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Red Square Upgrade artist impression
Eco-friendly measures will ensure better water management at the University of the Free State.
The first phase of an exciting environmentally focused project to upgrade Red Square between the Johannes Brill Building and the H van der Merwe Scholtz Hall on the Bloemfontein Campus is currently underway.

The project forms part of the water-wise and grey-water initiative of the University of the Free State (UFS) implemented in 2018 in response to climate change and drought conditions in the Free State, and to save water in alignment with global standards of environmental efficiency.

Out with the old, in with the new

Modern architecture will be used at Red Square to project the image of a campus that cares for the environment and believes in sustainable solutions. Phases 1, 2, and 4 of the upgrade will be dealt with during the current project. This will take approximately three months to complete, with the remaining phases to follow. 

The initiative also entails the upgrading of areas with crucial focal points that have a visible impact, such as the traffic circles at the George du Toit and Francois Retief buildings. Vegetation such as artificial grass, stones and drought-resistant plants will be the new signature look for these and other areas. 

Going green 
 
More than 100 indigenous trees will be planted as part of the initiative. This will ensure that all available water sources are used for consumption and for maintaining a healthy ecological footprint.
 
Red Square
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News Archive

UFS receives an award from the World Universities Forum
2011-01-11

The University of the Free State (UFS) has received the World Universities Forum (WUF) Award for Best Practice in Higher Education during 2010.

The Best Practice Award recognises the most significant practices of the year around the world. The UFS’s implementation of a number of interlocking innovations to transform the institution is recognised with the award.
 
These innovations include:
  • campus-wide racial integration among students;
  • the reinvigoration of the academic culture;
  • the nurturing of the most promising young scholars by means of the Vice-Chancellor's Prestige Young Scholars Programme;
  • sending 71 first-year students to top American universities to assist with their development into non-racial campus leaders;
  • the revision of the undergraduate curriculum to promote a cross-disciplinary approach to key societal problems;
  • raising the entry requirements;
  • the facilitation of open access to campus leadership through sessions with the Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof. Jonathan  Jansen – providing opportunities for public discussion between senior leadership, staff and students;
  • the UFS also extended this spirit of dialogue internationally through the inauguration of its International Advisory Council consisting of key thinkers and practitioners;
  • the identification of 20 of the most dysfunctional high schools in the Free State Province and the building of relationships with those schools. This university-school partnership is based on a strict contract of reciprocal commitments to increase the chances of black children attending university. The WUF applauded this as the most innovative step.
 
“We at the UFS are humbled, but encouraged by the recognition of academic excellence and institutional transformation that comes with this prestigious international award,” said Prof. Jansen.
 
The WUF said in a statement that these innovations demonstrate the profound impact higher education practices can have when they are well conceived and implemented.  “We applaud these innovations and the ways in which they promote racial harmony, student success and overall academic vitality,” the statement reads.
 
The Best Practice Award will be announced formally at this year’s World Universities Forum, which will be held at the Hong Kong Institute of Education from 14-16 January 2011. 
 
 A message of appreciation from Prof. Jansen will be read by Prof. Fazal Rizvi, Programme Convenor of the WUF 2011 during the award ceremony.


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

 

 

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