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03 March 2020

The Office for International Affairs (OIA) at the University of the Free State (UFS) implemented the second iteration of its Umoja Buddy Programme (UBP) in 2020. The UBP is a flagship internationalisation-at-home programme aimed at the smooth academic, social, and cultural integration of first-entering international students at the UFS by pairing them with senior UFS students. It offers local students an international experience on the home campus and develops their international and intercultural competence through direct interaction with international students. The UBP contributes to the achievement of the UFS vision, whereby every student will in future have an international experience during their studies at the UFS.


Internationalisation at home

On 13 February 2020, a welcome function themed Echoes of Sophiatown set the tone for this year’s edition. Chevon Slambee, Chief Officer in the OIA and UFS master’s student, welcomed the students and explained the theme of the day. She said that, “as students, we have a responsibility to be active citizens and contribute to change and social transformation”. Programme coordinator Bulelwa Moikwatlhai introduced the function and framework of the programme and highlighted the importance of internationalisation at home. Also in attendance was the Dean of Students, Pura Mgolombane, who encouraged students in his address to honour their heritage, “so that together, we can be able to appreciate one another”. He emphasised the importance of social justice for academic success. The SRC member for the International Student Council, Simba Matheba, expressed his support for the UBP. The UFS Arts, Culture, and Dialogue office provided entertainment at the event.

Umoja Buddy

International and local students mingling at the 2020 Umoja Buddy Programme Welcome Function.

News Archive

First annual Orange River Basin Symposium
2008-11-27

 
The first annual Orange River Basin Symposium was recently presented by the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of the Free State (UFS) on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein. The theme of the symposium was “The Orange River Basin - The Resource”. The Orange River Basin is the focus catchment for work on “Water management in water-scarce areas”, which is one of the six Strategic Clusters at the UFS. At the symposium were, from the left: Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS, Dr Anthony Turton, Natural Resource and Environment Unit Fellow at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and keynote speaker at the symposium, Ms Nolene Morris, Chief Executive Officer of BloemWater, who delivered the opening address, and Prof. Maitland Seaman, Director: Centre for Environmental Management at the UFS and co-ordinator of the symposium.
Photo: Sanet Neethling

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