Maties boss needs guts

There are about 3kg of good bacteria in a healthy human's gut. This is one of the interesting facts Wim de Villiers tosses out as he demonstrates his knowledge and expertise as a gastroenterologist.

But it is a fact unlikely to help him in his new role of vice-chancellor of Stellenbosch University.

The former physician-clinician takes up the position next year, following the death in June of Russel Botman, the university's first black rector.

De Villiers is no stranger to the Maties campus, having completed his first degree at the university, after growing up in Stellenbosch.

He spent 18 years in the US before returning to South Africa as dean of the health sciences faculty at UCT last year.

He has a doctorate in immunology from Oxford and was chief of the gastroenterology division at Kentucky University in the US.

But he has inherited a tough role, joining a growing university grappling with the need for transformation in terms of racial representation.

It's a challenge he relishes.

"What I'd like to do, and have a track record of doing, is to spot talent in the historically disadvantaged groups, as PhD or masters students, and bring them through the system to develop academic stock," said De Villiers.

He believes the biggest threat to higher education in South Africa is the limited funding available.

Despite this, he intends highlighting the importance of locally relevant research while making sure the university is competitive globally.

Professor Jonathan Jansen, rector at the University of Free State, said De Villiers was taking up the most difficult university leadership position in the country.

"[Stellenbosch] is an institution that remains largely untransformed because of its deep racial conservatism, which has tripped up more than one good rector.

"Any institution that remains majority white 21 years into our democracy, and with only a small percentage of black African students, is clearly not serious about its role in overcoming inequalities of race and resources in our country against the backdrop of our violent history," Jansen said.

Wits University vice-chancellor professor Adam Habib described the appointment of De Villiers as "fantastic", but agreed that transformation would be the biggest challenge for the new vice-chancellor.

"If he can address it [transformation] he will have done a huge favour, not only to Stellenbosch University but to the [entire] country," said Habib.

De Villiers is confident of his ability to steer the university of 28000 students.

"What excites me, and what I see myself as having a talent for, is seeing how big systems can be moved and how things can be changed," he said.