After 38 years' service to Stellenbosch University, Prof André Möller, Chair of the Department of Psychology, retires at the end of 2005. Under his leadership and as a result of his vision, the Department has repositioned itself as a leader in both research and service delivery. Throughout his tenure, Prof Möller dedicated the department to what he termed 'social relevance' in terms of teaching, research, and community involvement, coupled with 'scientific relevance' - maintaining the highest standards of scientific enquiry and scholarship.

A renowned international scholar particularly in the field of cognitive treatments for trauma-related disorders, Prof Möller led the Department of Psychology with a unique mixture of administrative expertise, insistence on academic rigour, and a personal and inclusive style. This style helped build an atmosphere of collaboration and communication in the department which led to a dramatic increase of community-based activities and research outputs over the relatively short time that Prof Möller headed the department.

In late November 2005, staff of the department bade farewell to Prof Möller at a function which, appropriately enough, coincided with an intensive workshop on developing a new socially relevant teaching curriculum. Prof Möller's hands-on leadership and wisdom will be sorely missed, and we are delighted that he has consented to continue with an attachment to the department on a less formal basis. We wish Prof Möller well in his retirement, and we look forward to having him around in future years to give, as he always does, so generously of his wisdom and counsel.