This is an exciting moment for us at Stellenbosch Business School as we launch our new identity and vision, and enter a new strategic phase. We say a fond farewell to the “USB” identity and invite you, students, alumni, partners and stakeholders, to join us on the next stage of our journey.
The photo above of our School, backdropped by Cape Town’s Table Mountain, captures much of who we are and what we want to be.
We are a business school at home in one of the world’s global cities with a dynamic, entrepreneurial, cultural, and knowledge-intensive economy. We are a business school at the heart of one of the most beautiful regions in Africa and the world that incudes mountains, oceans and stunning winelands, a society with extremes of wealth and poverty, and place at the forefront of addressing climate change. South Africa is in one of the world’s most culturally, racially, and linguistically diverse countries with societal challenges calling out for responsible leadership. It is these ecosystems, these challenges, and these opportunities that we seek to address in the development of responsible leaders as we go forward together as Stellenbosch Business School.
Responsible Leaders for a Better World
Now is the time for us to recommit to responsible leadership. With climate change, rising inequality, pandemics, and conflict, the world is calling out for leaders who can make a difference. We need individuals to take the lead and act responsibly, consider the impact of their actions, accept accountability, and balance the needs of competing stakeholders. We can have an impact − we have a responsibility to ensure that current and future leaders make a positive impact on society.
For Stellenbosch Business School, responsible leadership relates to oneself, others, organisations and institutions, our interactions, our accountability, and the concerns of our stakeholders. We aim to promote sustainable outcomes at personal, social, economic and environmental levels. This ethos transcends our suite of postgraduate programmes as well as our research activities and wider range of social impact partnerships. We are committed to be responsible leaders ourselves and develop responsible leaders for a better world.
Transformative Learning Experience
Leading has always been part of our DNA at Stellenbosch. We led by being the first African business school to gain the triple accreditation of global business schools − AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA − and working with these bodies, remain committed to quality assurance and continuous improvement. We led the way in offering an African-focused and globally relevant transformative learning experience. Also, we led the way in offering blended, technology-driven learning experiences that predated the pandemic and now we take them to the next level.
We believe that if we provide transformative learning experiences to our students, they will go on to have a positive impact as responsible leaders. This commitment extends to all our programmes and courses as part of the rich and diverse experiences we offer our home and incoming students.
We are Unique
The School brings together a unique constellation of expertise on the African continent that includes futures and foresight, finance and growth, equality and diversity, conflict and collaboration, coaching, governance, and entrepreneurship and innovation. These expertise combine with our unique ecosystems that draw upon the Cape’s winelands, high-tech organizations and informal settlements.. This is an ecosystem that draws upon the richness, diversity and opportunities of South Africa and the African continent. It is an ecosystem that benefits from a global reputation and builds networks and alliances with leading business schools from around the world.
Our Heritage
The School’s new identity is proudly attached to Stellenbosch University as a centre for learning excellence, knowledge creation, inclusivity and innovation. We draw upon this heritage in the rigour, prestige, and commitment to providing transformative education experiences. As the leading research-led university on the continent, we are able to draw upon the world-class expertise in medical sciences, engineering, and data analytics in order to offer our business students the education relevant for an uncertain future.
We also share and own our transformation journey with Stellenbosch University as part of a nation still adjusting to its past, knowing our communities expect change, and looking towards a shared future. This humility means we strive to do better, to learn from our experiences, and to share our unique experiences with all of our stakeholders. We are committed to growing and improving together.
Our Promise
With the clarity of our new identity, we invite our students, alumni, partners, and stakeholders to join us on the next stage of this journey. We promise a transformative learning experience to our students regardless of their origin, background or status. We are engaged in research and social impact agendas that are relevant to our stakeholders across the variety of ecosystems we serve. We are committed to being a responsible leader at the heart of our local, national and global ecosystems.
We are committed to developing responsible leaders for a better world.
