Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
03 December 2018 | Story Thabo Kessah | Photo Thabo Kessah
Dr Martin Mandew welcoming ceremony
Prof Francis Petersen, Dr Martin Mandew, UFS Council Chairperson Willem Louw, and Prof Prakash Naidoo, Vice-Rector: Operations.

The University of the Free State Qwaqwa Campus and the broader community gave the new Principal, Dr Martin Mandew, a warm welcome on Thursday 22 November 2018. In attendance were representatives from different stakeholders, ranging from the Thabo Mofutsanyana Education District, the UFS Council, to the Student Representative Council (SRC) who challenged Dr Mandew to take the campus to greater heights.

In welcoming Dr Mandew, the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, highlighted recent campus achievements, including increased enrolment for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. “There has been a tremendous growth in our enrolment for both under- and postgraduate students. First-time undergraduate students grew by 124% from 2015 to 2018 – from 1 027 to 2 300 students. Regarding postgraduate students, we grew by 68% – from 329 to 551 in the same period of time. In addition, the University Staff Doctorate Project (USDP) that seeks to increase the number of academics with PhDs, is already unfolding. This programme will see six academics pursuing doctorate degrees in natural sciences, social sciences, the humanities, economic management sciences, and education, but will be focusing on multidisciplinary research on mountains or mountain communities. This Afromontane Research Unit (ARU) project is performed in collaboration with three American universities – the Appalachian State University, the Colorado State University, and the University of Montana,” he said.

“We have also seen increased research output that came partly as a result of our ARU collaborating with the United Nations University and the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Frontier Sciences in Japan. This partnership is aimed at developing the campus to be a sustainability hub of research and education, focusing on mountain and rural regions in South Africa,” he added.

Prof Petersen also acknowledged the role Dr Mandew was already playing in “broadening the reach of community engagement, integrating all efforts by different faculties and departments into one sustainable programme and integrating commuting or day students into university life”.

Speaking on behalf of the Qwaqwa Campus Branch of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU), Deputy Chairperson, Motlogelwa Moema, highlighted the need for the new Campus Principal to always listen to the workers. “Workers themselves will tell you about their issues and you will not read about them in some minutes or written notes from somewhere,” he said. Representing UVPERSU was Grey Magaiza, who extended a hand of cooperation to Dr Mandew. “We are prepared to share your agenda of developing this campus with you, and you can count on us,” he said.

In his response, Dr Mandew also extended a hand of cooperation to those willing to see the campus becoming an institution of choice. “It has to be emphasised that this event is not about me, but about our biggest stakeholders – our students – and how we can advance our campus together and make it better. We must make this campus the best of its size in the whole of South Africa,” he said.

His Majesty Morena E Mohono Moremoholo Mopeli from the Bakoena Ba Mopeli Traditional Council welcomed Dr Mandew with a Basotho blanket, a rod, and a hat – symbols of the highest level and warmest welcome.


News Archive

UFS awards honorary doctorate to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
2011-01-01

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

The University of the Free State (UFS) will reach a milestone in its history today when an honorary degree, the Doctor of Theology, will be conferred on Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

At the same event Archbishop Tutu will launch the university’s International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice.
 
The idea of the establishment of such an institute originated after the Reitz incident in 2008. In 2009, during his official inauguration, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, embodied this idea when he stated that the university would be an example of a place where reconciliation, forgiveness and social justice would not only be studied, but where it would also be applied in practice. “Students and scholars from across the world will come to the UFS to study the theory and practice about the building of societies across the boundaries of race, as well as religion, gender, disabilities and national origin,” Prof. Jansen said.
 
The institute is a critical intellectual space where engaged scholarship, public discussion, community engagement and contextually relevant teaching are innovatively harnessed towards exploring and finding solutions to the complex and challenging work of social transformation in South Africa,” says Mr John Samuel, Interim Director of the institute. Mr Samuel was the former Chief Executive Officer of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
 
According to Mr Samuel, the institute seeks to establish itself as a premier international site for research on race, reconciliation and social justice. “We want to link the manifestations of race in higher education, to the related matters of reconciliation and social justice in the South African context against the backdrop of racial and ethnic conflicts elsewhere in the world,” says Mr Samuel.
 
The institute will, amongst others, publish groundbreaking research, organise national and international conferences about reconciliation and social justice, as well as contribute to the establishment of national and international networks that are actively involved in matters relating to race, reconciliation and social justice. Through its research, the institute will endeavour to understand the challenges facing the UFS better, as well as how to address these challenges. For this reason, the concept of the UFS as a “live laboratory” and the use of evidence-based practice remain important for the university.
 
By honouring Dr Tutu, the UFS recognises the contribution that Dr Tutu has made in the field of Theology through his teachings and the books he has written. However, the UFS is not only honouring him as a moral and religious leader who has maintained his integrity as a Christian. “We honour a great son of South Africa who has made a huge contribution to peace, reconciliation and justice in South Africa and in the world,” says Prof. Jansen.
 
The unveiling of the new corporative brand of the UFS will render further lustre to the day.

Media Release
17 January 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept