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24 February 2020 | Story Ilze Bakkes | Photo Supplied
UFS hosts Bloemfontein Schools principal

The relationship between the University of the Free State (UFS) and high schools in Bloemfontein and the region remains vital to the successful recruitment and enrolment of high-performing students at the university. 

To encourage and develop this cooperative bond, the office for Student Recruitment Services hosted a breakfast recently to honour school principals from Bloemfontein and surrounding towns for their continued support of UFS student recruitment programmes at their schools.

An educational nurturing ground for future Kovsies

At the event (hosted on 11 February 2020), the university presented school principals with awards for their contribution to student recruitment and enrolment. This year, the platinum award – which is the top award for more than 50 enrolments at the UFS in 2020 – was presented to Brebner High School, C&N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje, Eunice High School, Grey College Secondary School, Fichardt Park High School, Sentraal High School, and Jim Fouché High School. Other award categories were – gold for 20-49 enrolments, silver for 10-19 enrolments, and diamond for one to nine enrolments; these awards were presented to 22 schools from Bloemfontein, Thaba Nchu, Ficksburg, and Botshabelo.

Acknowledging their role as an educational nurturing ground for future Kovsies, Nomonde Mbadi, Director: Student Recruitment Services, says the value of the relationship with schools and principals is immeasurable, and will continue to be nurtured for years to come.

 “Principals, headmasters, teachers, and chairpersons of school governing bodies play an important role in advising and motivating learners to apply at institutions they regard as providers of quality tertiary education, and the UFS has been chosen, time and again, as the institution of choice.” 

School principals of Durban and Pretoria schools will be honoured by similar events during March and May 2020 respectively.

News Archive

Two research chairs awarded to UFS women
2015-09-15


Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

Two professors at the University of the Free State (UFS) have just been chosen as recipients of research chairs by the National Research Foundation’s South African Research Chair Initiative.

The research chairs are a massive financial injection for research in each of the relevant disciplines – that of Profs Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela from the Centre for Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation Studies at the UFS, and Felicity Burt from the Department of Medical Microbiology in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Profs Gobodo-Madikizela and Burt are two of 42 female researchers in the country receiving research chairs as an initiative to give due recognition to women in research.

Profs Hendrik Swart, from our Departement of Physics and Melany Walker, Director, Centre for Research on Higher Education and Development, each also holds research chairs by the NRF. A third research chair has also been granted to the UFS Department of Plant Sciences for the research in field crops.


Prof Felicity Burt

The work of Prof Burt’s research chair is to investigate medically significant vector-borne and zoonotic viruses currently circulating; to define associations between these viruses and specific disease manifestations that have previously not been described in our region, to increase awareness of these pathogens; to further our understanding of host immune responses, which should facilitate development of novel treatments or vaccines and drug discovery.

Prof Gobodo-Madikizela, who has received international recognition for her work on forgiveness studies, will use this research chair to investigate historical trauma within two African contexts – those of South Africa and Rwanda. She hopes to gain insight into the role that memory plays in the formation of the experience of trauma, and to bring about healing of the trauma.

Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research at the UFS, expressed her pride on the announcement.

“We are extremely proud of the national recognition these two outstanding women researchers received.  The UFS strives for research excellence, and the five current NRF research chairs, as well as two NRF A-graded researchers who are at the forefront of their disciplines globally, indicates our continued commitment to innovating, relevant, and high-impact research.  We are excited about the progress of the past two years to position the UFS as a national leader in research.”

 

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