The Desmond Tutu Programme

The Programme

The Desmond Tutu Programme focuses on the themes of Youth, Sports and Reconciliation. Its aim is to strengthen cooperation between VU University Amsterdam and its six partner institutes in South Africa through the joint supervision of South African PhDs and by encouraging student exchange at Master’s and Bachelor’s level. On 4 December 2008 the official launch of the DTP took place in the presence of Archbishop Em. Desmond Tutu himself, and the first four Desmond Tutu Chair holders were installed. In 2009, VU University added a fifth Desmond Tutu chairholder to the programme.

The academic cooperation that the DTP envisions is of value to both students (BA, MA) of South African partner universities and students (BA, MA) of VU University Amsterdam in terms of creating and offering more opportunities for international experience and exposure for these students. For staff members of both VU University Amsterdam and its South African partners, especially through the South African PhDs linked to the MoU partners, the DTP offers excellent opportunities to develop research projects and related networks. 

Five faculties will host a Desmond Tutu chair for an initial period of five years: the Faculty of Social Sciences (Prof. Stephen Ellis), the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (Prof. Chris Elbers), the Faculty of Human Movement Sciences (Prof. Geert Savelsbergh), the Faculty of Theology (Prof. Eddy Van der Borght) and the Faculty of Medicine (Prof. Marceline van Furth). Apart from co-supervising South African PhD-students, the five chair holders will develop research programmes within their respective faculties around the themes of the chair and will relate their research to already existing research programmes within the respective faculties. The remaining nine VU faculties will participate in the general Desmond Tutu Programme in terms of joint PhD supervision and Bachelor and Master teaching and exchange.

The holders of the VU University Desmond Tutu Chair (DTC) will stimulate, and contribute to, academic cooperation between the Netherlands and South Africa, through the (joint) supervision of South African PhD students, through teaching Bachelor and Master students at and exchange students between VU University Amsterdam and South African universities, particularly, but not exclusively, focusing on our six partner institutions in South Africa with which VU University Amsterdam has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on an institutional level.

Aims of the Desmond Tutu Programme

The DTP aims at the following:

• PhD students: from South Africa; (jointly) supervised by VU and South African (MoU) professors (joint degrees). The target number of PhD’s for five years, starting in 2009, is 17 (4 x 2 for Desmond Tutu Chair holders (=8) and 9 for remaining VU University Amsterdam faculties = 17. This number may increase if suitable PhD candidates and a combination of joint (Dutch- South African) supervision can be found. The South African Research Foundation (NRF) will help in selecting a shortlist of suitable candidates, after which, together with VU University Amsterdam, a joint selection of the final candidates will be made;

• Professional development courses at PhD level for staff members of faculties at historically disadvantaged campuses of MoU partners (is included as possibility in the target number of 17 South African PhDs mentioned under the first bullet);

• Master students: 
  1. Exchange of Master students between VU University Amsterdam and (MoU) partners;
  2. Professional development courses at Master level for staff members of faculties at historically disadvantaged campuses of MoU partners.

• Bachelor students: exchange between VU University Amsterdam and (MoU) partners;

• Developing specific DTP Projects: a DTP Lectures Series; projects around the World Soccer Championship 2010 in South Africa; a Digitisation Project around the Gandhi archive at UNISA and a Management of Diversity project.