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26 November 2018 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Johan Roux
Graduation
End-of-year graduation ceremonies kicks-off today.

Livestream

Graduation is the highlight of the academic calendar, and the University of the Free State (UFS) stands by to awarding  its last batch of degrees for the year with the December Graduations which started yesterday.

Kovsie family and friends will be congratulating 173 masters and doctoral graduates in the upcoming ceremonies, and confer more than a thousand certificates, diplomas, undergraduate and honours degrees during the graduation processes.

Speaking at the upcoming processions will be Dr Anchen Laubscher: Group Medical Director of Netcare Ltd, and chair of the Hospital Association of South Africa (HASA) subcommittee for Clinical Quality.

Graduates can further look forward to the likes of Dan Kriek: President of Agri SA, and Danie Meintjes: former Group Chief Executive Officer at Mediclinic International plc, and Non-Executive Director of the Mediclinic International Board.

Author and Chancellor’s Distinguished Young Alumnus of the year 2018, Ace Moloi will also address the audience and bestow words of praise and encouragement as their food for thought.

Graduates can likewise expect speeches from Dr Millard Arnold who belts careers in law, business, diplomacy, journalism, film, and photography to name a few.

Lesedi Makhurane: former Director of Organisational Development at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and University Executive Development (USB-ED) lecturer at the Stellenbosch University will through his speech, endorse the notion of resilience amongst graduates and propel them to live a purpose-driven life.

Visit the graduation home page, where future graduates can in addition access the graduation career guide.  Additional enquiries can be made by emailing graduations@ufs.ac.za

Graduation ceremonies for various faculties will be taking place on the following dates:

4 December 2018
09:00 Economic and Management Sciences, Education 
EMS and EDU Graduation Programme

14:30 South Campus: Open Distance Learning
South Campus Graduation Programme

5 December 2018
09:00 The Humanities, Theology and Religion
HUM and THEO Graduation Programme

14:30  Law, Natural and Agricultural Sciences
LAW and NAS Graduation Programme

6 December 2018
09:00: Health Sciences (including School of Nursing)
Health Sciences Graduation Programme

14:30: Master's and Doctorates (all faculties)
M and D Graduation Programme

News Archive

Largest group on African continent introduced to Sign Language
2016-07-05

Description: z UFS101 SASL Tags: z UFS101 SASL

The introduction of basic Sign Language
as part of the UFS101 course was a great
success. From left are Susan Lombaard,
Annemarie le Roux, Tshisikhawe Dzivhani
(all from the Department of South African
Sign Language), and Lauren Oosthuizen
(UFS101).
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

As a result of a new initiative at the University of the Free State (UFS), the largest group of students on the African continent took part in a first-year seminar which included Sign Language.

A total of 5400 students on the Bloemfontein Campus and 1000 on Qwaqwa Campus were taught basic Sign Language by Susan Lombaard, Acting Head of the Department of South African Sign Language, and her team members, Tshisikhawe Dzivhani, Annemarie le Roux, and Nicolene de Klerk.

It forms part of the UFS101 module presented to all first-year students. The initiative, begun in the first semester of 2016, will form part of UFS101 in future and was met with an overwhelmingly positive response.

Three segments of course

Sign Language was taught in three segments and positioned as large-class learning experiences in the Callie Human Centre (Bloemfontein Campus) and the Nelson Mandela Hall (Qwaqwa Campus). Students were taught about deaf culture, Sign Language theory, as well as how to sign their names, exchange pleasantries, and have a basic conversation.

A valuable skill to have

“It (the Sign Language experience) was very interesting and helpful,” said one of the students. “It is important to have the ability to communicate with all sorts of people, and to be able to help them in a crisis”. According to another, it sparked an interest in Sign Language. “It is a skill I will continue to use and try to learn more from it,” said a third.

Lombaard – in collaboration with the UFS101 team – will be presenting a paper related to this achievement at the DeafNet Africa Conference in Johannesburg, from 26 to 30 September 2016.

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