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02 May 2018 Photo Charl Devenish
South Campus UAP celebrates 27 years of access to education
Mr Francois Marais, Prof Kalie Strydom, Prof Daniella Coetzee (South Campus Principal), Prof Francis Petersen, Dr Nthabeleng Rammile (Vice-Chairperson of the UFS Council), and Dr Khotso Mokhele (Chancellor of the UFS).

More than 27 years ago, international funding from the Human Sciences Research Council and Anglo American was put to an unusual use for that time. Prof Kalie Strydom’s research unit at the University of the Free State (UFS) was tasked with reviewing how institutional missions would change in the new South Africa. Prof Strydom worked closely with surrounding communities in Bloemfontein to develop a bridging course which would help students who showed potential to access tertiary education, although they did not meet the requirements. His vision brought to birth the University Access Programme (UAP), as it is known today, which is hosted on the UFS South Campus, and is still providing unique access to higher-education institutions in South Africa.

People with a passion for human development
March 2018 saw the 27th anniversary of this remarkable initiative, which has given a second chance to over 18 000 students. Special guests at the event included Prof Strydom, Mr Francois Marais, and representatives from the Department of Higher Education and Training and Investec’s corporate social investment office.

Dr Sonja Loots, researcher in the UFS Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), singled out two key individuals in the formation of the UAP: Prof Kalie Strydom, who initiated the programme, and Mr Marais, who has been Director of the UAP since its inception. Dr Loots highlighted one of the driving forces behind Prof Strydom’s perseverance, vision, and determination with the UAP by quoting from an interview with him for an upcoming book on student access and success. He said, “It was a decision based on principle … to be part of the solution to a better country.”

Access and success still an issue today
In his presentation on the “Importance of Access”, Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, pointed out the vital role of access in South Africa, especially the value it offers for the betterment of the country’s people. However, he said that student success is also an issue, and institutions need to be accountable for it. Quoting Prof John Martin of the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Engineering, “We must be flexible on access, but robust on success.” Only by “closing the loop” in this way, can the UFS and other higher-education institutions ensure a valuable contribution to the economy of the country.

News Archive

Prof. Jonathan Jansen honoured for transforming education
2010-04-16

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa   
Prof. Jonathan Jansen
The Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof. Jonathan Jansen, will be awarded an honorary doctorate by the Cleveland State University in the United State of America.

“The Board of Trustees and the Faculty of Cleveland State University have voted to award you this degree in recognition of your outstanding contribution towards the transformation of education, politics and diversity for the citizens and students of South Africa and the world,” Ronald Berkman, President of the Cleveland State University, stated in the letter he wrote to Prof. Jansen.

The degree, an Honorary Doctor of Higher Education Administration, will be conferred on him in Cleveland on 15 May 2010.

Prof. Jansen has also received recognition of another form. His book, Knowledge in the Blood: Confronting Race and the Apartheid Past, was among the six books that were selected for outstanding recognition awards by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), in the category: “Decolonizing the curriculum conversation”.

The book was also listed among the best 31 books of 2009 by the Library Journal - the oldest and most respected publication covering the library field.

The outstanding recognition awards recognize books that make a vital contribution to Curriculum Studies.

The six books were among 30 that were submitted for the Outstanding Book Award won by Peter Taubman’s Teaching by Numbers.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za  
16 April 2010
 

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