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During April 2023, the University of the Free State (UFS) will confer four honorary doctorates on trailblazers in their respective fields: Prof Adipala Ekwamu, Dave Pepler, Maye Musk, and Prof Peter Vale. An honorary doctorate is a prestigious title for individuals to recognise their outstanding contribution to a particular field or society. It is based on generous and altruistic actions or lifetime accomplishments that benefit a community, nation, or humanity, making the four recipients ideal for this esteemed award.

Prof Adipala Ekwamu will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Science on 14 April 2023 during the Natural and Agricultural Sciences graduation ceremony on our Qwaqwa Campus. Prof Ekwamu began his academic career with a BSc degree in Agriculture at the Makerere University in Uganda. Four years later in 1980, he received an MSc in Agriculture from the same institute and completed a PhD in Plant Pathology at the Ohio State University in the USA in 1992. In addition to mentoring hundreds of students, starting several journals, and serving in many capacities, one of his biggest accomplishments was mobilising close to one billion US dollars for higher education in Africa as Executive Secretary: Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM). 

Dave Pepler will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Zoology on 21 April 2023 during the Natural and Agricultural Sciences graduation ceremony on our Bloemfontein Campus. Pepler is an ecologist and naturalist who holds an MPhil in Zoology from the University of Cambridge and has published a variety of academic literature. He is also a familiar voice and face in the media as presenter, guest, and author of several radio and television programmes and magazines, including ‘Hoe verklaar jy dit?’, ‘Groen’, and ‘Landbouweekblad’ to name a few. During his rich career, Pepler has received several awards, consulted in countries around the globe, and acted as specialised tour guide for expeditions to Iceland, Borneo, India, Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, Uganda, Rwanda, and Madagascar.

Prof Peter Vale will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Political Science on 22 April 2023 during the Humanities graduation ceremony on our Bloemfontein Campus. Prof Vale is a leading scholar in the field of international relations and has been widely published in academia as well as in the popular media. Most recently, he has written about race and the making of international relations, the Johannesburg roots of the discipline, and the role of cartoons in the making of Afrikaner nationalism. He has won numerous awards and delivered the EH Carr memorial lecture in 2014, which is considered the most prestigious event on the international relations calendar.

Maye Musk will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Dietetics on 12 April 2023. Musk is an international best-selling author, dietitian, model, and public speaker. Her book, A woman makes a plan, is available in 100 countries and published in 30 languages. She has run her own nutrition business in eight cities and three countries for more than 45 years. Her company offers professional services in counselling, speaking, consulting, writing, and media work. In addition to her skills, Musk’s leadership traits have pivoted her to become the first Representative of the Consulting Dietitians of South Africa, President of the Consulting Dietitians of Canada, and Chair of the Nutrition Entrepreneurs, Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition.

In addition, the Council Medal will be awarded to Prof Stephen Brown, Principal Specialist and Head of the Division of Paediatric Cardiology in the UFS Department of Paediatrics.