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29 October 2020 | Story Linda Dhladhla
The national Student Entrepreneurship Week is the best empowerment platform for students aspiring to become entrepreneurs. Students enrolled in higher education institutions need to appreciate more than ever before that employment post-graduation is not a given.  COVID-19 dampened South Africa’s growth prospects to worse levels than those predicted in 2019.  Students must therefore strive to equip themselves with the basics of entrepreneurship, so as to identify solutions to society’s most pressing challenges now, by participating in economic activities while studying. 

These are remarks by Dr Norah Clarke, Director of Universities South Africa’s Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme.  In the week leading up to the national Student Entrepreneurship Week (#SEW2020) that commences on Monday 2 November, Dr Clarke explained why students must take entrepreneurial initiatives at their universities seriously in general, and in particular, why they must do their utmost to participate in the week-long #SEW2020 event from 2 to 4 November 2020.

For the first time since this event was established in 2017, the EDHE programme will be hosting #SEW2020 as a combined national and multi-institutional event. Twenty-one institutions will be sharing one common programme that runs from Monday, 2 November and wraps up on Thursday, 5 November.  As was done with the EDHE Lekgotla 2020, the #SEW proceedings will be livestreamed on the Whova app.  

According to Dr Clarke, this enables anyone to see what each of the 21 public universities and 3 technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges will be showcasing – in a rare opportunity never seen before in this particular context.  The opening ceremony of the virtual #SEW2020 will be hosted from the University of the Free State (UFS).
In addition to the morning’s welcome addresses, the day is dedicated to showcasing how the UFS Business School collaborates with the local business and banking sector in driving entrepreneurship for the common good.  A speaker from the Central University of Technology will add a research perspective on entrepreneurship.   To further unravel its entrepreneurship strategy and narrate how academics encourage innovation and support student enterprises, the UFS will showcase how academic support got 11 tangible business projects off the ground.  The audience will also hear first-hand from the studentpreneurs behind these projects how the university assisted them in their respective journeys from ideation through commercialisation to the market. 
 
Participate and engage through the Whova app and the 

More information: www.edhe.co.za

News Archive

Oprah warms up chilly Bloemfontein
2011-06-24

 
Mr John Samuel (left), interim Director of the International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice; Dr Winfrey, and Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector.
Photo: Rian Horn 

Transcription of speech

Photo gallery

Video clip

Dr Oprah Winfrey brought Bloemfontein a warm day in the middle of a bitter cold winter. Outside the Callie Human Centre of our university, people were shivering in temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius.

Inside, however, the audience was engulfed in the excitement and warmth of a very special occasion: media icon and philanthropist Dr Winfrey received an honorary degree in Education from our university. 

The graduation was probably the biggest ceremony of its kind in South Africa. The Callie Human was packed with more than 4 500 people who had jumped for the opportunity to attend one of the great milestones in the existence of our university. They had to brave long queues to obtain tickets and to get seated. However, this just added to the excitement of seeing Dr Winfrey in real life. 

The ceremony was like a huge reunion or festival. Some people had called in designers to dress them for the occasion, while others fetched their very best clothes from their wardrobes. People tweeted, sent SMS messages, phoned or brought their families with them. Cell phones and cameras captured the occasion.

The graduation ceremony was also an emotional moment for Dr Winfrey, who shed silent tears.

Her motivational talk afterwards was very inspiring. Dr Winfrey said that everybody can be successful. They just need to apply their minds to what they want.

“Never give up. You are not defined by your circumstances. There is hope. Have a vision and let that vision be bigger than yourself. Allow yourself to live in that space of yourself,” Dr Winfrey said.

About 100 volunteers from the univeristy community helped by among others showing guests to their seats, providing guests assistance with parking and taking care of general enquiries from the audience.

The university received messages of congratulations from all over for the arrangements and the professional way in which the ceremony was presented.
 

Media Release
25 June 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: +27 51 401 2584
Cell: +27 83 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za


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