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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

MBA Programme - Question And Answer Sheet - 27 May 2004
2004-05-27

1. WHAT MUST THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE (UFS) DO TO GET FULL ACCREDITATION FOR THE MBA PROGRAMMES?

According to the Council on Higher Education’s (CHE) evaluation, the three MBA programmes of the UFS clearly and significantly contribute to students’ knowledge and skills, are relevant for the workplace, are appropriately resourced and have an appropriate internal and external programme environment. These programmes are the MBA General, the MBA in Health Care Management and the MBA in Entrepreneurship.

What the Council on Higher Education did find, was a few technical and administrative issues that need to be addressed.

This is why the three MBA programmes of the UFS received conditional accreditation – which in itself is a major achievement for the UFS’s School of Management, which was only four years old at the time of the evaluation.

The following breakdown gives one a sense of the mostly administrative nature of the conditions that have to be met before full accreditation is granted by the CHE:

a. A formal forum of stakeholders: The UFS is required to establish a more structured, inclusive process of review of its MBA programmes. This is an administrative formality already in process.

b. A work allocation model: According to the CHE this is required to regulate the workload of the teaching staff, particularly as student numbers grow, rather than via standard management processes as currently done.

c. Contractual agreements with part-time staff: The UFS is required to enter into formal agreements with part-time and contractual staff as all agreements are currently done on an informal and claim-basis. This is an administrative formality already in process.

d. A formal curriculum committee: According to the CHE, the School of Management had realised the need for a structure – other than the current Faculty Board - where all MBA lecturers can deliberate on the MBA programmes, and serve as a channel for faculty input, consultation and decision-making.

e. A system of external moderators: This need was already identified by the UFS and the system is to be implemented as early as July 2004.

f. A compulsory research component: The UFS is required to introduce a research component which will include the development of research skills for the business environment. The UFS management identified this need and has approved such a component - it is to take effect from January 2005. This is an insufficient element lacking in virtually all MBA programmes in South Africa.

g. Support programmes for learners having problems with numeracy: The UFS identified this as a need for academic support among some learners and has already developed such a programme which will be implemented from January 2005.

The majority of these conditions have been satisfied already and few remaining steps will take effect soon. It is for this reason that the UFS is confident that its three MBA programmes will soon receive full accreditation.

2. WHAT ACCREDITATION DOES THE UFS HAVE FOR ITS MBA PROGRAMME?

The UFS’s School of Management received conditional accreditation for its three MBA programmes.

Two levels of accreditation are awarded to tertiary institutions for their MBA programmes, namely full accreditation and conditional accreditation. When a programme does not comply with the minimum requirements regarding a small number of criteria, conditional accreditation is given. This can be rectified during the short or medium term.

3. IS THERE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ACADEMIC CORE OF THE UFS’s MBA PROGRAMMES?

No. The UFS is proud of its three MBA programmes’ reputation in the market and the positive feedback it receives from graduandi and their employers.

The MBA programmes of the UFS meet most of the minimum requirements of the evaluation process.

In particular, the key element of ‘teaching and learning’, which relates to the curriculum and content of the MBA programmes, is beyond question. In other words, the core of what is being taught in our MBA programmes is sound.

4. IS THE UFS’s MBA A WORTHWHILE QUALIFICATION?

Yes. Earlier this year, the School of Management – young as it is - was rated by employers as the best smaller business school in South Africa. This was based on a survey conducted by the Professional Management Review and reported in the Sunday Times Business Times, of 25 January 2004.

The UFS is committed to maintaining these high standards of quality, not only through compliance with the requirements of the CHE, but also through implementing its own quality assurance measures.

Another way in which we benchmark the quality of our MBA programmes is through the partnerships we have formed with institutions such as the DePaul University in Chicago and Kansas State University, both in the US, as well as the Robert Schuman University in France.

For this reason the UFS appreciates and supports the work of the CHE and welcomes its specific findings regarding the three MBA programmes.

It is understandable that the MBA review has caused some nervousness – not least among current MBA students throughout the country.

However, one principle that the UFS management is committed to is this: preparing all our students for a world of challenge and change. Without any doubt the MBA programme of the UFS is a solid preparation.

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