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UFS Alumni honoured

09 September 2019 | Story Charlene Stanley | Photo Badda Pictures

Alumni Awards — The 2019 Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are: (front from the left) Louzanne Coetzee, Dr Riana Scheepers, and Jaco Jacobs; (back from the left) Marius Janse van Rensburg, Dr Janine Allen-Spies, Angie Khumalo, Kesa Molotsane, Prof Corinna Walsh, and Ryan Ishmail. Karla Pretorius could not attend the awards ceremony, as she is currently in Australia.

Two authors, an artist, two lawyers, three athletes, a dietician, and a broadcaster make up the recipients of this year’s prestigious UFS Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Awards on 7 September 2019.

Not only were these former Kovsies’ lives and careers irrevocably shaped by the UFS; in turn, they have subsequently reflected honour back to the institution through the success they attained in different fields.

An honorary award was also bestowed for the first time this year.

Honorary Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumnus Award: Dr Khotso Mokhele

This award acknowledges the extraordinary support, guidance, and achievement that an individual has rendered towards the UFS. It was awarded to UFS Chancellor, Dr Khotso Mokhele.

Dr Mokhele holds a BSc degree in Agriculture from the University of Fort Hare, and MSc (Food Science) and PhD (Microbiology) from the University of California Davis. He has also received six honorary doctorates from various academic institutions, the most recent of which was from Rutgers University in the USA.

His contribution to science in South Africa has received wide recognition locally and abroad, and among the many public and corporate leadership positions he has held over the years, is that of President and CEO of the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award: Dr Riana Scheepers

This is the highest honour accorded to an alumnus in recognition of the recipient’s distinguished achievements. This award celebrates an excellent alumnus who serves to inspire fellow alumni, current students, and the community at large.

It was bestowed on celebrated author, Dr Riana Scheepers, for her important contributions as a writer and language pedagogue.

She holds degrees in BA Communication Science, BA Honours in Afrikaans, and an MA in Afrikaans from the UFS, as well as a doctorate in Afrikaans and Dutch from the University of Cape Town (UCT).
Apart from her prolific creative writing career, she has also worked as a journalist and teacher, and has presented literacy and Writing and Creative Thinking courses to adults in Western Cape farming communities.

"Artists are not always recognised. Do what you have to do, but stay inspired. The harder you work, the bigger the miracle will become," was the advice Dr Scheepers had for aspiring artists on receiving her award.

Young Alumnus of the Year Award: Karla Pretorius

This award acknowledges the achievements of alumni who have graduated within the past decade and have contributed immensely to their fields.

It was bestowed on South African professional netball player and dietician, Karla Pretorius, who holds a BSc and MSc in Dietetics from the UFS.

Her many accolades as a netball player includes recently being named Player of the Tournament in the 2019 Netball World Cup. She has worked as a community-service dietician for the Mangaung University Community Partnership, and currently plays professional netball in Australia.

Cum Laude Award: Dr Janine Allen-Spies, Ryan Craig Ishmail, and Jaco Jacobs

This award is bestowed upon an alumnus to recognise excellence in any field, whether vocational or voluntary.

Dr Janine Allen-Spies: artist, image philosopher, and UFS senior lecturer in Fine Arts, she was honoured for excelling in the visual-arts arena, and for her pioneering academic work, paving the way for many young artists in the Free State Arts community.

She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the UFS and was the first scholar to complete a practice-based MA (including a full dissertation) and a PhD in Fine Arts at the UFS.

Ryan Ishmail: lawyer and acting magistrate at the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, he was the youngest ever magistrate in the Free State at the age of 31.
He has worked as supervising attorney at the UFS Law Clinic, as lecturer, and as legal officer in the Directorate for Student Discipline and Mediation.

He holds LLB and LLM (Labour Law) degrees from the UFS.

Jaco Jacobs: well-known author, he is often recognised as the most successful writer of children’s books in South Africa. He has received numerous writing awards, and regularly visits schools to give motivational talks and conduct writing workshops.

He has written more than 150 books for toddlers, children, and young adults and translated over 250 children’s books in his career up to now.
He holds a BA Communication Sciences (cum laude) degree, as well as a BA Honours (Afrikaans and Dutch) from the UFS.

Executive Management Award: Marius Janse van Rensburg and Prof Corinna Walsh

This service award is presented to an individual who has delivered exceptional service to the University of the Free State.

Marius Janse van Rensburg: a lawyer who holds a BProc degree from the UFS, he was honoured for his service in the management structures of the UFS Rugby Club for an uninterrupted period of 23 years. His inspiring, unwavering leadership – for which he has received no remuneration over the years – has helped cement the UFS Rugby Club as one of the leading amateur rugby clubs in the country.

Prof Corinna Walsh: Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at the UFS, and an NRF C3-rated researcher, she was honoured for her involvement in research relating to nutrition and health epidemiology. She serves as Chairperson of the Nutrition Society of South Africa (NSSA) and on various community-engagement and editorial boards. She is recognised nationally and internationally as an accomplished researcher, scholar, and for her philanthropic community-orientated work. She holds a BSc, MSc, and PhD in Dietetics from the UFS.

Kovsie Ambassador Award: Louzanne Coetzee, Angie Khumalo, and Kesa Molotsane

The Kovsie Ambassador Award is bestowed upon an individual whose achievements have brought distinction to him/her, benefited his/her community, and brought credit to the University of the Free State.

Louzanne Coetzee: athlete and residence head of the Akasia residence at the UFS, she holds the world record for the 5 000 m in the T11 (totally blind) category and was the first totally blind female to clock a sub-20 minutes in this distance. She also holds the African record in the 1 500 m.

She holds a BA and BAHons in Integrated and Corporate Marketing Communication, as well as an MA Social Cohesion and Reconciliation from the UFS.

Angie Khumalo: celebrated Johannesburg-based radio broadcaster, she works as a successful sports and news reader and movie reviewer. She also co-hosted the TV tourism programme Vaya Mzanzi, traversing the country on a motorbike, and is a passionate farmer.

She holds a BSc and BSc Honours (Botany and Genetics) from the UFS.

Kesa Molotsane: a professional athlete, she has been described as the country’s most versatile middle-distance athlete – achieving on track, cross-country, and the road-running scene. She is also well-known for her involvement in community projects, such as being an ambassador for the Mother and Child Academic Hospital (MACAH).
She holds the following UFS qualifications: BA General Management, Basic Labour Law certificate, Advanced Labour Law certificate, Alternative Dispute Resolution certificate.

Front from left; Kesa Molotsane, Louzanne Coetzee; Angie Khumalo (back from left); Dr Piter du Toit; Dr Khotso Mokhele; Mr Willem Louw and Prof Francis Petersen

From the left; Dr Khotso Mokhele, UFS Chancellor; Dr Pieter du Toit; Prof Corina Walsh, Marius Janse Van Rensburg; Willem Louw, Chairperson of Council and Prof Francis Petersen

From the left; Dr Khotso Mokhele, UFS Chancellor; Dr Pieter du Toit; Dr Riana Scheepers; Willem Louw,Chairperson of Council and Prof Francis Petersen

Secret programme Item: Mr Willem Louw and Dr Pieter du Toit presented the Honorary Alumnus Award to Dr Khotso Mokhele, UFS Chancellor.

News Archive

“My time at the UFS was the golden gem of my career”

2016-07-04

Description: Zig Gibson Tags: Zig Gibson

Prof Alan St Clair Gibson
Photo: Oteng Mpete

“My time at the University of the Free State (UFS) was the golden gem of my career. I have worked at medical schools or biomedical research centres in the United Kingdom, United States and at some of the top medical schools in South Africa, but working at the UFS was one of the highlights of my career,” says Prof Alan St Clair Gibson, Head of the UFS School of Medicine.

After spending just over two years at the UFS, Prof St Clair Gibson resigned from the institution in June 2016 and will take up the position of Dean: Health and Human Performance Sciences at the Waikato University in New Zealand in mid-July, where he will assist to establish a new faculty for all the health-science disciplines. “It was a privilege to work at the UFS. I come from a strong research background and wanted to grow research at the university, which I achieved. I came to the UFS because of the Academic and Human Projects and am proud of what has been achieved at the School of Medicine during the time I was here,” he said.

Prof St Clair Gibson highlighted some of these achievements, including the development of a management infrastructure across the disciplines of the school. “The establishment of an executive management committee for the school, as well as research champions in departments, highlighted the importance of proper governance and strategic management. By developing data dashboards, my management team and I could develop an understanding of research income and productivity, how the school works, what the role of teaching and learning is, and how the school could benefit in terms of third-stream income from the many contracts obtained by its academic staff. As a result, contracts and the financial management model of the school have also been reconfigured to the benefit of the university so that the institution and school can benefit from it,” he said.

His strong belief in an open-door policy has made staff feel part of the environment and it has created an atmosphere of equality and inclusivity. He believes in staff development and has, for instance, established leadership and management courses for heads of departments. Another factor to be proud of is the increase in the number of young researchers who recently joined the school, such as Prof Ross Tucker, who is one of the foremost sport scientists in the country. “It is a fact that staff retire or resign in all schools and departments of any university. It is also true that these departures offer opportunities to bring new academic and professional staff into the UFS. In fact, for the first time virtually every department in the School of Medicine now has a full-time Head of Department and 46 new staff were appointed since January 2015,” said Prof St Clair Gibson.

“I am especially proud of contributing, together with the senior leadership of the UFS, to stabilise the relationship with the Free State Department of Health (DoH). With the assistance of these parties, as well as my executive management team, we could find a better way of working together to the benefit of the school and the province.’’

Transforming the student profile to be representative of the country’s demographics is another milestone Prof St Clair Gibson will remember. “The intake of black and white students is of such a nature that we now have a much more balanced ratio of black and white undergraduate students than before.”

“I wanted to stay longer to see the effect of all the changes I made at the school, but the deanship is an offer I cannot refuse. I would have liked to see a steadier increase in the number of permanent clinical staff and have worked hard with both the UFS management and the DoH to try and achieve that; but more work needs to be done.”

I have worked with a number of fantastic staff members at the school, who are determined to do good in a challenging environment. I am amazed at the energy of the university leadership and how the Human and Academic Projects are executed. My wish for the university is to maintain and grow its standards and for the School of Medicine to maintain its reputation as one of the best schools in the country. I will always be a proud alumnus of the UFS,” he said.

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