Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
11 September 2018
Congratulations UFS GradStar students
In 2018, the UFS boasts 20 students in the top 100 who were selected for the,GradStar programme, compared to last year’s five.
Every year 100 South African students are selected through a rigorous four-phase judging process to become part of the GradStar programme. The programme is designed to provide previously unrecognised students with opportunities for employment and allow them to contribute positively to South Africa’s future growth. 

UFS students improve dramatically 

The 100 students selected show the most potential as future leaders in their respective fields. Besides academic achievement, entrants are also evaluated in terms of various soft skills including motivation, discipline, altruism, and attitude. The combination of all the judgement criteria promises to deliver top candidates for future employers. In 2018, the University of the Free State (UFS) boasts 20 students in the top 100, compared to last year’s five. 

Ready to make a difference

Each student will be connected with a business mentor to further ready them for the workplace. The entire process not only prepares graduates for employment, but also provides them an opportunity for self-knowledge and recognising their own strengths and weaknesses. The top 100 will compete for a spot in the “Ten of the Finest” to be announced on 26 September 2018.

Our best wishes accompany the following UFS students in the top 100: 

Bongani Sithole: Bachelor of Science
Carlo Visser: Bachelor of Science
Christian Cookson: Bachelor of Commerce
Elsa Moitsemang: Bachelor of Commerce
Jon-Dylon Petersen: Bachelor of Science
Joseph Alappattu: Bachelor of Science
Joshua Owusu-Sekyere: Bachelor of Commerce
Josiah Meyer: Bachelor of Science
Kayurin Govender: Bachelor of Commerce
Keshalia Naidoo: Bachelor of Arts

Lise-Mari Otto: Bachelor of Education
Meredith Green: Bachelor of Laws 
Nduduzo Kubheka: Bachelor of Science
Onalenna Lephoro: Bachelor of Laws 
Razia Adriaanse: Master of Laws
Refiloe Maqelepo: Bachelor of Commerce
Sajel Singh: Bachelor of Commerce Law
Sivuyile Mpatheni: LLB
Tebello Ntene: Bachelor of Science
Tshireletso Bogatsu: Bachelor of Accounting

News Archive

Environmental sociologist from the USA visits the UFS
2009-12-03

From the left are: Prof. Bell, Dr Nola Redelinghuys from the Department of Sociology at the UFS, and Prof. Wijnand Swart, Director of Strategic Academic Cluster 4.
Photo: Lacea Loader
 
The Strategic Academic Cluster 4 (Technologies for Sustainable Crop Industries in semi-arid Regions) at the University of the Free State (UFS) this week hosted a seminar featuring Prof. Michael M. Bell, Chairperson of the Agroecology Graduate Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the USA. The title of his seminar was, “Thinking Like a Holon: A Post-Systems Approach to Agroecology”.

By using examples drawn from issues of agriculture, food, and the environment, Prof. Bell argued for moving beyond systems thinking’s emphasis on connections to the contextual awareness of “holon thinking.” He also argued that holon thinking encouraged an ontological humility that fostered openness to interdisciplinarity.

Prof. Bell is an environmental sociologist and a systems theorist with three central foci in all of his work: dialogics, the sociology of nature, and social justice. He is the author of seven books, three of which have won national awards in the USA. His visit to South Africa, and particularly the UFS, was to explore possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the UFS.

His seminar attracted numerous students and staff members from various departments in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty of the Humanities. Follow-up discussions will hopefully encourage closer collaboration between researchers in Cluster 4 and Cluster 2 (New Frontiers in Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development).

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