While over 10% of the registered full-time student body comes from beyond the borders of South Africa, mainly from the SADC region, Rhodes University has shorter-term international students on campus, as part of credit-bearing semester abroad programmes, throughout the academic year. International students participated in three kinds of arrangements during the first semester of 2023, as outlined below:
Consortia Mobility Programmes
Some semester-abroad students come as visiting students in the European Union-funded Intra-Africa Mobility programmes. The Collaborative Training in Fisheries and Aquaculture in East Africa and South Africa (COTRA), of which the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science (DIFS) is a member, is one such programme. DIFS currently hosts students from the University of Eldoret, Kenya and Makerere University, Uganda. These students remain registered at their home university and accrue credits at Rhodes University. Another European Union-funded programme, The African Water Resource Mobility Network (AWARMN), of which the Rhodes University Institute for Water Research is a member, eagerly anticipates visiting students from the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the National Higher School of Hydraulics, in June 2023.
Bilateral Mobility Programmes
Other students come as part of the formal bilateral semester abroad programmes managed by the International Office and register at Rhodes University while here. For the first semester of 2023, students from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, United States of America, Pädagogische Hochschule Bern (PH Bern) and Pädagogische Hochschule Luzern (PH Luzern), Switzerland and University of Kassel, Germany were registered at Rhodes University. The semester abroad programmes include a detailed and thorough orientation process, where all their academic, social and cultural induction questions are answered.
The International Office staff, Lwando Ntenda and Nothando Calane hosted a farewell de-briefing session, during International Week, at the end of Africa Month, and the students on the semester abroad programme came together to reflect on their five-month experience at Rhodes University. Feedback from the students, who were wrapping up their stay at Rhodes University and preparing to return to their home institutions, was noted by Calane.
"The transition from my university to Rhodes University was not hard at all. I easily chose new subjects to study, and they all correspond with the modules I studied back home," explained Fabian Mehr from Pädagogische Hochschule Bern (PH Bern), Switzerland.
The students, who did not know each other before February, studied hard while on campus. They then spent most of their spare time and weekends together enjoying South African art, historic buildings, landscapes and stunning coastlines. They explored many beautiful places around the country, from as near as Port Alfred and rural villages in the Eastern Cape to as far as Cape Town, Johannesburg and across the border to Namibia.
"The past five months at Rhodes University have been one of the greatest opportunities that I have been blessed with, between meeting people with so many different backgrounds and travelling throughout the Garden Route to Cape Town. This experience has allowed me to be more appreciative of what I have and has shown me how to look at situations differently. I hope to return to South Africa to reconnect with some of the amazing people here and to explore further the history and culture that SA has to offer," said Ahmed Wise from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, United States of America.
When international students arrive at Rhodes University, they are encouraged to participate in activities or societies that have cross-cultural characteristics. The goal is to promote cultural exchange between international students, local students, and the community at large.
"When I arrived at Rhodes University, I joined the Xhosa Society because I wanted to learn to speak isiXhosa, the main language spoken in Makhanda. I believed learning isiXhosa would enable me to connect to the community and deepen my knowledge about the Xhosa heritage," said Justus Stahl from the University of Kassel, Germany.
"I had an unforgettable experience in Makhanda, and I am so grateful to have a second home on the other side of the world. I have learnt so much from the people I have met. Last but certainly not least, going on an exchange programme was an insightful experience; I got exposed to the rich South African culture. While attending off-campus and on-campus events, I witnessed how singing brings people of every kind together and creates a huge unity and so much power," said Laura Schmid from Pädagogische Hochschule Luzern (PH Luzern), Switzerland.
Schmid and Mehr were also invited to share feedback about their experiences in South Africa with the staff of their host department. Following a very enthusiastic PowerPoint presentation about the enriching and wonderful experience of campus life and travelling through South Africa, Schmid concluded, "Having been to Cape Town and other parts of the country, I am so glad that I came to Rhodes University, as I had such easy access to experience the local culture here." Dr Kavish Jawahar, the Head of the Department for Secondary and Post-School Education, who organised the event, remarked: "It is good to hear fresh perspectives and to remind ourselves of all the good things in South Africa that we might sometimes take for granted." He invited further reflection from the staff, including Dr Pamela Vale and Mr Sean Nkosi, two lecturers who had taught the students before, wishing the students a safe return to Switzerland.
Individual Visiting Students
Individual visiting international students include those who visit specific Professors at Rhodes University due to their international research connections while remaining registered with their home institutions. For example, in the first semester of 2023, two students from Brazil visited Prof Chithambo to learn more about the luminescence properties of natural Brazilian minerals.
Another PhD candidate from the Department of Communication and Social Research (CoRiS) at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, is researching disability, platforms and the digital public sphere in South Africa. Fabiana Battisti came to visit Prof Lorenzo Dalvit at the School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) in early February 2023, returned home to Italy on schedule and decided to come back again for a few more weeks.
"This was my first time so far away from Italy. I believe Makhanda allows one to seek one's goals and look at them with clarity, calm and serenity. Among the things I will not forget is the capacity for communality that every department I have engaged with is able to convey, especially JMS. The other memorable thing for me is the South African sky, which is so amazing both during the day and in the deep night during load-shedding!" exclaimed Fabiana Battisti.
The International Office and the Rhodes University campus, in general, strive to promote education, research and friendships without borders. Students registered at Rhodes University, who are interested in applying for study abroad programmes, may contact the International Office at internationaloffice@ru.ac.za