ...

, through a grant from the

Rhodes Trust Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is listed Grade II* ...

. It became a constituent college of the

in 1918 before becoming an independent university in 1951. The university had an enrolment of over 8,000 students in the 2015 academic year, of whom just over 3,600 lived in 51 residences on campus, with the rest (known as ''Oppidans'') taking residence in digs (off-campus residences) or in their own homes in the town.

History

View High Street looking west from the corner of Hill Street towards the Drostdy Arch

Herbert Baker clocktower, Rhodes University, 2004

Although a proposal to found a university in Grahamstown had been made as early as 1902, financial problems caused by the Frontier Wars in Albany prevented the proposal from being implemented. In 1904

Leander Starr Jameson Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, (9 February 1853 – 26 November 1917), was a British colonial politician, who was best known for his involvement in the ill-fated Jameson Raid. Early life and family He was born on 9 February 1853, of ...

issued £50 000

preferred stock Preferred stock (also called preferred shares, preference shares, or simply preferreds) is a component of share capital that may have any combination of features not possessed by common stock, including properties of both an equity and a debt ins ...

to the university from the

. With this funding Rhodes University College was founded by an act of parliament on 31 May 1904. University education in the Eastern Cape began in the college departments of four schools: St. Andrew's College; Gill College, Somerset East; Graaff-Reinet College; and the Grey Institute in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

. The four St Andrew's College professors, Arthur Matthews, George Cory,

Stanley Kidd Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

and G.F Dingemans became founding professors of Rhodes University College. At the beginning of 1905, Rhodes moved from cramped quarters at St Andrew's to the Drostdy building, which it bought from the

British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

. Rhodes became a constituent college of the new

in 1918 and it continued to expand in size. When the future of the University of South Africa came under review in 1947, Rhodes opted to become an independent university. Rhodes University was inaugurated on 10 March 1951. Sir

Basil Schonland Sir Basil Ferdinand Jamieson Schonland OMG CBE FRS (2 February 1896 – 24 November 1972) was noted for his research on lightning, his involvement in the development of radar during World War II and for being the first president of the South ...

, son of

Selmar Schonland Selmar Schonland (15 August 1860 – 22 April 1940), originally spelt ''Schönland'', the founder of the Department of Botany at Rhodes University, was a German immigrant, who came to the Eastern part of the Cape Colony in 1889 to take up an app ...

, became the first chancellor of his alma mater, and Dr.

Thomas Alty Thomas Alty FRSE FIP FRSC LLD (1899–1982) was a Scottish physicist and university administrator who became Chancellor of Rhodes University in South Africa. Life He was born in Liverpool on 10 September 1899. He studied Science at Liverpool U ...

the first vice-chancellor. In terms of the Rhodes University Private Act, the University College of

Fort Hare Fort Hare was an 1835 British-built fort on a rocky outcrop at the foothills of the Amatola Mountains; close to the present day town of Alice, Eastern Cape in South Africa. History Originally, Fort Hare was a British fort in the wars between t ...

was affiliated to Rhodes University. This mutually beneficial arrangement continued until the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

government decided to disaffiliate Fort Hare from Rhodes. The Rhodes Senate and Council objected strongly to this, and to the Separate University Education Bill, which they condemned as interference with academic freedom. However, the two bills were passed, and Fort Hare's affiliation to Rhodes came to an end in 1959. Nevertheless, in 1962 an honorary doctorate was conferred on the state president, C.R. Swart, who (as Minister of Justice after 1948) had been responsible for the repression of opposition political organisations. The award caused the resignation of the chancellor, Sir Basil Schonland, although his reasons were not made public at the time. James Hyslop succeeded Alty in 1963. In 1971, Rhodes negotiated to purchase the closed teacher training college run by the sisters of the

Community of the Resurrection of our Lord A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place (geography), place, Norm (social), norms, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Identity (social science), identity. Communiti ...

including the buildings and grounds and a number of adjacent buildings, facilitating further expansion. Rhodes University Eden Grove

Campus

During 2008 work began on construction of a new library building at a cost of R85 million, one of the largest infrastructure projects undertaken by the university, and was completed in 2010.

Organisation and administration

Faculties and Schools

Rhodes has six faculties, listed below: *

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

(1952) * Commerce * Law * Science * Education *

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

The six faculties are further subdivided into 30 academic departments, of which 11 form part of the humanities faculty. The humanities faculty, being the largest in the university, consists of 40% of the student intake of undergraduate and postgraduate studies, enrolling 2669 students as of 2009.

Law Clinic

Rhodes University operates a Law Clinic, which operates as a firm of attorneys providing training to law students and free legal services for indigent people. The Law Clinic operates from two offices, one in Makhanda and one in Komani. The Law Clinic came to national attention in July 2013 when it represented 15 members of Nelson Mandela's family in their litigation against Mandla Mandela (Nelson Mandela's grandson) concerning the location of family grave sites.

Academics

Rhodes is a small, highly residential university. For most undergraduates, first and second years of study are done while living in campus residences. Rhodes' academic program operates on a semester calendar, beginning in early-February to early-June, and the second semester beginning in late-July and ending late-November. Undergraduate tuition for the first year of study in 2011 towards a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree was R26,590 and R27,720, respectively, and the cost of board was between R35,700 and R37,600.

Student body

Rhodes admitted 1592 students in 2012. The tables below show the racial and gender composition of the university for that year.

SARChi Chairs

Rhodes holds fourteen of the national research chairs appointed under the South African Research Chairs Initiative. This accounts for approximately 7% of the total awarded nationally in South Africa, a significant proportion given the university's small size. * Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction: Human and Social Dynamics ( Catriona Macleod) * Marine Ecosystems ( Christopher McQuaid) * Radio Astronomy Techniques and Technologies (Oleg Smirnov) * Medicinal Chemistry and Nanotechnology ( Tebello Nyokong) * Mathematics Education ( Marc Schafer) * Numeracy ( Mellony Graven) * Intellectualisation of African Languages, Multilingualism and Education ( Russell Kaschula) * Insects in Sustainable Agricultural Ecosystems ( Steve Compton) * Interdisciplinary Science in Land and Natural Resource Use for Sustainable Livelihoods (

Charlie Shackleton Charlie Shackleton (formerly Charlie Lyne; born 15 August 1991) is a British filmmaker, multimedia artist, and film critic. He has made several films, including '' Beyond Clueless,'' '' Fear Itself'' and the 2016 protest film '' Paint Drying'' a ...

) * Marine Natural Products Research ( Rosemary Dorrington) * Biotechnology Innovation & Engagement ( Janice Limson) * Global Change Social Learning Systems Development: Transformative Learning and Green Skills Learning ( Heila Lotz-Sisitka) * Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa ( Ruth Simbao) * Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Eukaryotic Stress Response ( Adrienne Edkins)

Research bodies

* Centre for Biological Control

Student life

Halls of Residence

* Allan Webb Hall * Courtenay-Latimer Hall *

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

* Drostdy Hall * Founders Hall * Hobson Hall *

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...

Hall *

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

Hall (formerly Kimberley Hall East) * Kimberley Hall West *

Lilian Ngoyi Lilian Masediba Matabane Ngoyi, "Mma Ngoyi", (25 September 1911 – 13 March 1980) was a South African anti-apartheid activist. She was the first woman elected to the executive committee of the African National Congress, and helped launch ...

Hall *

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

Hall * St

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

Hall

Media

There are three student newspapers, ''Activate'', ''The Oppidan Press'' and ''Cue'', which has been published daily during the

National Arts Festival The National Arts Festival (NAF) is an annual festival of performing arts in Grahamstown, South Africa. It is the largest arts festival on the African continent and one of the largest performing arts festivals in the world by visitor numbers. Th ...

held in Makhanda every year for several decades. ''Activate'' celebrated its 65th birthday in 2012, while ''The Oppidan Press'' was only first published in 2007 with its target readership being mainly Oppidans. The journal '' Philosophical Papers'' is edited in the department of philosophy.

Ranking

In 2011, the

Webometrics Ranking of World Universities The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, also known as Ranking Web of Universities, is a ranking system for the world's universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web content (number of web pages ...

ranked the Rhodes 5th in South Africa and 700th in the world.

Notable alumni and staff

In academia, Old Rhodian

Max Theiler Max Theiler (30 January 1899 – 11 August 1972) was a South African-American virologist and physician. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for developing a vaccine against yellow fever in 1937, becoming the first ...

was awarded the

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accord ...

for his research in virology in 1951.

Notable alumni: general

* Matthew Muir – Artist * Beth Diane Armstrong – Sculptor * Diane Awerbuck – Writer * Norman Bailey – Opera singer * Nick Binedell – Founding director of the

Gordon Institute of Business Science Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS Business School) is a business school in South Africa and an affiliate of the University of Pretoria. It is located in the heart of Illovo, Johannesburg, close to the Sandton financial and commercial b ...

of the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was ...

* Troy Blacklaws – Novelist *

Alex Boraine Alexander Lionel Boraine (10 January 1931 – 5 December 2018) was a South African politician, minister, and anti-apartheid activist. Early life Alex Boraine was born in Cape Town and grew up in a poor white housing estate. He would leave hi ...

– Politician; academic; co-founder of IDASA (

Institute for Democracy in South Africa The Institute for Democratic Alternatives in South Africa (IDASA) later known as the Institute for Democracy in South Africa was a South African-based think-tank organisation that was formed in 1986 by Frederik van Zyl Slabbert and Alex Boraine. ...

) and the

International Center for Transitional Justice The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) was founded in 2001 as a non-profit organization dedicated to pursuing accountability for mass atrocity and human rights abuse through transitional justice mechanisms. ICTJ officially ope ...

* Sir Rupert Bromley, 10th Bt. – Business executive * Guy Butler – Poet * Efemia Chela – writer * Tafadzwa Chitokwindo – Zimbabwe Sevens rugby player *

Nan Cross Nan Cross (3 January 1928 – 14 July 2007) was a South African anti-apartheid and anti- conscription activist. Early life Cross was born in Pretoria, South Africa before the Apartheid era, when racial segregation was less formalised. Her fathe ...

– Anti-conscription and anti-apartheid activist *

Achmat Dangor Achmat Dangor (2 October 1948 – 6 September 2020) was a South African writer, poet, and development professional. His most important works include the novels ''Kafka's Curse'' (1997) and '' Bitter Fruit'' (2001). He was also the author of thre ...

– Writer * Embeth Davidtz – Actress * Rob Davies – Minister of trade and industry of South Africa *

Mick Davis Sir Michael Lawrence Davis (born 15 February 1958) is a British politician and former South African businessman, former Chief Executive and Treasurer of the Conservative Party and the chief executive (CEO) of Xstrata plc, an Anglo-Swiss multina ...

– Businessman, chief executive of

Xstrata Xstrata plc was an Anglo-Swiss multinational mining company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It was a major producer of coal (and the world's largest exporter of thermal coal), copper, ...

* Geoffrey de Jager – Philanthropist and industrialist; founder of

Rand Merchant Bank FirstRand Limited, also referred to as FirstRand Group is the holding company of FirstRand Bank, and is a financial services provider in South Africa. It is one of the financial services providers licensed by the Reserve Bank of South Africa, ...

K. Sello Duiker Kabelo Sello Duiker (13 April 1974 – 19 January 2005) was a South African novelist. His debut novel, ''Thirteen Cents'', won the 2001 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book, Africa Region. His second novel, ''The Quiet Violence of Drea ...

– Novelist and screenwriter *

Sir Michael Edwardes Sir Michael Owen Edwardes (11 October 1930 – 15 September 2019) was a British-South African business executive who held chairmanships at several companies including motor manufacturer British Leyland. Education Edwardes was born in Port El ...

– Business executive *

Robin Esrock Robin Esrock ( ; born 1974 in Johannesburg, South Africa)Allan Gray – Investor and philanthropist *

Mluleki George Mluleki Editor George (2 February 1948 – 5 January 2021) was a South African activist, politician and sports administrator. He served as a Deputy Minister of Defence from 2004 to 2008. Political career George joined the banned African Natio ...

– ANC MP and former prisoner on Robben Island * Igle Gledhill – Physicist *

Chris Hani Chris Hani (28 June 1942 – 10 April 1993), born Martin Thembisile Hani , was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He was a fierce ...

– Former leader of the

South African Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing Na ...

and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe *

Errol Harris Errol Eustace Harris (19 February 1908 – 21 June 2009), sometimes cited as E. E. Harris, was a South African philosopher. His work focused on developing a systematic and coherent account of the logic, metaphysics, and epistemology implicit ...

– Philosopher *

Trevor Hastie Trevor John Hastie (born 27 June 1953) is an American statistician and computer scientist. He is currently serving as the John A. Overdeck Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Professor of Statistics at Stanford University. Hastie is known for ...

– Statistician * Peter Hinchliff – Anglican priest and academic *

Humphry Knipe Victor Humphry Knipe (born 1941) is a sociology and history author, and adult film writer, director, and website administrator. He is a co-author of ''The Dominant Man: The Pecking Order in Human Society'', a sociology book which has been tran ...

– Adult film writer/director *

Herbert Kretzmer Herbert Kretzmer (5 October 192514 October 2020) was a South African-born English journalist and lyricist. He was best known as the lyricist for the English-language musical adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and for his long-time collaboration ...

–

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...

journalist and lyricist of ''inter alia'' the musical ''Les Misérables'' *

Alice Krige Alice Maud Krige (; born 28 June 1954) is a South African actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981) as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon. She played the dual role of Eva Galli/Alma Mobley i ...

– Actress * Margaret Legum – Economist and anti-apartheid activist * Frances Margaret Leighton – Botanist * Kai Lossgott – Interdisciplinary artist * Mbuyiseli Madlanga – South African Constitutional Court judge *

Mandla Mandela Zwelivelile "Mandla" Mandela, MP (born 21 June 1974) is the tribal chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and the grandson of Nelson Mandela. He graduated from Rhodes University with a degree in Politics in 2007. Succession to the chieftaincy ...

– Chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and grandson of Nelson Mandela * The Hon Justice Lex Mpati – Judge President of the

Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), formerly known as the Appellate Division, is an appellate court in South Africa. It is located in Bloemfontein, the "judicial capital" of South Africa. History On the creation of the Union of South Africa f ...

and current chancellor of Rhodes University * Patrick Mynhardt – Actor *

Marguerite Poland Marguerite Poland (born 3 April 1950, Johannesburg) is a South African writer and author of eleven children's books. Early life When she was two years old, the Poland family relocated to the Eastern Cape where she spent most of her format ...

– Writer * Ian Roberts – Actor * Michael Roberts – Historian * Kathleen Satchwell – Judge * Sir Basil Schonland – Scientist * Barry Smith – Musician *

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...

– Former Prime Minister of

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

(now

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

) *

Wilbur Smith Wilbur Addison Smith (9 January 1933 – 13 November 2021) was a Zambian-born British-South African novelist specialising in historical fiction about international involvement in Southern Africa across four centuries, seen from the viewpoints ...

– Novelist * William Smith – Television science and mathematics personality *

Kaneez Surka Kaneez Surka is a South African people, South African Improvisational theatre, improv artist, actress, comedian and a YouTuber of an Indian people, Indian descent, who works mainly in India. She started her career with the show ''The Week That W ...

– Artist, actor and comedian * Robert V. Taylor – Former

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle * Phumzile van Damme – MP and Shadow Communications Minister *

– Virologist,

Nobel prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner (1951) * Micheen Thornycroft –

Olympic rower * Kit Vaughan – Emeritus professor of

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

UCT The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university stat ...

* David Webster – Social anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist *

Mark Winkler Mark Winkler (born 29 January 1966) is a South African writer of literary fiction living in Cape Town. He is the author of two novels, ''An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Absolutely Everything'' (2013) and ''Wasted'' (2015). His third novel, ' ...

– Author *

Timothy Woods Timothy Phillips Woods (born 24 December 1943) is a South African schoolmaster and educationalist. One of the sons of Arthur Phillips Woods and his wife Katherine Isabella Woods, he was educated at Cordwalles Preparatory School, Natal, Michaelho ...

– Former head of

Gresham's School Gresham's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school) in Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Bac ...

, England *

Dana Wynter Dana Wynter (born Dagmar Winter; 8 June 19315 May 2011) was a German-born British actress, who was raised in the United Kingdom and southern Africa. She appeared in film and television for more than 40 years, beginning in the 1950s. Her best-know ...

– Actress * Simphiwe Tshabalala – Standard Bank CEO

Notable alumni: journalists, media celebrities in South Africa

One of the most well-known departments on the Rhodes campus is the university's school of Journalism and Media Studies, through which many of South Africa's most notable media celebrities have passed. There are also an especially high number of radio celebrities who graduated at Rhodes – many of them having spent time with the university's campus radio station Rhodes Music Radio. *

Matthew Buckland Matthew Buckland (22 August 1974 – 23 April 2019) was a South African Internet entrepreneur and businessman who founded and exited digital agency and publisher Creative Spark, acquired in 2015 by UK firm ''M&C Saatchi PLC'' (), the holding gr ...

– Media-owner and entrepreneur * Steve Linde (born 1960) – newspaperman *

Anand Naidoo Anand Naidoo is a South African anchor and correspondent for CGTN America based in Washington, DC. He currently hosts CGTN America's daily political talk show, The Heat. He joined CGTN America in October 2012 after six years as an anchor for ...

– Anchor and correspondent for

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

English based in Washington DC; previously with

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

* Jeremy Mansfield – Radio host, television presenter, comedian *

Eusebius McKaiser Eusebius McKaiser (28 March 1979 – 30 May 2023) was a South African political analyst, journalist, and broadcaster. Among others, he wrote for the ''Mail & Guardian'', the '' Sunday Times'', '' Foreign Policy'', ''The Guardian'', ''The New Yo ...

– Social activist, author, radio show host * Haru Mutasa – Correspondent for Al Jazeera International * Zaa Nkweta – Former

Carte Blanche A blank cheque in the literal sense is a cheque that has no monetary value written in, but is already signed. In the figurative sense, it is used to describe a situation in which an agreement has been made that is open-ended or vague, and therefo ...

presenter *

Verashni Pillay Verashni Pillay (born 11 February 1984) is a South African journalist and editor. She was the editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post South Africa and the Mail & Guardian. She was head of digital at South African radio station, POWER 98.7 and cur ...

–

Mail & Guardian The ''Mail & Guardian'' is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, local arts, music and popular cultu ...

editor-in-chief * Toby Shapshak – Journalist and African technology thought leader *

Barry Streek Barry Streek (30 August 1948 – 21 July 2006) was a South African political journalist and anti-apartheid activist. Early life and education Barry Streek was educated at Michaelhouse in Kwazulu-Natal after which he completed his national serv ...

– Political journalist and anti-apartheid activist * Rob Vember – 5FM DJ

Notable staff

* Prof

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

– physicist; Principal and Vice Chancellor of the university *

Margaret Ballinger Margaret Ballinger (''née'' Hodgson; 1894–1980) was the first President of the Liberal Party of South Africa and a South African Member of Parliament. In 1944, Ballinger was referred to as the "Queen of the Blacks" by TIME magazine. Biograp ...

– Political activist; taught in the history department * André Brink – Writer *

Andrew Buckland Andrew Frederick Buckland (born 4 February 1954 in Zimbabwe) is a South African award-winning playwright, performer, film director, mime, and academic. Biography Born and schooled in Zimbabwe. He is married to actress Janet Buckland. Their s ...

– Performer and playwright *

Julian Cobbing Julian Raymond Dennis Cobbing (born June 1944, London) is an England, English historian, and professor of History at Rhodes University (Grahamstown, South Africa), known best for his controversial and groundbreaking research into Zulu people, Zulu ...

– Professor of African history; wrote an influential and controversial theory on the nature of the

Mfecane The Mfecane (isiZulu, Zulu pronunciation: ̩fɛˈkǀaːne, also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing, scattering, forced dispersal, forced migration") is a historical period of heightened military conflict a ...

Ward Jones Ward E. Jones is a scholar at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, where he is a professor of philosophy. He joined the department in 1999. His DPhil. thesis, entitled ''The View from Here: A First-person Constraint on Believing'' was ...

– Professor of philosophy * Don Maclennan – Professor of English and notable poet * Catriona Ida Macleod, head of the psychology department *

Obie Oberholzer Petrus Cornelius Jacobus "Obie" Oberholzer (born 1947) is a South African photographer. Oberholzer was born on a small farm outside Pretoria, South Africa. He studied graphic design at Stellenbosch University in the late 1960s, and photography ...

– Photographer *

D. C. S. Oosthuizen Daniel Charl Stephanus Oosthuizen (also known as Daantjie Oosthuizen; 15 January 1926 – 4 April 1969) was a South African philosopher, and an early Afrikaner voice against Apartheid. The main direction of his philosophical work lay in the f ...

– Philosopher, Christian, critic of apartheid *

– Botanist * J.L.B. Smith – Ichthyologist; first to identify a taxidermied fish as a

coelacanth The coelacanths ( ) are fish belonging to the order Actinistia that includes two extant species in the genus ''Latimeria'': the West Indian Ocean coelacanth (''Latimeria chalumnae''), primarily found near the Comoro Islands off the east coast ...

, a fish previously thought to be extinct * H.W. van der Merwe – Founder of the

Centre for Intergroup Studies The Centre for Conflict Resolution is a social research institute of the University of Cape Town. It was founded in 1968 by Professor H.W. van der Merwe in Cape Town, South Africa, to conduct academic research on relations between "racial" groups ...

Etienne van Heerden Etienne van Heerden, born 3 December 1954, is a South African author. Biography Van Heerden was born in 1954, six years after the official advent of apartheid. His mother was an English speaking mathematics teacher. His father, an Afrikaans speak ...

– Writer * Arthur Matthews (mathematician), founding professor at the university * Graham Glover - Author, Associate professor, editor of the South African Law Journal

Name controversy

The university's name references

, a British businessman who heavily aided British imperial interests in South Africa, which led to controversy starting in 2015. Protests held that year by

Rhodes Must Fall Rhodes Must Fall was a protest movement that began on 9 March 2015, originally directed against a statue at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that commemorates Cecil Rhodes. The campaign for the statue's removal received global attention and ...

led to the

removing a statue of Rhodes, and similar protests against Rhodes' legacy occurred at Rhodes University. Some students and outlets started referring to it as "The University Currently Known As Rhodes". In 2015 the university council undertook to determine whether or not the institution should change its name, as well as consider several other ways it could deal with the issues. In 2017, the Rhodes University Council voted 15–9 in favour of keeping the existing name. While the university agreed with critics that " tcannot be disputed that Cecil John Rhodes was an arch-imperialist and white supremacist who treated people of this region as sub-human", it also said it had long since distanced itself from the person and had distinguished itself with the name Rhodes University as one of the world's best. The main argument against the change was financial, as such a change would cost a significant amount of money and the university was already having trouble with its budget. Furthermore, changing the university's name could have an adverse effect on its recognition internationally.No name change for Rhodes University following council vote
, ''Mail & Guardian''

References

External links

* {{Authority control Universities in the Eastern Cape Educational institutions established in 1904 Public universities in South Africa Buildings and structures in Makhanda, Eastern Cape Herbert Baker buildings and structures 1904 establishments in the Cape Colony Naming controversies