When he took the helm at Stellenbosch University in 2015, it was the time of Rhodes Must Fall, Open Stellenbosch, the ‘Luister’ video and Fees Must Fall. Five years later, he started his second term in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. And still he sees the glass “half full”. We talk to Professor Wim de Villiers about what makes him tick, and what the future may hold for one of Africa’s top higher education institutions.