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Johann Rossouw: “The soul of academy is at stake”

22 March 2019 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Stephen Collett

Prof Johann Rossouw Inaugural lecture — Prof Heidi Hudson, Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities; Prof Fani de Beer, Prof Rossouw’s mentor; Prof Johann Rossouw; and Dr Engela van Staden, Vice-Rector: Academic.

For Prof Johann Rossouw from the Department of Philosophy, the Naval Hill Planetarium – a digital planetarium on a hill in the centre of a modern city, was the perfect place to deliver his inaugural lecture titled, The soul of the academy.

The message of his inaugural lecture was on “the form adopted by the contemporary university, which is so focused on the quantitative that the qualitative is neglected. The focus on training is so strong that the university no longer pays attention to the education of students”.

Prof Rossouw referred to the soul of the academy as the highest in humanity, especially the part which cannot be counted. He also referred to the words of Blaise Pascal in the 17th century: “The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing”.

“Do we understand any of this in the contemporary university? And do we still remember the earliest origins from which the academy originated; that Philosophy is the mother discipline of all other disciplines, and how all contemporary disciplines form part of a bigger, coherent entity?” he asked.

The inaugural lecture took place on 28 February 2019. Prof Rossouw has a C2-rating from the National Research Foundation, and it is thanks to him, among other things, that the Department of Philosophy is the only South African Philosophy department with modernity studies as its main focus.

At the end of 2018, he was promoted to Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Free State (UFS), and currently he serves as acting Head of Department. “Due to Prof Rossouw’s involvement, among other things, research on African philosophy, critical theory, postcolonial thinking, and tradition and modernity is conducted in the department,” Prof Heidi Hudson (Dean: the Humanities) said.

Prof Rossouw started his formal training in Philosophy at the age of 12, and in 1991 he obtained a BA degree majoring in Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Pretoria, with distinction. He obtained his MA degree, a critical study of apartheid on the basis of Michel Foucault’s thinking, at Unisa in 1998. In 2002, he obtained his DEA in Philosophy at the University of Lyon 3 under the leadership of Régis Debray, and in 2013 his PHD on the theological trail in Bernard Stiegler’s thinking at Monsh University (Melbourne), under Michael Janover.

In 2016, he won a prize from the South African Academy for Science and Culture for one of the best Afrikaans humanity articles published in 2015.

News Archive

UFS to host one the most prestigious seminars in leadership

2004-09-28

The Business School of the University of the Free State (UFS) will be hosting the Central Region’s screening of the largest global satellite broadcast of the 2004 Living Leadership: Delivering Results the Right Way event.

The event, which will take place on 21 October 2004 from 09:00-16:30 at the Albert Wessels Auditorium on campus, will be up linked from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and will be broadcasted via satellite to 95 cities in two countries.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for leaders in the Central Region to gain exposure to the pioneers in the international leadership field,” said Prof Helena van Zyl, Director of the UFS’s School of Management.

The global satellite simulcast will bring together a powerful diverse group of the world’s leading business authorities. This includes Mr Donald Trump, chairman of The Trump Organisation; Mr Mikhail Gorbachev, Nobel Peace Prize Winner and former president of the Soviet Union; Mr Jim Collins, speaking on his recent best-seller, Good To Great; Mr Peter Drucker, father of management and author of The Effective Executive; Ms Rosabeth Moss Kanter, professor at Harvard Business School; Mr Ken Blanchard, best-selling author of The One Minute Manager; Mr John C Maxwell, best-selling author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and acclaimed speaker; Mr Russell Simmons, entrepreneur and co-founder of Def Jam Records and Mr Larry Bossidy, co-author of the best-seller, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.

According to Prof Van Zyl the Living Leadership global satellite broadcast will give attendants exclusive access to the Financial Mail’s Executive Panel. It will also give local executives and renowned leaders the opportunity to share their interpretation of leadership in practical, relevant terms.

Mr Jack Welch’s executive assistant and author of Managing Up, Ms Rosanne Badowski and Ms Caroline Kepcher, an executive vice president to Mr Donald Trump and a lead role on NBC’s hit show, The Apprentice, will join the panel with a special session.

Each of the cutting-edge insights shared by this gathering of world-class leadership authorities will deliver effective benchmarks which teams will use to shape their business outcomes.

The cost is R950,00 per person (group discount is also available) – this includes the receipt of two free issues of the Financial Mail. Tickets are available at Computicket.

For more information on this seminar visit www.livingleadership.co.za or contact Ms Isa Boshoff at 051-4012874 / boshofia.ekw@mail.uovs.ac.za .

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
28 September 2004

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