Helderberg College of Higher Education is a private higher education institution situated in Somerset West, South Africa, about thirty minutes from Cape Town. It was established in 1893, and was the first Seventh-day Adventist College established outside of North America under the name "Union College." It moved to its present location in 1928, making it the oldest Adventist college on the continent of Africa. It is owned and operated by the Southern Africa Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, with headquarters in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system.https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/1115/For-real-education-reform-take-a-cue-from-the-Adventists"the second largest Christian school system in the world has been steadily outperforming the national average – across all demographics."
The college also hosts a local research centre of the Ellen G. White Estate.
Helderberg College amended their name to reflect it as a Higher Education institution. The amendment Helderberg College of Higher Education was approved and became effective 9 November 2017. The College also adopted the HCHE abbreviation, and now uses the HCHE.AC.ZA domain as its official domain name.Name and Domain Change
Historical Overview The history of Seventh-day Adventist education in South Africa began in 1893 with the establishment of Claremont Union College, Cape Town. The College changed locations in 1919 and again in 1928 in an attempt to follow more closely the philosophy that has motivated this institution. After the first move, the College became known as Spion Kop College, and in 1928 the last move established Helderberg College, on the slopes of Helderberg Mountain, just outside Somerset West, South Africa.
Claremont Union College (1893-1917) The first Seventh-day Adventist College outside North America, Claremont Union College opened its doors on 1 February 1893. It was situated on of land within walking distance of Kenilworth station. The impressive buildings and comprehensive curriculum are testimony to the vision of those early educators. The original stately double-storey college building has since been proclaimed a national monument and is today the focal building in a modern shopping complex.
Union College offered primary, secondary and tertiary education. College subjects included Greek and Latin, Trigonometry and Geometry, Chemistry and Physics, Logic and Moral Science. Besides the classical academic education, emphasis was placed on character development, a vocational programme, laws of health, physical training and culture. The College was open to all races and no distinction was made with regard to religious affiliation. In fact, half the students were not Seventh-day Adventists.
Over the 25 years of its existence, two distinct education points of view have waxed and waned with regard to curriculum. The ultimate goal was the same and that was to graduate students who were well prepared for life's tasks. The initial view favoured a strong four-year classical education such as was taught at other notable colleges and academies. With the passage of time, the emphasis swung to the offering of a shorter, more practical course. Despite academic polemics and financial problems compounded by the Anglo-Boer War, the College filled a vital role in providing a religious atmosphere with values that rang true for the 50-100 young people who studied there each year. It graduated 31 students, and many of these have been signally influential in both church and society.
South African Training College (1919-1922)
The site for Claremont Union College had been chosen because of the strong conviction that a secluded, rural location was most conducive to true education, but by 1917 sprawling urban growth posed a threat. Consequently, the College was relocated on a mission station from Ladysmith, Natal, and 1918 was spent in erecting buildings, largely from materials salvaged from Union College. Staff and students transferred to the new site and classes began in 1919 with an enrolment of 27. Standards 5-8 were taught, along with a Worker's Course for those preparing for church work. As the College grew, a strong practical emphasis in the curriculum emerged. Two three-year courses, a Training Course and Normal Course, were developed.
When the college was advanced to the status of a junior college, major changes in academic offerings included the introduction of a one-year course in Shorthand, a two-year Normal Course (teacher training programme), and a four-year course resembling the classical course originally offered at Union College. The latter did not get much support and by 1923 all courses were two years in length: the Theological Course, Bible Workers' Course, Teacher Training Course and Commercial Course.
Spion Kop College (1922-1927) The emphasis between the two colleges differed: the majority of the 31 graduates from Union College were teachers, while from Spion Kop the majority of the 30 graduates were from the Theology and Bible Workers' courses.
It soon became evident that the remote location and inaccessibility of Spion Kop College were insurmountable obstacles and in 1925 a committee was appointed to select a new location. After looking at 50 farms in the Western Cape, the committee unanimously chose Bakkerskloof with its flourishing almond and apricot orchards flanking Helderberg mountain. They purchased the for ten thousand pounds, and the third phase of college development began.
Helderberg College (1928- ) As it was first called, the new African Missionary College opened in 1928 with two dormitories completed and plans for the construction of the administration building well underway. Apart from these, there were two staff cottages, farm sheds and outbuildings. The institution was renamed Helderberg College after the mountain towering protectively above it. Despite the depression, the total enrollment climbed to 154 by 1930 and has grown steadily ever since. Today there are more than 60 buildings on campus, including the church, administration and lecture buildings, library, auditorium, gymnasium and cafeteria, student centre, three-story student residences, married students' flats, staff flats and homes, and separate church-operated primary and high schools.
The growth of the College is probably best reflected in the number of graduates which has increased from 8 in 1929 to an average of 40-60 a year. Many of these graduates have continued their studies in South Africa and abroad.
The academic growth of the College can be viewed from three perspectives: the course offerings, educational qualifications of the staff, and library holdings.
A review of the course offerings of the past reveals periods of significant change and development. The first few years after 1928 saw a continuation of the courses offered at Spion Kop College. The staff were few, with the business manager, W B Commin, a chartered accountant. In the early thirties, courses were lengthened to three years, and course contents combined to meet the needs of the church: Theological-Normal, Domestic Science-Normal, with Commercial-Normal being added in 1946. A two-year Bible Instructors' Course was also offered.
The first real significant change in curriculum came in 1951 when the College became a senior college and, under the guidance of A. J. Raitt, started to offer the degree courses of the University of South Africa (UNISA) as part of the regular four-year diploma courses. Students could complete the requirements of the BA, BSc and BCom degrees within four years. The UNISA connection served the College very well for the next 35 years with only minor adjustments to the curriculum. It included a recognised three-year primary teaching diploma in the eighties. The sixties saw a proliferation of diploma courses, and some were lengthened and others shortened. A five-year theology programme was attempted, and even a pre-nursing course was published.
Graduation exercises became more formal with the change of status to a senior college. The 1955 graduating class was the first to wear full academic regalia, including colours to represent the various fields of study. All subsequent classes followed suit, and today it is part of the tradition and policy of the college.
The need for wider recognition and closer control over the curriculum led to the next major change under the leadership of Dr. A. O. Coetzee in 1976. An affiliation agreement was entered into with the Adventist higher education system's flagship institution Andrews University (located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA), to offer the BTh (Bachelor of Theology) and BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) degrees. From this initial agreement, the affiliation was extended to the BA degree, which could also include a four-year elementary teaching qualification. Agriculture offered as a two-year Associate of Science degree met a specific demand for a few years but was later phased out. The eighties saw the introduction of a wider number of business and secretarial diploma courses.
The escalating cost of post-graduate study overseas precipitated plans to offer such degrees at Helderberg College. In 1981, under the leadership of Dr. D. Birkenstock, the Andrews University affiliation was extended when the MA in Religion degree was first offered on campus. The programme was spread over four years, with a quarter being taught each year. Starting with Drs. Strand and Heppenstall, many lecturers from overseas made a real contribution to the ministerial force in Southern Africa. The post-graduate degree gave impetus to the rapid expansion of the library, and in 1983 the E. G. White Research Centre and Heritage Room were officially opened by Mrs. Hedwig Jemison.
Until 1974, the chief administrator of the College was known as the 'Principal'. From 1975, this position was designated as 'Rector', and at the end of 2000, it was changed to 'President'.
In 1997, under the leadership of David F. Allen, an additional affiliation agreement was entered into with Southern Adventist University (located in Collegedale, Tennessee, USA). This affiliation provided alternative accreditation and academic recognition for the BBA degree, majoring in either accounting or management.
Changes in the South African education landscape after the first democratic elections in 1994 impacted directly on the College. In terms of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act (No. 58 of 1995) and the Higher Education Act (No. 101 of 1997), private institutions of higher learning were granted the opportunity of becoming fully accredited and registered providers of education, issuing their own degrees and diplomas. Private Higher Education Institutions could register qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). In addition, if they met the Council on Higher Education (CHE) requirements and the Department of Education (DoE), they could take their place alongside the public sector institutions in providing nationally and internationally recognised programmes of study.
Under the academic leadership of Dr. Gerald T. du Preez, Helderberg College received such accreditation and registration in 2001. Students who enrolled for degree programmes for the first time in 2001 thus began a course of study culminating in a Helderberg College degree, backed by SAQA, the CHE and the DoE. Students transferring to other tertiary institutions or wishing to engage in postgraduate study in South Africa can do with ease, as there is a common registering body with controlled standards and criteria. In addition, the courses done at Helderberg College are accredited by AAA (Adventist Accrediting Association), which makes them transferable to any one of the more than 115 Seventh-day Adventist institutions worldwide.