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17 September 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Valentino Ndaba
Diversity festival
Staff and students come together in celebration at the International Cultural Diversity Festival.

There are 195 countries in the world and the University of the Free State (UFS) officially has a personal relationship with 24 of them. Be it through exchange inbound or outbound programmes or research collaboration, Kovsies is growing its global footprint.

The 2019 International Cultural Diversity Festival brought a mix of music, dance, and poetry to the Bloemfontein Campus on Friday 13 September 2019. The aim of the festival was to recognise, appreciate and celebrate the diverse cultures represented on all our campuses.

Reeling in and rolling out the best talent pool

As stated in the 2018 Internationalisation Report, “Kovsies currently has about 50 international collaboration agreements, and collaboration with 1 584 institutions,” in terms of research. The plan is to widen researchers’ international networks, with a special focus on the African continent.

Finding strength in diversity

“Diversity within groups at the UFS necessitates that we foster a culture of tolerance and a spirit of mutual acceptance and appreciation at our university,” says Chevon Slambee, Chief Officer at the Office for International Affairs (OIA).

Slambee spoke on behalf of the Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation, Prof Corli Witthuhn, and the Director of the OIA, Cornelius Hagenmeier, commending the diversity reflected in our international students and staff community.

She mirrored the views of the Kovsie community at large in calling for an end to division and violence based on “othering”. Referring to the upsurge in violence directed against women and people from other countries that we saw in South Africa last month, Slambee remarked: “We are shocked and speechless in light of these events, which are contrary to the spirit of embracing one another’s humanity, which we believe in and want to promote.”

Content photo International
The International Cultural Diversity was filled with entertainment.

A coming together

The festival theme this year was the Boma which is a traditional space created back in the day where a community would sit around the fire, drumming, singing, dancing and listening to tales told by the elders. The UFS strives to be a similar space – growing the current number of international relationships and immersing the institution in the global village – the African way.

News Archive

Postgraduate studies can open doors to a successful career – Top 50 Economics students advised
2016-10-18

Description: Top 50 Economics students Tags: Top 50 Economics students

Economics 4: Students Veda Hendrikse and Merrylyn Shumba, Chris Scheepers (Sanlam), Dr Johan Coetzee and Johannes de Klerk (Sanlam).
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar

The Department of Economics in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences held a reception for its top 50 students on 10 October 2016 on the Bloemfontein Campus.

Speaking at the event, Mr Rocco Carr, business development manager at Glacier Investments by Sanlam, encouraged students to enrol for postgraduate studies in Economics and Financial Economics. He said the South African economy was not stable at the moment due to various factors such as politics. However, it was interwoven with the global economy and circumstances might change to make the country prosperous again in the future. ”The interest rates, the upcoming presidential election in the US, the economic changes in China, Brexit, and the economic changes in the European Union are some of the factors that are at play in the South African economy,” he said.

He further encouraged students to be prepared for the workplace by developing their work ethic and learning to take responsibility as this would help them grow a successful career despite economic volatility.

Dr Johan Coetzee, acting head of the Department of Economics, said the three honours programmes – Economics, Financial Economics and Investment Management, and Applied Econometrics – were internationally accredited and could open many doors to students. “Training is not only about what you can do, also how you think and how you manage people. Managing people has become more important than ever before,” Coetzee said.

The department hosts its top 50 students each year to expose them to courses they can take at postgraduate level and the career opportunities that lie ahead.


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