Akademia, a private higher education institution, has been offering classes for then years. On 3 March 2012, Akademia welcomed 40 students to their first classes in four different programmes. This year, this institution boasts nearly 2,500 students who receive quality education from five different faculties and 17 fields of study.

Since 2010, the dream of building a world-class university that brings hope to the Afrikaans community and descendants is being brought to life. ‘We are grateful today that we began back then. It was a time during which the storms concerning Afrikaans at public universities had not yet raged,’ says Marthinus Visser, managing director of Akademia. ‘We are well on course at this time and we can provide for the increasing need for quality education in Afrikaans across various fields of study.’

Visser holds that the establishment of Akademia was a large-scale joint community effort. Dozens of dedicated builders, from our first students up to and including our alumni, staff, friends, funders, thinkers, and advisors, each gave shape to the dream in an exceptional and unique way. After a decade of building, Akademia continues working to reach even greater heights. Finally, Akademia is able to offer an academic homeland where the mind and heart can be shaped with the objective of a meaningful and free future.   

Visser emphasises that Akademia is grateful for being able to celebrate this development, but that the institution experiences a renewed sense of calling regarding this responsibility towards the future. ‘Akademia is established now, the time of deepening, expansion, and enlargement is at hand. With our values as compass and our vision as end-point, we dedicatedly word towards realising this important task.’ 

Apart from the remarkable growth of the programmes being offered and the number of students experienced throughout the years, Akademia has expanded in several other areas. Staff numbers increased steeply from one staff member to nearly 200 full-time and part-time employees. Akademia’s after-hour education model is complemented by a full-time contact model to provide even more study options to students. Akademia’s faculties are expanding to five, and an e-learning option is rolled out as part of the after-hour education model to make studies in Afrikaans available from anywhere in the world. On top of that, Akademia awards 339 qualifications this year, a great increase compared to the ten qualification that was awarded during the first graduation ceremony. Akademia’s student life has also been strengthened year after year with the addition of the full-time campus experience, hostels, and various other student events.

The institution plans to initiate ten great events over the course of the year to celebrate Akademia’s birthday. One of these is the publication of a commemorative book written by Ilze Nieuwoudt, which includes events and anecdotes about Akademia over the years. A couch talk series with ten episodes will also be released, titled Akademia- Pioneers Vertel. The radio presenter Esmarie Yssel presents this series. Kobus Wiese packages a special Akademia coffee roast, and a special wine is packaged for the institution. The coffee and wine will be available for purchase at the online Akademia store later this year.

Akademia is a success story that only continues to grow with the help of the community. ‘For that reason, we are grateful for all the contributions made by the community over the past decade. Thank you to every student who, as it were, entrusts their future to us. Thank you to every Akademia employee who contributes to this great responsibility and the fulfilment of our calling. Thank you to every supporter—whether in the form of donations, marketing, or good conversation at the braaivleis fire. You give us room to build our Afrikaans university,’ concludes Visser.

If you are interested in helping us build, you can get involved in different ways. To make a financial contribution to Akademia (by regular debit order, once-off, or otherwise, please send an email to vriende@akademia.ac.za.