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31 July 2020 | Story Lacea Loader
Moderator and Panellists

As a public higher-education institution in South Africa with a responsibility to contribute to public discourse, the University of the Free State (UFS) will be presenting the 3rd UFS Thought-Leader Series in collaboration with Vrye Weekblad as part of the Vrystaat Literature Festival’s online initiative, VrySpraak-digitaal.

This year, higher-education institutions globally are placed in the challenging context of COVID-19. Aware and grounded in the reality that the world will not return to the normality of pre-COVID-19, our responsibility as scholars still remains to contribute to public discourse and to offer innovative solutions that will impact the lives of people nationally and globally in order to help them understand and adapt to a new world order.

Against this background and context, this year’s debates focus on ‘Post-COVID-19, Post-Crisis’, with Health and Modelling, Politics, Economy, and Predictions for 2021 as the sub-themes. Placed in a COVID-19 context, and in lieu of the Vrystaat Arts Festival, the series will be presented virtually in the form of one webinar per month during the period August 2020 to November 2020.

Date: 13 August 2020
Topic: Health and Modelling
Time: 11:30-13:00
RSVP: Alicia Pienaar, pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za

Facilitator:

Max du Preez
Editor: Vrye Weekblad
Biography

Introduction and welcome:

Prof Francis Petersen
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, UFS

Panellists:

Prof Salim Abdool Karim
Director: Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA)
Chair: South African Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19
Biography

Prof Glenda Gray
President and CEO: South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)
Biography

Prof Felicity Burt
NRF-DST South African Research Chair in vector-borne and zoonotic pathogens research
Biography

 

 

News Archive

SRC drawing deeply from the African continent’s well of wisdom
2013-06-01

 

Some of the SRC members who are visiting Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. From left are: Tshepang Lenka, Johan Steyn, Thabiso Molawude, William Clayton, Sibongile Mlotya, Tshepo Moli and Pieter Coetzee.
Photo: Thabo Kessah
14 June 2013

The student representative councils (SRC) from the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses are currently visiting Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya as part of the university’s Global Leadership Programme (GLP). The student leaders left on 9 June 2013 for a two-week trip to these countries, meeting with NGO’s, businesses and political leaders to gain insight and leadership skills. Their trip will also include a visit to the Kigali and the Nyamata Genocide Museums.

The University of the Free State has a long history of mentoring and fostering student leadership through international partnerships.The GLP was established in 2011 by Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector. The programme identifies the need for dynamic and innovative leadership in a country faced with many challenges.

During 2011 the SRC had the opportunity to tour the United States, but this year’s aim shifted to partnering with African Institutions. The focus is currently on the African continent and the lessons that can be learned from each of these countries. During the students’ visit to Rwanda – where they will spend six days – they will pay special attention to elements of leadership and reconciliation. This theme ties closely into the process of transformation and reconciliation at the Bloemfontein Campus.

The SRC has a travel-blog where they constantly post information, facts and their experiences during their visit to these African countries. They are set to return on Sunday 23 June 2013.

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