Department says goodbye to Stan du Plessis

The Department recently hosted a farewell function at Louisvale winery for Prof Stan du Plessis, who recently left the university after 25 years of service, first as lecturer, later as professor in the Economics Department, then dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and finally the university's chief operating officer (COO) for the past seven years.

In attendance were present and past colleagues of the department who have worked with Prof du Plessis, many of whom shared fond memories of their interactions with Prof du Plessis as students and as colleagues.

Professor du Plessis's association with Stellenbosch University began in 1991 when he joined as an undergraduate student. Initially enrolled in actuarial science, his academic path shifted toward economics, influenced by the inspiriational teaching of Professor Sampie Terreblanche. He received both the Cloete and Schumann medals awarded to the top student in the department and the broader faculty during his undergraduate and Honours degree studies.

After postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge, followed by work in the financial sector in London, du Plessis returned to Stellenbosch as lecturer in Economics in 1999. He championed efforts to bring Stellenbosch's Economics department into closer alignment with international standards in both teaching and research. His initiatives included introducing technically advanced course material, establishing specialised econometrics modules, and initiating the intervarsity postgraduate mini-conference with UCT and UWC, an event that continues to thrive today.

As a researcher, Professor du Plessis has been both prolific and wide-ranging. While best known for his work in monetary economics, he has published in areas including economic methodology, competition policy, philosophy, and even theology, across platforms as diverse as Economic Modelling, The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Economics, and the International Journal of Public Theology. He continues to be one of South Africa's most cited economists. Even after assuming senior leadership roles, he has maintained an impressive research output and remained an important voice in public economic discourse.

For more detail on Prof Stan du Plessis's career and person, read the report on the University's news blog. See also this article on (a different) farewell function including quotations from the university's rector and others.

(Thanks to Rulof Burger for contributing to this article.)