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28 January 2020 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Pexels
Conference
At the meet-and-greet last night, were from left Prof Ruad Ganzevoort, Diversity Officer and Dean of Theology and Religion at VUA, Prof Francis Petersen and Dr Gene Block, Chancellor of UCLA.

The Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice at the University of the Free State (UFS) is hosting a colloquium on Fragility and Resilience: Facets, Features and Transformation in Higher Education which started on 29 January, with the official progamme concluding on 30 January 2020.

The colloquium is a annual collaborative partnership between the UFS, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA).

Apart from the overarching themes the colloquium also placed some focus on mental health, within this context as all three regions are witnessing a spike in mental health issues among students and staff as well as a deficit in terms of being able to sufficiently address the crisis.

“All three universities are committed to discussing global developments in diversity and transformation in higher education to discussing global developments in diversity and transformation as it may constitute itself in higher education circles around the globe,” says Dr Dionne van Reenen, convener of the 2020 colloquium and research fellow at the unit.  

The idea is to discuss what has and has not worked and, hopefully, access best practices in a variety of contexts. The partnership between the three universities spans over six years starting in 2014 when the UFS first hosted the research colloquium. It is the third time the UFS has hosted the colloquium.
 
Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, along with other members of the UFS Rectorate, attended a meet-and-greet on Monday 28 January 2020, and was joined by Dr Gene Block, Chancellor of UCLA, Vice Provosts Cindy Fan, Patricia Turner, Charles Alexander, Professors Abel Valenzuela, John Hamilton and Dr Shalom Staub, director of Community Learning, as well as Prof Ruard Ganzevoort, Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Theology and Religion at VUA 

News Archive

Future Kovsies explore Qwaqwa Campus
2017-05-26

Description: Qwaqwa Campus Open day 2017 Tags: Qwaqwa Campus Open day 2017

Description: Qwaqwa Open Day learners Tags: Qwaqwa Open Day learners

Learners from Molapo Secondary School in
Makoane, Qwaqwa, during Open Day.
Photo: Thabo Kessah

AMAZING! This is just one of the words used by prospective Kovsies to describe their experience, when thousands of learners visited the Qwaqwa Campus for this year’s Open Day on Saturday 20 May 2017.

“Spending time on campus and learning what the university offers even beyond academics was such an amazing experience,” said a prospective Political Studies and Governance student, Kamohelo Mofokeng from Bluegumbosch Secondary School in Qwaqwa.

“We explored both academic and support services, and getting to see and listen to motivating words from eTV stars was unforgettable,” she added. “The event was informative and many of our learners even managed to apply online using university facilities,” said Modiehi Masita, Life Orientation teacher at Tsebo Secondary School in Boiketlo, Qwaqwa.

First step in the right direction

Talking to learners, Campus Principal Prof Prakash Naidoo said their visit was the first step in the right direction.

“This is the first step towards attaining your dream qualification. You have to work hard to build yourself a career, and not aspire to be what is commonly known as a tenderpreneur,” he said. “You have come to this campus when men need to stand up and not bury their heads in the sand, as we are faced with abuse and killings of women and children. We must all stand up to abuse,” he said under resounding appreciation from learners and their teachers.

Also talking to the learners were TV stars from eTv’s Rhythm City and Scandal.

I can and I will make it
‘I can and I will make it’ led by Mapula Mafole was adopted as the war cry towards the examinations and success in life for the class of 2017. Mafole plays the role of Mapula in the TV series Rhythm City. She was accompanied by Ishmael Sango and Nkosi Cengane, who respectively play Sabelo and Emmanuel in Rhythm City, and Mbulelo Katise who plays Scelo in Scandal.

Qwaqwa Campus alumnus and hip-hop artist, TactixSA, provided entertainment.

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