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Welcoming postgraduate students

13 March 2020 | Story Amanda Tongha and Andre Damons | Photo Johan Roux

UFS postgraduate welcoming — Attending the Postgraduate Welcoming were, from the left: Itumeleng Mutla, second-year master’s student; Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Internationalisation; Prof Witness Mudzi, Director of the Postgraduate School; Hesma van Tonder, Chief Officer: Research Librarian; and John van Niekerk, a master’s student.

The University of the Free State prides itself on being an institution committed to excellence in postgraduate education. In 2019, the UFS boasted more than 6 900 postgraduate students enrolled for postgraduate diplomas, honours, master’s and doctoral qualifications. Of these, 77% previously enrolled at the UFS, while 23% started at the institution for the first time.

Targeting this group of students who make up 17% of the total number of degree-seeking students, the UFS Postgraduate School formally welcomed new senior students to the university on Friday 6 March.

Postgraduate success
“It is the best time to be a senior student, and I hope it is a wonderful experience,” said Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Internationalisation in her welcoming address to the more than 150 postgraduate students gathered in the Reitz Hall of the Centenary Complex.

Giving reasons as to why Kovsie students should consider postgraduate studies, Prof Witthuhn said there are many opportunities associated with making the jump from undergraduate to postgraduate student.

“All the data shows that postgraduate studies increase employability. It creates the opportunity to deeper engage with the field that you are interested in.”

The postgraduate journey
Dr Musawenkosi Saurombe, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Industrial Psychology who became the youngest PhD holder on the African continent at age 23, was also on hand to offer advice.

“Are you willing to see the task to completion? How badly do you want it?” she challenged postgraduate students, talking about her journey from 16-year old first-year student to 23-year-old doctoral degree holder.

Itumeleng Mutla, who is in the second year of her master’s degree in Administration, said she found the speech by Dr Saurombe inspiring and encouraging. “I felt like a groupie and took pictures with her afterwards. We felt inspired by her story and she encouraged me in my own studies. I think I am also going to push to finish my studies earlier,” she said.

John van Niekerk, a master’s student in Education and Psychology, said Saurombe’s talk was brilliant and he would like her to give a talk to learners at Kimberley Boys High, where he is a teacher.

News Archive

Ford foundation funds higher education redesign

2005-06-23

The Ford Foundation has pledged a grant of almost R280 000 for redesigning higher education delivery at three campuses in the Free State.

According to Prof Magda Fourie, Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the University of the Free State (UFS), the three campuses that will be affected by the strategic reconfiguration of higher education delivery are the Qwaqwa campus at Phuthaditjhaba and the Vista campus of the UFS in Bloemfontein and the Welkom campus of the Central University of Technology (CUT).

Prof Fourie says the three campuses were all affected by the restructuring of higher education, in line with the National Plan for Higher Education.

The Qwaqwa campus of the UFS that was part of the former University of the North was incorporated into the UFS in January 2003. Likewise the Bloemfontein campus of the former Vista University was incorporated into the UFS in January 2004.

The Welkom campus of the CUT was also part of the former Vista University and was incorporated into the CUT in January 2004.

“These incorporations pose a challenge in that we have to think creatively about the best ways of using these three campuses to service the higher education, training, skills development and human resource needs of the Free State,” Prof Fourie said.

“The grant from the Ford Foundation will primarily be used to draw up strategic funding proposals for the three campuses. The Qwaqwa campus of the UFS is a priority to us given the poverty and unemployment in a largely rural area of the Free State,” said Prof Fourie.

“A detailed consultation process will be undertaken in the Qwaqwa campus sub-region which will hopefully result in a comprehensive and a coherent suite of higher education activities being established on this campus,” said Prof Fourie.

“It is envisaged that the Qwaqwa campus will become a centre of excellence in the area of rural development. This vision is based on a focused integration of the core functions of a university – teaching, research, and community service – around the issue of rural development,” said Prof Fourie.

Prof Fourie said that various educational offerings including among others short courses, bridging and foundation programmes, and degrees could be offered, with a particular focus on providing courses of relevance to students from the local rural community and students from elsewhere with an interest in focusing on rural development studies.

She said the redesign of the three affected campuses is being managed as a project of the Free State Higher Education Consortium (FSHEC) consisting of all the higher education institutions operating in the Free State.

“The aim of the project is to establish how the Qwaqwa and Vista campuses of the UFS and the Welkom campus of the CUT can be used effectively to meet regional education and training needs, to serve the strategic priorities of the two higher education institutions and contribute to the sustainable development and poverty alleviation of the region,” she said.

The planning for the Vista campus of the UFS is still in an early stage. “We are looking at the possibility of developing this campus into a hub of education and training opportunities for Bloemfontein and Free State region. Further plans will be communicated later in the year,” said Prof Fourie.

Media release

Issued by:  Lacea Loader
   Media Representative
   Tel: (051) 401-2584
   Cell: 083 645 2454
   E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za

23 June 2005

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