04 October 2023
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Story Rorisang Ramorena
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Photo Supplied
The Office for International Affairs (OIA) at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently launched its #UFSInternational marketing campaign on the Bloemfontein Campus.
The OIA is the starting point and hope for non-domestic university students through various internationalisation services. It supports all new and continuing international students by integrating a global dimension into all UFS activities. In addition, the OIA promotes the university’s interests in international research, often in collaboration with foreign universities.
The goal behind the visibility and awareness campaign is rooted in the Internationalisation Strategy and Vision 130, which will highlight and promote the importance of visibility and create a brand identity with which the public can identify. The campaign, which was launched during the last week of September, aims to increase the visibility of internationalisation within a higher education institution and educate the UFS community about its significance using #IAmInternational.
Opportunity to make an impact
Mbali Moiketsi, Senior Officer in the OIA under the portfolio International Scholarships and Marketing, added: “The visibility campaign provides an opportunity to create an impact within internationalisation. We want to build brand awareness to signify the importance of the office’s functions in the overall strategy.”
The activations were well received by the UFS community, with great interest from the students who wanted to know how they could be academically and socially involved with the International Office.
Dr Lisa Rothmann, Lecturer from the
Department of Plant Sciences in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, expressed how grateful she was for the support that the OIA has offered her in the past and she hopes that more students will get the chance to gain global experience and expand their own capacity through opportunities provided by the Office for International Affairs.