From Silos to Synergy | How Stellenbosch University's Integrated Support Model Works
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SU Student Success Initiative Series: Episode Three.
Recorded on Friday 28 August 2026.
Counsellors, academic advisers, faculty support coordinators, the CSCD, the Student Success Initiative. Students hear the names but rarely know who does what, or who to approach first. This conversation answers that — and argues you should not have to work it out yourself.
Jacolette Kloppers hosts the third of 15 conversations on Lunch Club, joined by Christa Koch, Head of the Unit for Academic Counselling and Development; registered counsellors Gabriella Jordan and Rouxle Koekemoer; and Natalie White, student support in the Faculty of Engineering.
What we cover in this episode:
- The model in one sentence: Christa explains that students do not experience life in separate offices. When someone is struggling academically, there is usually stress, family pressure or money worry happening at the same time. So the question is not which office should deal with this student, but which professionals should work together around them.
- Help-seeking as consulting: Christa reframes asking for help as something professionals do constantly — consulting a colleague, recognising when someone else's knowledge leads to a better decision. It is not evidence that you are failing to cope. It is a skill you will use for the rest of your career.
Maybe I am not smart enough for this: Natalie's common Engineering scenario is the high achiever who fails a first assessment. Unpacking it almost never reveals a lack of ability. It reveals pace, workload, time management, homesickness, financial stress or health. The conclusion students draw, that they do not belong, is the one thing that is not true.
- Your lecturers are not told: Confidentiality remains absolute, even with a counsellor embedded in your faculty. Nothing is shared without the student's consent.
- Academic or personal? Not your job to diagnose. Often it is chicken and egg, and the holistic model exists precisely so students do not have to sort that out before asking.
Where to find support:
In person: 37 Victoria Street, Stellenbosch, on the corner of Victoria and Bosman, next to the Conserve.
Telephone: 021 808 4707
Online: https://www.su.ac.za/en/students/success
Recorded on Friday 28 August 2026.
Counsellors, academic advisers, faculty support coordinators, the CSCD, the Student Success Initiative. Students hear the names but rarely know who does what, or who to approach first. This conversation answers that — and argues you should not have to work it out yourself.
Jacolette Kloppers hosts the third of 15 conversations on Lunch Club, joined by Christa Koch, Head of the Unit for Academic Counselling and Development; registered counsellors Gabriella Jordan and Rouxle Koekemoer; and Natalie White, student support in the Faculty of Engineering.
What we cover in this episode:
- The model in one sentence: Christa explains that students do not experience life in separate offices. When someone is struggling academically, there is usually stress, family pressure or money worry happening at the same time. So the question is not which office should deal with this student, but which professionals should work together around them.
- Help-seeking as consulting: Christa reframes asking for help as something professionals do constantly — consulting a colleague, recognising when someone else's knowledge leads to a better decision. It is not evidence that you are failing to cope. It is a skill you will use for the rest of your career.
Maybe I am not smart enough for this: Natalie's common Engineering scenario is the high achiever who fails a first assessment. Unpacking it almost never reveals a lack of ability. It reveals pace, workload, time management, homesickness, financial stress or health. The conclusion students draw, that they do not belong, is the one thing that is not true.
- Your lecturers are not told: Confidentiality remains absolute, even with a counsellor embedded in your faculty. Nothing is shared without the student's consent.
- Academic or personal? Not your job to diagnose. Often it is chicken and egg, and the holistic model exists precisely so students do not have to sort that out before asking.
Where to find support:
In person: 37 Victoria Street, Stellenbosch, on the corner of Victoria and Bosman, next to the Conserve.
Telephone: 021 808 4707
Online: https://www.su.ac.za/en/students/success
