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06 February 2018 Photo Rhona Klopper
First-years embrace UFS welcoming celebrations
Students assemble for the first-years’ welcoming ceremony.
The first-years’ welcoming ceremony at the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) inspired hope among the crowd of students and parents that gathered in front of the Main Building for the evening.


The ceremony, which took place on Saturday 3 February 2018, began with a thrilling dance performance that enlivened the audience immediately. It was followed by eager cheers and chants by the various residences that attended the event in numbers. First-years enjoyed themselves as they got the chance to meet and engage with their peers as each residence had a stall setup in front of the main building.

“It is here where you will learn not just about your degree, but also about society,” were the words of Bloemfontein Campus SRC President, Asive Dlanjwa. Dlanjwa as the first official speaker for the night, did what he is well known for, which is to assemble, unite, and instil confidence among the students.

“Your degree is only as effective as the lives it changes,” Dlanjwa said.

The Dean of Student Affairs, Pura Mgolombane, said: “The university’s main objective is creating and humanising students.” He urged them to look around and see the beauty and diversity of Kovsies, and learn from it.

“To know the University of the Free State
is to understand the heart of its core,
and particular set of values,
where those values
inform our decisions
and govern our behaviour.”
—Prof Francis Petersen

The Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, concluded by urging first-year students to always ask questions, challenge themselves, argue their points of view, and wrestle with the complex issues of the day in order for them to reach new frontiers in both their academic and personal lives.

“You have the freedom to decide who exactly you want to be. Don’t lose yourself while you’re here,” Prof Petersen said, closing affirmations before the Gateway concert got under way.

News Archive

Community engagement must be a core function of universities
2009-05-21

 
 Members of the NatCEMF Steering Committee are, from the left: Mr Jerome Slamat, Senior Director: Community Interaction, Stellenbosch University, Ms Beatrix Bouwman, Manager: Community Engagement, North-West University, Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chief Director: Community Service, UFS and chairperson of the committee, Prof. Allan Femi Lana, Director: Institute for Rural Development and Community Engagement, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Prof. Seth Pollack, Fulbright Scholar, University of Western Cape (guest speaker at the meeting), Prof. Denver Hendricks, Director: Community Engagement, University of Pretoria, and Prof. Priscilla Daniels, Chairperson: Human Ecology and Research and CHESP Research Coordinator, University of the Western Cape.
Photo: Lacea Loader
 It is important that all tertiary institutions in South Africa should work together and commit themselves to advance the cause of community engagement in the country.

This was one of the main outcomes of the second meeting held by the National Community Engagement Manager’s Forum (NatCEMF) at the South Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein recently. The meeting was attended by 34 representatives of 16 higher education institutions in the country.

“I am astounded at the interest in this matter. The representatives are committed to make community engagement a core function of their institutions and we all agreed that we should get more involved in expanding this across all institutions. A need for a formal structure for us all to work together and have a more collective voice was also identified,” said Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS and Chairperson of the NatCEMF Steering Committee.

“There is a growing need to expand and develop our engagement with communities – to share our experiences and best practices and to learn from each other. There are universities that are doing excellent work in this field and, by having a formal structure, we can do a lot more towards advancing community engagement,” said Rev Jaftha.

The meeting identified matters such as the coordination of higher education institutions’ involvement in community engagement, the facilitation of research about community engagement, promoting service learning as transformation, the establishment of a community engagement resource centre and the organisation of a national community engagement conference as some of its aims. A national steering committee was also elected.

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