Nelson Mandela, a global champion of human rights and South Africa’s first black president, has died.

The 95-year-old passed away Thursday at his home in Johannesburg following a prolonged battle with lung disease.

“I remember the excitement I felt watching Nelson Mandela’s release from prison,” said University president Patrick Deane, who was born and raised in South Africa and studied English and Law at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

“It was palpably a great moment for South Africa. What was not obvious then was how extraordinary would be Mandela’s impact on the rest of the world. We mourn his loss, but as an exemplar of principle, justice and humane values he will exert an enduring influence.”

A revolutionary activist and crusader for equality during the height of apartheid, Mandela was sentenced to life in prison following the controversial Rivonia Trial. He entered Robben Island prison in 1964, and remained incarcerated there and in two other South African prisons until 1990.

Following his release, Mandela embarked on a major campaign to end apartheid in South Africa, and became the global face of the movement. He began serving as president of the African National Congress in 1991, and was elected president of South Africa following the country’s landmark 1994 general election. He remained in office until 1999, and helped to unite and guide the country during a tense political and social transition.

“I think his legacy is that he was able to help South Africa transition in ways that very few anticipated,” said Bonny Ibhawoh, associate dean (Graduate Studies and Research) in the Faculty of Humanities and an expert in African, global and human rights history. “Nelson Mandela’s leadership steered South Africa from the ashes of the apartheid system towards a free, democratic and inclusive nation.”

Mandela’s electoral victory in 1994 is widely regarded as the end of the apartheid era in South Africa.

“His spirit of forgiveness and his vision of tolerance and reconciliation serves as an inspiration to many people across the world,” added Ibhawoh. “The global community can honour Mandela and his legacy by drawing on the values of freedom, humility and selfless service that he represented.”

A state funeral for Mandela is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 15.