Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
19 October 2018
Conference evaluates impact of academia on public sector
From left: Prof Liezel Lues, ASSADPAM outgoing chairperson; Prof Mogie Subban, newly elected chairperson; Lechesa Tsenoli, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly; and Dr Henk Boshoff, Free State Provincial Public Service Commissioner.

As part of a process to evaluate the impact of the discipline of Public Administration and Management on the performance of the public sector, the Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management (ASSADPAM) recently held a conference themed: ‘Back To The Future: Revisiting the discipline of Public Administration and Management for responsive and sustainable development in Bloemfontein’.

The University of the Free State’s Department of Public Administration and Management hosted the ASSADPAM at a critical time when the country is moving towards the 2019 general elections. Evaluations of this nature are essential in order to identify areas where improvements need to be intensified.

Prof Liezel Lues, ASSADPAM chairperson, says: “Public administration and management has been strongly influenced by several multifaceted political, economic and cultural forces globally and nationally. Now, in 2018, the discipline of Public Administration and Management is evaluating its impact on the performance of the public sector, realising its own responsibility but also that of citizens and public servants for responsive and sustainable development.”

Academics meet the business of governance

Some 114 delegates from 18 different institutions had the opportunity to interactively discuss 68 research papers which were presented from 26 to 28 September 2018. Burning challenges were tackled by prominent role players. Lechesa Tsenoli, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly presented on the Academic-Practitioner Interface, while Dr Henk Boshoff, the Free State Provincial Public Service Commissioner debated the Quality and Relevance of Research. The Quality and Credibility of Public Administration and Management training and development was the topic of a discussion fielded by Prof Thean Potgieter, the Acting Branch Head Training Policy and Planning National School of Government.

ASSADPAM honours research excellence
 
Prof Hendri Kroukamp, the Acting Vice-Rector: Academic at UFS, Prof Liza Van Jaarsveldt from the University of South Africa and Prof Michiel de Vries of Radboud University in the Netherlands co-authored the paper which scooped the prize for best conference paper. The award-winning paper titled: ‘International standards, decolonisation, curriculum considerations and public administration education’ was presented at the conference.

News Archive

UFS changes format of graduation ceremony
2011-04-17

 

The highest number of qualifications in the history of the University of the Free State (UFS) will be awarded at the autumn diploma and graduation ceremony from 9-11 May 2011, which will be held in the Callie Human Centre on our Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

From this year, the format of the ceremony will change to make it more visible to students and the public. For the first time, all the doctoral and master’s degrees from each respective faculty will be conferred during one ceremony on 11 May 2011, instead of each faculty handling these qualifications individually. Another change in the format is that the procession will gather on the Red Square in front of the Main Building and move to the Callie Human Centre from there. Both academic staff and graduands will partake in the procession.

A total of 3 674 qualifications will be conferred during this year’s graduation ceremony, including 629 diplomas, 2 613 Bachelors and honours degrees, 372 master’s degrees and 58 doctorates.

An honorary doctorate in Drama and Theatre Arts will also be awarded to theatre stalwart Mr Pieter Fourie. He is one of the most acclaimed Afrikaans playwrights in South Africa and probably the only person to have left his mark as an actor, director, artistic director and writer.

Mr Fourie was awarded the Gerhard Beukes prize for drama , was honoured for his contribution to the arts by the South African Academy for Science and Arts and was appointed as trustee of the Arts and Culture Trust of the State President in 1997. He has also served as a committee member of the South African Academy for Science and Arts.

Mr. Fourie has also been the proud recipient of the Hertzog prize for drama, two FNB-Vita awards and a Fleur Du Cap award.
 

The full programme for the respective ceremonies is as follows:

  • Monday, 9 May 2011:

At 08:30, certificates and diplomas, excluding PGED and PGES, will be awarded to graduates from the Faculty of Education and at 12:00 PGED, PGED and B and honours degrees will be awarded to students from the same faculty. At 15:30 on the same day, certificates and B and honours degrees will be awarded to students in the Faculty of the Humanities.

At 19:00, the Faculties of Education, the Humanities and Economic and Management Sciences will have their prize-giving ceremonies for outstanding achievers.

  • Tuesday, 10 May 2011:

At 08:30, students in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences will graduate and at and 12:00 the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science will join them. This includes students in BML, B.Admin., B.Pub. and related honours degrees. At 15:30, 503 students from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will receive their certificates, diplomas and B and honours degrees.

At 19:00, the Faculties of Health Sciences, Natural and Agriculture Sciences, Law and Theology will have their prize-giving ceremonies.

  • Wednesday, 11 May 2011:

The Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Theology will be awarding their certificates, diplomas and B and honours degrees at 08:30. At 12:00, all faculties will award a total of 372 master’s degrees and at 15:30 a total of 58 doctorates will be conferred.

The Chancellor’s Dinner will take place in the Centenary Complex on the Main Campus of the UFS at 19:00.

The graduation ceremony of our Qwaqwa Campus will take place in the Rolihlahla Mandela Hall on the Qwaqwa Campus on 7 May 2011 at 10:00. All the faculties at this campus will confer their degrees, certificates and diplomas at this ceremony.
 


Media Release
21 April 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept