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26 February 2018 Photo Eugene Seegers
Dutch scholar honours Faculty of Theology and Religion with special book dedication
Prof Bram van de Beek hands over his book, Mijn Vader, uw Vader, which contains his dedication to the UFS Faculty of Theology and Religion, to Prof Fanie Snyman, Dean of the faculty.

While surveying recent publications, staff members at the Faculty of Theology and Religion discovered, almost by coincidence, that a world-renowned systematic theologian and professor emeritus of the Free University Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) in the Netherlands, Prof Bram van de Beek, had dedicated his most recent volume on Systematic Theology to the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the UFS in Bloemfontein.

Even before Prof Fanie Snyman, Dean of this faculty, had any knowledge of this special honour, Prof Van de Beek was invited to conduct the Scripture reading and sermon on the programme of the University of the Free State (UFS) Faculty of Theology and Religion’s official opening and Theological Day. This event provided the perfect opportunity for Prof Van de Beek to officially hand a copy of his book over to the faculty.

Prof Van de Beek accepted the invitation and on 19 February 2018 conducted the sermon in the Odeion Theatre at the UFS based on the theme of the Theological Day, Reconciliation: Biblical imperative and the South African reality. He then formally presented his book, with the title Mijn Vader, uw Vader, which contains the dedication, to Prof Snyman, saying: “It is an honour for me to have the opportunity to present my book today. It was a pleasure for me to dedicate it to the Faculty of Theology and Religion in Bloemfontein. I did so because of my great appreciation for the work these colleagues are doing.”

'It was a pleasure for me
to dedicate this book to the
UFS Faculty of Theology and Religion.'
—Prof Bram van de Beek
Dutch Systematical Theologian
and Dogmatician

Prof Van de Beek continued: “They keep to academic standards in difficult circumstances. It is not only the pressure of ‘publish or perish’ which must be resisted, but also the pressure of society, and most of all, of church members who want an adapted theology according to their desires. True theology, like any academic discipline, is interested in the truth and is not based on interests. I notice the courage by colleagues of this faculty to keep to this standard in both the training of students and in their research. They even had the courage to reflect on the very rationale of the existence of theology at a public university. Nothing can be taken for granted, for at the very moment we do so in the university, we lose our critical attitude, which is the basis for academic work. So it is with great esteem that I dedicated my book to this faculty.”

In his acceptance, Prof Snyman expressed his utmost appreciation that a European theologian of worldwide renown would take note of a university and faculty so far removed from his sphere of activity.

News Archive

SRC elections: A first for UFS main campus
2005-08-14

Students on the main campus of the of the University of the Free State (UFS) will this week for the first time vote for the Student Representative Council (SRC) using two voting systems: proportional representation (PR) and first-past-the-post. 

According to the Vice-Rector, Student Affairs, Dr Ezekiel Moraka, this year’s elections are a milestone for the UFS as it will be the first time that the main campus SRC will be elected according to the amended SRC constitution, which was approved by the UFS Council in June 2005.

“It is also a major breakthrough for student governance and transformation of the UFS main campus and constitutes a legitimate basis for the democratic participation of all students at the UFS main campus in the governance of the university,” said Dr Moraka.

The amended constitution of the main campus SRC determines that nine of the 18 SRC members must be elected by means of proportional representation and nine on the basis of an individual, first-past-the-post election.
 
According to Dr Moraka, the introduction of the proportional representation system follows earlier calls by some student formations, notably Sasco and the ANC Youth League, for such a system to be introduced at the UFS main campus in Bloemfontein.

The new main campus SRC constitution is the result of consensus reached during a lengthy negotiation process involving diverse student formations such as Sasco, the ANC Youth League, the Young Communist League, the ACDP, HEREXVII, KovsieAlliance, as well as the democratically elected SRC members of the main campus.

“Independent persons such as Mr Jack Klaas and Mr Kobus van Loggerenberg, a former SRC President, facilitated the negotiation process,” said Dr Moraka.

Students on the main campus in Bloemfontein will vote for a new SRC on Monday 15 August 2005.

SRC elections will also take place on the other two campuses of the UFS, which have their own SRC structures.

Students on the UFS-Vista campus in Bloemfontein will vote for a new SRC on Monday 15 August 2005 and Tuesday 16 August 2005.

At the Qwaqwa campus of the UFS, students will vote for a new SRC on Friday 26 August 2005.

The election processes on all three campuses will be closely monitored by independent electoral bodies. 

After the three campuses have elected their respective SRCs a central SRC will be constituted.  The central SRC will have 12 members made up of delegates of the three campus SRCs, including the presidents of these three SRCs. The main campus will have five representatives, the Qwaqwa campus will have four representatives and the Vista campus will have three representatives.

Main campus voting schedule:
Monday 15 August 2005 from 07:00-21:00.  Ten voting stations will be set up across the campus.  The results will be announced on Tuesday 16 August 2005.

Vista campus voting schedule:
Monday 15 August 2005 and Tuesday 16 August 2005 from 09:00-18:00 in the administration building.  The results will be announced on Wednesday 17 August 2005.
 
Qwaqwa campus voting schedule:
Friday 26 August 2005 from 09:00-18:00 in the Senate Hall.  If there is no objection to the final results, it will be announced on the same day.


Media release

Issued by:  Lacea Loader
   Media Representative
   Tel:  (051) 401-2584
   Cell:  083 645 2454
   E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za

14 August 2005
 

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