Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Four universities to walk 200 000 km in ten weeks

12 April 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Charl Devenish

“May the best team win the 2019 BestMed Pedometer Challenge!” said LJ van Zyl, Pedometer Challenge ambassador.

Participants in the 2019 BestMed Pedometer Challenge will start improving their health step by step after the University of the Free State (UFS) challenged the Stellenbosch University, Central University of Technology, and North-West University (NWU) to an eight-week walking competition.

South African 400-metre hurdles record-holder and the Pedometer Challenge ambassador, LJ van Zyl, embraced the initiative as an alternative method to achieve fitness. “I am so tired of running and this is great way to stay fit,” he said during the official launch on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus on 5 April 2019.

Inter-institutional fight for fitness

Last year, the UFS Division for Organisational Development and Employment Wellness in the Department of Human Resources led a UFS-only challenge that saw 60 teams of staff members log a total of 54 606 km in eight weeks. The division then challenged the NWU.

Together, the NWU and UFS walked 132 000 km. This year, the UFS is taking it one step further by challenging two more institutions.

Leading the way

“We aim to get South Africa active – starting with the UFS – by embracing fitness and health ourselves,” said Arina Engelbrecht, UFS Employee Wellness Specialist.

Participants on all fitness and activity levels will gun for a 200 000 km target over 10 weeks.

The challenge kicked off on the Bloemfontein Campus with a 3-km walk at the launch, leaving 199 997 km between the four universities for the rest of the eight-week challenge.

News Archive

Acting Rector visits USA universities

2009-04-17

Prof. Verschoor (second from the left, front) and the delegation during the visit to the Appalachian State University.
Photo: Supplied

The Acting Rector of the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof. Teuns Verschoor, recently returned from an extensive visit to the United States of America (USA). He was accompanied by Prof. Aldo Stroebel, Director International Affairs, and Mr Arthur Johnson, Coordinator at the International Office. An institutional agreement has been signed between the UFS and Appalachian State University (ASU), which will focus on staff and student exchange, within the ambit of service learning initiatives. Prof; Mabel Erasmus, Head of Service Learning at the university’s Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development (CHESD), joined Prof. Verschoor and the delegation for the ASU part of the visit. Proff. Verchoor and Stroebel also interviewed potential Fulbright Senior Specialists to participate in the conceptualisation of the proposed International Institute for Diversity. They had discussions with Mellon Foundation representatives and it is planned that the UFS will participate in a networking and showcasing event to potential international donors later during 2009 at Princeton University under the auspices of Seton Hall University, New York. Discussions took place with several staff at Cornell University, including Prof. Alice Pell, Vice-Provost for International Affairs, and Prof. Muna Ndulo, Director of the Institute for African Development. It has been agreed that an institutional memorandum of agreement will be signed between the UFS and Cornell early in the second semester following the assumption of duty of the Rector and Vice-Chancellor Designate, Prof. Jonathan Jansen. Prof Jansen is an alumnus of Cornell University

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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