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* on ...

. 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 Royal Society of Canada, 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 studie ...

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 ...

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 Tebello Nyokong (born 20 October 1951) is a South African chemist and distinguished professor at Rhodes University, and a recipient of South Africa's Order of Mapungubwe. Nyokong's work has been published around 450 times including a patent. S ...

) * 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 Janice Leigh Limson is a South African Professor of Biotechnology, former Chairperson the School of Biotechnology at Rhodes University and the SARChI Chair in Biotechnology Innovation & Engagement at Rhodes University. She is founder and editor- ...

) * 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 bu ...

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. I ...

) 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 Tafadzwa Chitokwindo is a Zimbabwean rugby player who represents Zimbabwe at an international level. He is known for his speed. Early life Tafadzwa Chitokwindo was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 20 September, 1990. He is the oldest of the three chi ...

– 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 father ...

– 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 three ...

– Writer *

Embeth Davidtz Embeth Jean Davidtz (born August 11, 1965) is an American-South African actress. Her screen roles include movies such as ''Army of Darkness'', ''Schindler's List, '' ''Matilda'', ''Mansfield Park'', ''Bicentennial Man'', ''Fallen,'' '' Junebug,' ...

– 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 Geoffrey De Jager (born 2 October 1950 Oudtshoorn, South Africa) is a retired entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is currently the owner of Anglo Suisse Investments Limited alongside various charitable positions at The Rhodes University UK Trust ...

– 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 Dre ...

– 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 Eli ...

– 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 Peter Bingham Hinchliff (25 February 1929 - 17 October 1995) was a South African Anglican priest and academic. He was the Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Oxford from 1992 to 1995. Early life Hinchliff was born in ...

– 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 – Fleet Street journalist and lyricist of ''inter alia'' Les Misérables (musical), the musical ''Les Misérables'' * Alice Krige – 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 – Chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and grandson of Nelson Mandela * Lex Mpati, The Hon Justice Lex Mpati – Judge President of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa and current chancellor of Rhodes University * Patrick Mynhardt – Actor * Marguerite Poland – Writer * Ian Roberts (South African actor), Ian Roberts – Actor * Michael Roberts (historian), Michael Roberts – Historian * Kathleen Satchwell – Judge * Basil Schonland, Sir Basil Schonland – Scientist * Barry Smith (organist), Barry Smith – Musician * Ian Smith – Former Prime Minister of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) * Wilbur Smith – Novelist * William Smith (South African), William Smith – Television science and mathematics personality * Kaneez Surka – Artist, actor and comedian * Robert V. Taylor – Former Dean (Christianity), dean of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle * Phumzile van Damme – MP and Shadow Communications Minister *

– Virologist, Nobel prize winner (1951) * Micheen Thornycroft – Zimbabwe Olympic rower * Kit Vaughan – Emeritus professor of biomedical engineering at University of Cape Town, UCT * David Webster (anthropologist), David Webster – Social anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist * Mark Winkler – Author * Timothy Woods – Former head of Gresham's School, England * Dana Wynter – 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 – Media-owner and entrepreneur *Steve Linde (born 1960) – newspaperman * Anand Naidoo – Anchor and correspondent for Al Jazeera English based in Washington DC; previously with CNN * Jeremy Mansfield – Radio host, television presenter, comedian * Eusebius McKaiser – Social activist, author, radio show host * Haru Mutasa – Correspondent for Al Jazeera International * Zaa Nkweta – Former Carte Blanche (TV series), Carte Blanche presenter * Verashni Pillay – Mail & Guardian editor-in-chief * Toby Shapshak – Journalist and African technology thought leader * Barry Streek – Political journalist and anti-apartheid activist * Rob Vember – 5FM DJ

Notable staff

* Prof

FRSE – physicist; Principal and Vice Chancellor of the university * Margaret Ballinger – Political activist; taught in the history department * André Brink – Writer * Andrew Buckland – Performer and playwright * Julian Cobbing – Professor of African history; wrote an influential and controversial theory on the nature of the Mfecane * Ward Jones – Professor of philosophy * Don Maclennan – Professor of English and notable poet * Catriona Ida Macleod, head of the psychology department * Obie Oberholzer – Photographer * D. C. S. Oosthuizen – Philosopher, Christian, critic of apartheid *

– Botanist * J.L.B. Smith – Ichthyologist; first to identify a taxidermied fish as a coelacanth, a fish previously thought to be extinct * H.W. van der Merwe – Founder of the Centre for Intergroup Studies,

* Etienne van Heerden – 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 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 "[it] cannot 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 Rhodes University, 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