We traveled to Cape Town today, leaving behind many new friends and looking forward to the people and places the Lord has prepared for us to meet in South Africa's glistening seaport.
After a two hour flight, the intrepid Dr. Bekker drives us to our home base for the next three days: the Stellenbosch area just 40 minutes or so from the airport.
Our first meeting of the day is with Vice Chancellor (the title is SA's equivalent of a university president) Russell Botman,who is the first black man to lead the prestigious and historically white University of Stellenbosch--regarded by many as South Africa's finest institution of higher learning. President Botman describes the university's programs and aspirations, chief among them his hope to increase the enrollment of black students to 50 percent (from the current level of 33 percent, up from 11 percent in the four years of his tenure) by 2015. He recounts the government's support of scholarships that create pathways for students who would not otherwise be able to attend university. Honored as a "champion for reconciliation," he has a clear vision for his school of 24,000 that includes retaining excellence and reaching out to a broader student body.
Our evening meeting, hosted by the charismatic Michael Louis of Cornerstone Christian Institute, features a veritable "who's who" of Cape Town's educators and other notables. Among the attendees are Minister of Education Donald Grant, Graham Power (the force behind the 'Global Day of Prayer') and prolific evangelist Michael Cassidy. By the dinner meeting's end, Regent's impact in this area is clear. Thanks to Dr. Bruce Winston's efforts to bring Regent's leadership programs to South Africa, our reputation here is outstanding, and the doors for further academic outreach are wide open.
Note: the photo is of Parrot Mountain in the morning mist.
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