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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

Brian Campbell one of selected few in Microsoft programme
2012-09-14

Brian Campbell
14 September 2012

A UFS student in Computer Science and Informatics, Brian Campbell of the Department of Computer Science and Informatics, has joined an elite group of South Africans, was invited to join the Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) programme in April 2012. Approximately 500 computer science and information technology students are chosen worldwide each year to form part of this elite student development programme. This year, 16 South African students were invited to join the MSP program.

These students will be Microsoft’s first non-industry partners to be trained in its newest and most revolutionary technologies that will be launched within the coming months. As part of their commitment to Microsoft, most of the students will train the lecturers and students of their respective universities, as well as Microsoft’s national industry partners and lecturers of universities and universities of technology that do not have MSPs on their campuses.

In May this year, Brian assisted employees from Microsoft to present a Windows 8 seminar at its offices in Cape Town.

Additional Microsoft related events have been arranged by Brian. These include a Windows Phone development day and an upcoming Windows 8 development seminar. Five students in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics were rewarded with Nokia Lumia cell phones after they published at least five applications on the Windows Phone Marketplace.
 

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