Message from Prof MacDonald Kanyangale - UFS Business School Director (Acting)
Dear students,
It is a great honour and pleasure to welcome you to the University of the Free State (UFS) Business School where we take exceptional pride in shouldering the huge responsibility of preparing future managers, leaders and entrepreneurs who are not only well-versed in traditional management but also equipped with cutting edge knowledge, values and practices to champion the responsible and enterprising way of leading and managing organisations in challenging and disruptive times.
As a business school engaged in developing responsible and enterprising managers and entrepreneurs, we are fully aware that contemporary management, organizational, and societal problems rarely emerge neatly labeled and with clear-cut, off-the-shelf solutions. It is the recognition of this reality that gives us the passion to challenge you to develop robust multidisciplinary perspectives that blend rigorous academic theory with practical, real-world application and integrative thinking vital to solving problems in contemporary society and organizations. We assert that future leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs cannot choose responsible leadership alone and ignore the enterprising aspects of organisations if they are to be worth more. At UFS Business School, we are committed to creating and championing the integrative brand of responsible and enterprising management scholarship and practices for organisations in a dynamic and challenging world. Get ready for an intensive, transformative experience that will empower you to shape the sustainable future of our society, responsible organisations, and business. We are here to shape innovators, future leaders, and entrepreneurs as change agents committed to sustainability, challenge assumptions, broaden your perspective, and build lifelong professional networks.
As UFS Business School is your preferred choice, I firmly promise you that our team is ready to provide you with a stimulating educational experience that will develop the managerial, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills necessary to navigate constant, radical change and ambiguity successfully across different types of organisations. Our core values of care, innovation, and excellence are at the centre of not only how we teach and why we teach, but also how we interact with you and the industry, allowing you to thrive in a dynamic, global, and African world. On your educational journey, you will be challenged to shift from efficiency-driven models in traditional management to learning that cultivates principles-driven business operations, responsible leadership, and the enterprising pursuit of collective well-being towards a more sustainable world. Yes, the study process will be demanding, typified by sleepless nights, and endless exciting case studies, and above all, the pressure to succeed. However, I wish to assure you that you will not be alone, as a community of brilliant minds surrounds you to share their unique industry knowledge and experience, and help you grow and thrive, ready for new opportunities and challenges in your life and work.
Welcome to UFS Business School, as you embrace opportunities to innovate and build a better future beyond yourself, your family, your organisation, society, and many other stakeholders. You have made the right choice by joining this business school to accomplish the impossible and ultimately be worth more.
I wish you all the best as you engage in the most impactful and transformative learning journey of your life with us.