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21 July 2020 | Story Nitha Ramnath | Photo UFS photo archive

The Department of Business Management within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences is one of four successful recipients of the Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme (NESP), which aims to recruit honours graduates who demonstrate academic ability and express an early interest in the possibility of an academic career. 

 “The NESP is a mechanism that addresses a potential shortcoming in the department in the medium to long term. Most of the academics in the department specialise either in entrepreneurship or marketing. As such, the availability of academics with interdisciplinary business knowledge who can teach and do research across the different sub-fields of business management is limited,” says Prof Brownhilder Neneh, Associate Professor in the Department of Business Management.

Once graduates enter the programme – as NESP master’s graduates they form part of a resource pool from which new academics can be recruited. 

Prof Neneh continues: “Considering the imminent retirement of academics in the department, the NESP provides an opportunity to recruit an academic who is able to work with experienced academics, gain experience, and ‘prepare’ the person to become an expert across the different fields in the department.”

“This programme would assist in succession planning within the department as well as training individuals within academia,” she says. 

According to Prof Neneh, access to this funding opportunity will further strengthen and expand the path that the department has embarked upon as far as striving for excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement is concerned, thereby contributing to address key societal challenges. “Appointing an NESP candidate would be an ideal opportunity to recruit an academic who will be able to work with the senior staff and gain experience and teaching/research competencies relevant to the 4IR, and ‘prepare’ the person to become the business management expert in the department,” she says.

News Archive

A silver for Wayde van Niekerk at Commonwealth Games
2014-08-04

 

Wayde van Niekerk (far right) - our Kovsie hero at Commonwealth Games
Photo: Getty images
UFS athlete Wayde van Niekerk proved himself as a world-class contender yet again. He grabbed silver in the 400 m sprint at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Wednesday 30 July 2014.

Van Niekerk, who achieved a time of 44.68 sec in this race, took the lead at the first bend and held onto this position through the back straight before Kirani James of Granada pulled away over the final 150 m.

Lalonde Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago came third with a time of 44.78 sec.

This Commonwealth silver medal sees the Bloemfontein athlete’s magnificent year come full circle. Earlier this year, Van Niekerk broke the 15-year-old national record at the Diamond League meeting in New York with a time of 44.38 seconds.

Another star from the Free State, former Kovsie Kate Roberts, who took part in the mixed triathlon relay at the Commonwealth, also pocketed a silver medal. Her team mates were Richard Murray, Henri Schoeman and Gillian Sanders.

In addition, Neil Powell – Shimla Rugby alumnus from 2001 – played a central part in obtaining a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Powell is the coach of the Springbok 7s team that placed first at the Games in July 2014. 
 
On a more local level, Kovsie alumnus and SA athlete, Johan Cronje, was nominated for the Sportsperson of the Year. You can vote for him by sending ‘SPORT 4’ via sms to 43043.


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