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16 April 2021 | Story Dr Cindé Greyling
The University of the Free State (UFS) is looking forward to awarding three honorary doctorates during our April 2021 Virtual Graduation ceremonies. This event will span four days from 19 to 22 April 2021 across our three campuses. 

Be inspired

The UFS will be awarding a Doctor of Letters to Dr Dolf van Niekerk, a Doctor of Philosophy to Dr Sipho Pityana, and a Doctor of Laws to Justice Zak Yacoob.

Honorary degrees are awarded to individuals to recognise their exceptional contributions to society, or lifetime achievement in their field. As always, the recipients inspire us with their resilience, commitment, and desire to make a difference. 


Dr Dolf  Van Niekerk


Dr Dolf van Niekerk has a rich past that has seen him grace the radio waves, bookshelves, and academic ranks. His work includes 27 books in the fields of philosophy, poetry, fiction, drama, and memoirs, for which he has received numerous awards. These include the Eugene Marais Prize, the MER Prize, and the Scheepers Award for Youth Literature. He was an emeritus professor at the University of Pretoria until his retirement in 1994.

 






Dr Sipho Pityana


Acclaimed business leader, Dr Sipho Pityana, has a passion for education that has seen him serve as Registrar of Fort Hare, Chairperson of NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme), and Chairperson of the University of Cape Town Council. He made his mark in several local and international institutions, including AngloGold Ashanti Limited, while also being the first Director-General of the Department of Labour in the Mandela government, among others. Dr Pityana continues to invest his time in Izingwe Capital and Izingwe Holdings, while chairing and/or serving on several boards and councils. 






Justice Zak Yacoob

 

As judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa from 1998 to 2013, Justice Zak Yacoob became nationally and internationally known for his contribution to the socio-economic rights jurisprudence of South Africa. Blinded at the age of 16 months after contracting meningitis, he matriculated at the Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind, completed an LLB at the University of Durban-Westville, and practised as an advocate for 25 years. Justice Yacoob advised in several committees and adjudicated in national and international tribunals. He also taught at law schools locally and abroad

 



News Archive

Odeion School of Music launches new Organ Chair
2015-09-16



Liesbeth Schlumberger-Kurpershoek

The Odeion School of Music (OSM) at the University of the Free State (UFS) has become the first in the country to launch an Organ Chair, named after seasoned international organist Liesbeth Schlumberger-Kurpershoek.

Over the last two decades South African has seen a decline in organ student numbers. The School of Music has taken the initiative by deploying experts and instructors to coach and mentor OSM students, in an effort to increase their chances of excelling in the international music scene.

The Organ Chair is an entity of the International Artistic Mentorship Programme (IAMP), which aims to establish partnerships between successful international musicians and OSM students. It is within this context that the OSM decided to launch the institutionalisation of an Organ Chair in a programme scheduled to take place from 8 -13 September 2015 in the Bloemfontein Campus and in surrounding areas.

Meet the expert

Liesbeth Schlumberger-Kurpershoek is a French-South African organist and pedagogue, who is well versed in the music profession. This bodes well for our university’s music students.  Initially educated by the great Stephanus Zondagh at the University of Pretoria while still a school pupil, Liesbeth’s passion for music has soared to great height since then.

Some of her accolades include winning the prestigious SABC Music Prize in 1985, and the International Organ Competition held in Bordeaux in 1989.

Liesbeth has worked with distinguished organists at the France Conservatoire National de Ruiel-Malmaison, the Conservatoire National de Région, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon, and is the organist at Reformed Church of Etoile in Paris. In 2010, she was an adjudicator at the Chartres International Organ Competition, one of the most prestigious of its kind in the organ world.

This active recitalist and masterclass pedagogue facilitated classes attended by master students from Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and Potchestroom, and workshops as part of launching the Liesbeth Schlumberger-Kurpershoek OSM Organ Chair.

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