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Kovsies to honour students during December graduation ceremonies

19 November 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Sonia Small

Graduations — The UFS will honour all graduates during the upcoming graduation ceremonies to be held in the Callie Human Centre on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus from 9 to 11 December 2019.

The University of the Free State (UFS) will confer a number of qualifications on graduates at the upcoming graduation ceremonies on the Bloemfontein Campus from 9 to 11 December 2019.

A total of 1 216 graduates across all UFS faculties will gather at the Callie Human Centre to be addressed by Chief Director: Teaching and Learning Development in the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr Whitty Green; 2019 Kovsie Ambassador Award winner, Ms Louzanne Coetzee; and former Managing Director of De Beers Consolidated Mines and member of the UFS Council, Mr David Noko.

Judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal and Chancellor of the Central University of Technology (CUT), Justice Mahube Molemela, will also be addressing the audience during the 2019 December graduation ceremonies.

For more information about the upcoming celebrations, visit the UFS graduation ceremonies page.
Graduates can read through the Bloemfontein Graduations: Preparing for Graduations Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), which contains the necessary information for graduates to note during the graduation processions.

Graduation ceremonies for the different faculties will take place on the following dates:

Bloemfontein Campus

9-11 December 2019

9 Dec 2019
14:30: South Campus: Open Distance Learning
Certificates and diplomas
Graduations Programme: South Campus: Open Distance Learning

10 Dec 2019
09:00: Faculties of Education, the Humanities, Law and Theology and Religion
All certificates, diplomas, Bachelor’s degrees, and Honours degrees
Graduations Programme: Faculties of Education, The Humanities, Law, Theology and Religion

14:30: Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences and Natural and Agricultural Sciences
All certificates, diplomas, Bachelor’s degrees, and Honours degrees
Graduations Programme: Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences and Natural and Agricultural Sciences

11 Dec 2019
09:00: Faculty of Health Sciences
All certificates, diplomas, Bachelor’s degrees, and Honours degrees

14:30: All Faculties
Master's and doctoral qualifications
Graduations Programme: Master's and Doctoral Candidates in All Faculties

Family and friends who are unable to attend your graduation ceremony can still watch you graduate through our livestream link at which becomes active at 08:45 and 14:15 on the day of the ceremony.

News Archive

Graduates encouraged to emulate the greats

2016-07-06

Description: z 2016 Winter grads Tags: z 2016 Winter grads

The University of the Free State Winter Graduation ceremonies
took place on 29 and 30 June 2016 on the Bloemfontein Campus.
Photo: Johan Roux

Trevor Manuel and Max du Preez among the recipients of honorary doctorates at UFS graduation

Take up the challenge, make things happen, and emulate the greats. This was the overwhelming theme of messages from speakers to graduates at the Winter Graduation ceremonies of the University of the Free State (UFS).

According to Prof Joel Samoff, Professor in Africa Studies at Stanford University (USA), the graduands are the “new generation of analysts, researchers, and practitioners”, and should “assume the responsibility for keeping your senior colleagues on a productive path.” Prof Samoff, who received an honorary doctorate from the UFS on 30 June 2016, was the guest speaker at the afternoon graduation ceremony on 29 June 2016.

The UFS awarded a total of 482 Master’s and doctoral degrees on 30 June 2016 – 53 doctorates and 429 Master’s degrees – in the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus. On 29 June 2016, diplomas were awarded in the School of Financial Planning Law, as well as certificates and diplomas in education on the South Campus.

“You are smarter
than you think.
Smarter than other
people think you
are, and smarter
than the country
thinks you are.”

Rise above South African standards

According to Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, South Africans have become use to a low standard of human decency, entertainment, and academics. He encouraged the graduates to rise above it.

“You are smarter than you think. Smarter than other people think you are, and smarter than the country thinks you are.”

Make impact like honorary doctorates

Dr Khotso Mokhele, UFS Chancellor, asked the recipients of honorary doctorates, Prof Samoff, Max du Preez, Trevor Manuel and Dr Reuel Jethro Khoza, and of the two Chancellor’s medals, Antony Osler and Marguerite van der Merwe (née Osler), to face the graduates at the morning ceremony on 30 June 2016. “I challenge you to look at them and to emulate them,” he said. “May it transform you to be like them in 10, 15 or 20 years.”

Dr Mokhele thanks Prof Jansen as leader

Dr Mokhele made special mention of Prof Jansen, who will step down as Vice-Chancellor and Rector on 31 August 2016, as these were his last UFS graduations. He thanked Prof Jansen for his major contribution to transformation at the UFS. “You are not only a Vice-Chancellor, but also a project leader,” Dr Mokhele said.

Click here to see a photo gallery of the graduations.

Click here to see a list of distinctions and special awards.

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