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06 July 2018 Photo Charl Devenish and Johan Roux
Prestigious academic medals awarded to outstanding UFS students
UFS Dean medal recipients top left; Sophia Pitcher, top right; HJ Prinsloo, centre; Lesley Jean Wright, bottom right; Mashudu Mathobo and Senate’s medal recipient bottom left; Enrico Scheltema at the 2018 June Graduation ceremonies.

During the recent June graduation ceremonies at the University of the Free State (UFS), the winter chill subsided with some heart-warming academic achievements in postgraduate studies. Four students were awarded a Dean’s medal for the best master’s degree in their respective faculties, and the overall best achiever received a Senate’s medal. The faculties in the limelight were Education, the Humanities, Theology and Religion, and Natural and Agricultural Sciences boasting both a Dean’s and Senate’s medal. 

Biblical analysis and interpretation
Interestingly, the Bible served as subject matter for two master’s degrees from two different faculties – each receiving a Dean’s medal. HJ Prinsloo, under the guidance of his study leader, Prof Francois Tolmie from the Faculty of Theology and Religion, took a closer look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians. “I hope that my studies made me become a critical-thinking theologian who can make a contribution to the interpretation of Paul’s letters,” Prinsloo said. He would like to continue his research by doing a PhD. “My academic interest is the rhetoric of the undisputed Pauline letters in the New Testament.” He gave all the glory and honour to God for his achievement. 

A few blocks down in the Faculty of the Humanities, Sophia Lynn Pitcher sunk her teeth into the Masoretic cantillation accents of the Hebrew Bible a complex medieval notation for recording the chanting and recitation of the Old Testament text. “Her prosodic model is ground-breaking in that it provides the key to unlocking the intonational patterns of the Old Testament, which will have significant implications for biblical interpretation and exegesis for Bible translators and students,” said her study leader, Prof Jacobus Naude, and co-study leader, Prof Cynthia Miller-Naude. “The study of the Masoretic accents has been largely ignored by Hebrew and biblical scholars,” they elaborated. “Her research demonstrates that it is possible to understand the Old Testament in light of the sounds of its sentences, as well as the words on the written page.”

Class time
In her striking polka-dot, ankle-high laced-up sneakers, Lesley Jean Wright not only earned her master’s degree with specialisation in Psychology of Education, but also the Dean’s Medal in the Faculty of Education. Although she has always been an achiever, it was the first time that she received an award of this calibre at university level. “My research is part of the way in which I have chosen to change the world in which I live,” she explains her passion and drive. “The best part of my studies was learning in so much more depth about an area of which I knew very little in academic terms.” She completed her research titled, A Collaborative Inquiry Towards Understanding the Experiences of ‘Out’ Lesbian and Gay Teachers in Gauteng Schools, under the guidance of her supervisor and mentor, Prof Dennis Francis from Stellenbosch University

Maths minds

The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences had a proud moment when two of their students received sought-after awards. “Modelling real-world problems with mathematical tools is perhaps one of the most difficult exercises in research,” said Prof Abdon Atangana about the research of his student, Mashudu Mathobo, who received a Dean’s medal. Prof Atangana commended Mathobo’s passion, devotion, and dedication to his studies. “He was at my door every morning to discuss the previous night’s work.” Mathobo revised Theis’s mathematical model portraying the movement of groundwater to find a more accurate solution. He came up with an exact groundwater flow equation for a confined aquifer, taking all Theis’s assumptions into account, as well as high-order terms that Theis removed from his equation. 

Also using mathematics to solve problems of a different kind, was Actuarial Science student and Senate’s medal recipient, Enrico Scheltema. Currently in his honours year, he received this noteworthy award for his undergraduate studies. He is driven by his love for problem-solving and is looking forward to entering the workplace next year. “It is an interesting feeling to be awarded for something you did some time ago,” Scheltema said. While he is yet to fully appreciate the magnificence of his achievement, the faculty and university salutes the young man for his brilliance and dedication.

News Archive

UFS departments receive recognition for quality work from MACE
2017-12-07


 Description: 2017 MACE winners Tags: 2017 MACE winners 

The team from the Department of Communication and Brand Management,
UFS Marketing and Institutional Advancement who received awards at the
2017 Annual National MACE Congress.
Photo: Supplied

The Departments of Communication and Brand Management, UFS Marketing, and Institutional Advancement collectively won 16 awards during the 2017 Excellence Awards presented by the National Association of Marketing, Advancement, and Communication in Education (MACE), which took place in Johannesburg on 30 November 2017.  

Shared experiences and best practices 
The awards ceremony is part of the MACE Annual National Congress, which took place from 29 November to 1 December 2017 at the Wits School of Governance. The MACE Congress is a platform on which experts from the fields of marketing, advancement, and communication share experiences and best practices. This year’s programme included speakers such Basetsana Kumalo, CEO of Basetsana Woman Investment Holdings and a former Miss South Africa (1994), and first runner-up in the Miss World Pageant, Saint-Francis Tohlang, independent trend analyst and writer, Emma Sadleir, founder of the Digital Law Co and Leanne Manas, multiple award-winning TV presenter. 

Celebrating successes
Lacea Loader, Director of the Department of Communication and Brand Management at the University of the Free State, received an Award of Excellence Gold for the UFS Graduations Ceremonies Communication Strategy and an Award of Excellence for the UFS Rector’s inauguration and welcoming ceremonies. 

Mamosa Makaya, Deputy Director: Integrated Communication received two Merit Awards for, respectively, the Dumela newsletter and the Visitor’s Guide. Jóhann Thormählen, former employee in the department’s Internal Communication Unit, received an Award of Merit for the Wayde van Niekerk Campaign and an Award of Excellence Gold for the Student Newsletter. Thabo Kessah, also from Internal Communication, on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus, received an Award of Merit for the UFS Qwaqwa Campus Open Day video.  

"I am extremely proud of what we
have achieved this year and of
the quality and standard of the
work produced."

Martie Nortjé, Assistant Director of the Unit for Branding and Merchandise received an Award of Merit for KovsieGear Qwaqwa: Live the brand and set the trend. Leonie Bolleurs, Assistant Director of the Unit for Internal Communication received two Awards of Merit, for respectively, the UFS Schools Marketing Video and the UFS Corporate Profile and UFS Fingertips brochures. 

Ilze Bakkes from UFS Marketing received the Chairperson’s Award of Excellence for her entry, Top Achievers Early Bird Registration. The award is for the highest-scoring entry across all divisions. She also brought home the Award of Excellence Gold for Registration branding and communication – The Lighthouse Campaign, the Award of Excellence Gold for the Kick-Start Your “I-Want-To-B” Grade 9 Subject Choice Booklet and the Award of Excellence Gold for the Top Achievers Early Bird Registration project. Chantel Koller, also from UFS Marketing, received an Award of Merit for her Star of Stars Competition entry. 

The Institutional Advancement (IA): Alumni event planning committee received an Award of Excellence Gold for their entry: Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner. The committee consisted of Helen Namponya, Ntokozo Nkabinde, Tertia de Bruin, Nhlanhla Modzanane, and Elmada Kemp.

IABC Africa Award
“This is the second year in a row that the department has received so many accolades from its peers at MACE. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved this year and of the quality and standard of the work produced. The fact that we were also again acknowledged by the Africa Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is also commendable,” said Loader. She is also the National Chairperson of MACE. 

Earlier this year, the Department of Communication and Brand Management received an IABC Africa Award of Excellence for the UFS 2017 Winter Graduation Ceremonies Communication Strategy from the International Association for Business Communicators (IABC). Loader collected the award during the Silver Quill Awards ceremony on 3 November 2017 in Cape Town.

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