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24 July 2018 Photo Charl Devenish
Office dynamo obtains masters in reconciliation- nathlene van wyk
Nathlene van Wyk, Office Manager for the Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religion, at the Winter Graduations in Bloemfontein.
Nathlene van Wyk hails from the rural town of Douglas in the Northern Cape, but this dynamic Office Manager for the Dean: Faculty of Theology and Religion has a knack with people, having obtained her undergraduate and honours degrees in Industrial Psychology. At a graduation ceremony held on 28 June 2018 at the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS), Nathlene also received her Master’s Degree in Reconciliation and Social Cohesion.

Devoted mother, avid student
Nathlene credits her success to the support system she had within her family. She says: “I would never have been able to complete this degree without the support of my husband, Feris. I spent my Saturdays and Sundays in the office, busy writing and doing assignments while he looked after our two daughters, aged three and five, and made sure everything at home ran smoothly.”

In addition, Nathlene experienced her mother’s loving support. She says: “I have much to be grateful for towards my mom, Maureen Morolong. As a single mother, she went to great lengths to ensure that I gained a good education. On days that things were especially difficult, her prayers and encouragement carried me through. She often repeated the saying: ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’ This kept me motivated when the days seemed too short and discouragement set in.”

Brimming with pride
Prof Fanie Snyman, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religion, says of Nathlene’s achievement: “I am immensely proud of Nathlene. To study for a master’s degree while keeping up with a demanding position at the faculty, as well as the responsibilities of being a wife and mother is not easy. The university at large and the faculty in particular are still in a process of transformation and I think the research Nathlene did will benefit us in our efforts to transform the university.”

Nathlene says: “I always had an interest in social and political issues. With continued protest, interracial conflict, inequality and poverty, it became clear to me that 23 years after the dawn of democracy, our country is still very much battling to rid itself of the traumatic legacies of apartheid. For me, this is why the whole notion of reconciliation needs to be rethought and re-evaluated. Completing this degree allowed me to do just that: To critically evaluate our current state of affairs while applying theoretical frameworks that can help us to explain and understand our society better.”

News Archive

Official opening: UFS earmarks R10-million to support national priorities
2006-02-06

 

The University of the Free State (UFS) is to align key areas of its academic and research efforts with national priorities through the introduction of five strategic clusters which would be funded by seedmoney of R10-million in 2006.

Speaking at the Official Opening of the UFS on Friday (3 February 2006), the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Frederick Fourie, said the academic and research work that will be done in the five strategic clusters would contribute to the development of Mangaung, the Free State, South Africa and Africa.

 “It makes sense to concentrate the university’s human resources, our infrastructure, financial resources and intellectual expertise to ensure that the UFS makes a contribution to the country and the African continent,” Prof Fourie said.

“Strategic clusters will be organised on the basis that these areas of knowledge could become in the short term the flagships of the UFS, meaning those areas where the university currently has or in the very near future is likely to have some competitive advantage,” Prof Fourie said.

According to Prof Fourie, this strategic-cluster approach will be in line with the approach being designed by the National Research Foundation (NRF) to take national priorities into account and would enhance the quality of scholarship at the UFS.

The five strategic areas in which research and academic investment at the UFS will be clustered are the following:

Enabling technologies / Technology for the future;
Food production, quality and food security for Africa;
Development;
Social transformation;
Water resource and ecosystem management;

“Such strategic clusters are understood not only as research areas but as areas that also encompass strong undergraduate and particularly postgraduate teaching and a potentially solid scientific basis for service learning and community service research,” Prof Fourie said.

Within each of these clusters specific niche areas will be identified. Clusters could focus on one or more aspects of a particular discipline or could involve more than one discipline in researching a particular issue.

He said not all academic work and research being done at the UFS would be clustered in this way. Sufficient resources and support have been put in place for general research excellence in the past five years.

“Some of the spin-offs can have an important impact on industrial development, for example in the chemicals industry and may also create a basis for cooperation with provincial, national and international partners,” he said. 

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
5 February 2006

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