Leopoldt van Huyssteen

Leopoldt van Huyssteen was the acting Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, South Africa, following the unexpected death of the previous office bearer Prof Russel Botman on 28 June 2014. Prof Wim de Villiers was appointed to the position permanently at the end of 2014.

Before his appointment as acting rector and vice-chancellor Van Huyssteen was Chief Operating Officer and previously Dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences as well as acting Vice-Rector (Research).

Born on 19 April 1951, Leopoldt van Huyssteen grew up on a farm in Joubertina, an apple producing area in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. He studied at Stellenbosch University and holds BScAgric, HonsBScAgric (cum laude), MScAgric (cum laude) and PhD(Agric) degrees, majoring in Soil Science and Chemistry. Prof Van Huyssteen's professional interests during his research career have included soil management, root growth, soil compaction, soil tillage implements and general viticulture. He has published widely on these subjects and attended several international congresses, some as an invited speaker. Technology that flowed from his research was also widely applied in the Citrus, Deciduous Fruit and Forestry industries.

In 1982, he was given the Award of Merit for Research by the South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, and in 1989, the Agricultural Writers Association of the Western Cape elected him as Agriculturist of the Year. Two videos, based mainly on his research on soil management, won in 1992 the international OIV (Office Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin) prize for the best audio-visual production for technology transfer. He received a medal for outstanding service to Soil Science from the Soil Science Society of South Africa in 1994. In 2000, the South African Society for Enology and Viticulture bestowed an honorary award on him for service to the industry and the Society. He is also an Honorary Member of the Fertilizer Society of South Africa.

In 1973, he was appointed as Junior Soil Scientist at the Viticultural and Oenological Research Institute (VORI) of the National Department of Agriculture and Water Supply. He was promoted to Soil Scientist in 1975 and to Senior Soil Scientist in 1983. In 1988, he was promoted to Assistant Director and Head of the Soil Science Section of the VORI. In 1992, he was promoted to Senior Programme Manager: Techno-Economy at the same Institute, which was now incorporated in the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), a newly established statutory research council. Since 1993, he was the Director of the ARC Nietvoorbij Institute for Viticulture and Oenology, a position that he held for 4 years. He led the transformation of this institute from a fully government funded institution to one with a client and business culture, earning an increasing part of its income from external funding. Since 1997, he was the Director of the ARC Fruit, Vine and Wine Research Institute, which was formed when the above-mentioned Nietvoorbij and the ARC Institute for Fruit and Fruit Technology merged under his management. In 1996, he was appointed as Professor Extraordinary in Viticulture at Stellenbosch University. Since January 1999, he was in the service of Stellenbosch University, first as Professor and Head of the Department of Soil Science, and since 2000 he was the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences. He led the merger of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences in 2000 to form the Faculty of AgriSciences. Apart from his position as Dean, he was also part of the Rector’s Management Team. From September 2007 – March 2008 he was Acting Vice-Rector (Research) and he was appointed as the Executive Director: Operations and Finance from April 2008 - June 2013. Since July 2013 he is the Chief Operating Officer at Stellenbosch University.

He served on several committees and boards, e.g. the Board of the Agricultural Research Council, the Board of Elsenburg Agricultural College, the Council of the Soil Science Society of South Africa (3 years as President), the Council of Stellenbosch University and the Winetech Board. Presently he is a member of the Board of ASNAPP International (Chairperson), the Board of ASNAPP South Africa (Chairperson) [ASNAPP = Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products]. He was a director of Dutoit Group (Ceres) until 2012. Within the university he serves on several standing university’s committees and on boards of SU associate companies.

His special interests include project management, change management, technology transfer and innovation, gardening, camping and reading.