Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
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

Centre for Development Support receives the Premier’s gold award
2007-07-30

 

The Centre for Development Support (CDS), within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) was the proud recipient of the gold award in the category of Research and Development for the Free State Premier’s Excellence Awards for 2007 recently held in Bloemfontein. CDS received the award for among others the updating of the economic database of the Mangaung Local Municipality, for conducting an investor perception survey in the same municipality and for supporting the alignment of the Free State Growth and Development Strategy (FSPGDS) within the national spatial development perspectives. The CDS team is front, from the left: Mr Willem Ellis (Executive Officer of the International Institute for Development Ethics at the UFS), Prof. Lucius Botes (Director of the CDS), Ms Dorie Olivier (Course Co-ordinator: Development Studies Programme); middle: Dr Zacheus Matebesi (Research Associate), Prof. Lochner Marais (Researcher); back: Ms Deidré van Rooyen (Researcher), Mr Molefi Lenka (Researcher), Ms Anita Venter (Researcher), Ms Kholisa Sigenu (Researcher), and Ms Julia Kambule (Student Assistant).

Photo: Supplied

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept