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09 April 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Supplied
Tiisetso Mokoena tops the UFS Management Development Programme class of 2020

A tough 2020 did not dampen the spirit of Tiisetso Mokoena. Determined and steadfast, she obtained the highest average (92%) to become the top student in the Management Development Programme (MDP) offered by the University of the Free State (UFS) Business School. Mokoena enrolled for the MDP after receiving a bursary from the Services SETA. This is a remarkable achievement, as not only did Mokoena have fierce competition from an exceptionally large group – COVID-19 presented its own challenges that Mokoena had to face. Mokoena transitioned seamlessly from traditional face-to-face to online learning and excelled at it.

“Ms Mokoena was a very enthusiastic and committed student. She worked extremely hard and was not deterred by the transition from face-to-face to online lectures. Her hard work paid off, with impressive results. We are very proud of her,” says Programme Coordinator, Jo’Anni Deacon.

Mokoena also adds: “It has been a great honour to be part of the Higher Certificate Management Development Programme (MDP), and I thank my employer, Services SETA, and the UFS Business School for making it all possible.”
“My overall experience of the programme was impressive. I came into it with an expectation to better myself in my career; I believe that I will achieve this, as I was presented with tools and techniques that will help me grow professionally. As I went through the programme, I developed a sense of ambition and my strategic thinking progressed. I learned a lot about the basics of an everyday business world as we went through different modules, and there were a lot of ‘aha’ moments,” Mokoena adds.

“The UFS Business School is phenomenal, the academic support we as students received throughout the programme was amazing – we were treated with such dignity. The staff took time and effort to assist us with the utmost care and professionalism,” says Mokoena about her experience in the UFS Business School. 

About the UFS Business School and the Higher Certificate in Management Development

The Business School within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences has established itself as a leader in South Africa with the provision of the Higher Certificate in Management Development. A dynamic supplement to this spectrum of management programmes on offer is an excellent Higher Certificate in Management Development (MDP). The MDP emphasises leadership development, broadens insight through exposure to the most important management disciplines, and integrates it into a total management approach. This tailor-made qualification has been designed to assist institutions, managers, and managers-to-be in both the private and public sectors.

News Archive

Names are not enough: a molecular-based information system is the answer
2016-06-03

Description: Department of Plant Sciences staff Tags: Department of Plant Sciences staff

Prof Wijnand Swart (left) from the Department of
Plant Sciences at the UFS and Prof Pedro Crous
from the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS),
in the Netherlands.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

South Africa is the second-largest exporter of citrus in the world, producing 60% of all citrus grown in the Southern Hemisphere. It exports more than 70 % of its citrus crop to the European Union and USA. Not being able to manage fungal pathogens effectively can have a serious impact on the global trade in not only citrus but also other food and fibre crops, such as bananas, coffee, and cacao.

The Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) hosted a public lecture by Prof Pedro W. Crous entitled “Fungal Pathogens Impact Trade in Food and Fibre: The Need to Move Beyond Linnaeus” on the Bloemfontein Campus.

Prof Crous is Director of the world’s largest fungal Biological Resource Centre, the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS), in the Netherlands. He is also one of the top mycologists in the world.

Since the topic of his lecture was very pertinent to food security and food safety worldwide, it was co-hosted by the Collaborative Consortium for Broadening the Food Base, a multi-institutional research programme managed by Prof Wijnand Swart in the Department of Plant Sciences.

Reconsider the manner in which pathogens are identified

Prof Crous stressed that, because international trade in products from agricultural crops will expand, the introduction of fungal pathogens to new regions will increase. “There is therefore an urgent need to reconsider the manner in which these pathogens are identified and treated,” he said.

According to Prof Crous, the older Linnaean system for naming living organisms cannot deal with future trade-related challenges involving pests and pathogens. A system, able to identify fungi based on their DNA and genetic coding, will equip scientists with the knowledge to know what they are dealing with, and whether it is a friendly or harmful fungus.

Description: The fungus, Botrytis cinerea Tags: The fungus, Botrytis cinerea

The fungus, Botrytis cinerea, cause of grey mould
disease in many fruit crops.
Photo: Prof Wijnand Swart

Embrace the molecular-based information system

Prof Crous said that, as a consequence, scientists must embrace new technologies, such as the molecular-based information system for fungi, in order to provide the required knowledge.

He presented this very exciting system which will govern the manner in which fungal pathogens linked to world trade are described. This system ensures that people from different countries will know with which pathogen they are dealing. Further, it will assist with the management of pathogens, ensuring that harmful pathogens do not spread from one country to another.

More about Prof Pedro Crous


Prof Crous is an Affiliated Professor at six international universities, including the UFS, where he is associated with the Department of Plant Sciences. He has initiated several major activities to facilitate global research on fungal biodiversity, and has published more than 600 scientific papers, many in high impact journals, and authored or edited more than 20 books.

 

 

Biography Prof Pedro Crous
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B


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