Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
27 August 2021 | Story Dr Cindé Greyling | Photo Sonia Small
Lacea Loader, an award-winning communications professional.

Lacea Loader is an award-winning communications professional who heads the UFS Department of Communication and Marketing as Director. She works with a multi-talented team that takes care of all aspects of corporate communication and marketing at the UFS. 

What is the best thing about your job?
Having a portfolio that is ever-changing and that provides me with a broad perspective of the university’s business, which is enriching and insightful. Most of all, I enjoy the people I work with in every area of my job. In general, I stand amazed at the commitment and dedication of our staff, especially during the national lockdown. It has been encouraging to experience how my team has grown and developed their skills and transitioned to the virtual workspace during this time.  

What is the best and worst decisions you have ever made?
I learn from every decision, whether it has a good or challenging impact on my life. Marrying my best friend from school and raising two beautiful, strong, and independent children are the best decisions I could have made.

What was/is the biggest challenge of your career?
The balancing act. Balancing work life and personal life; this remains a challenge throughout my career. I am trying, but I still don’t get it right!

What does the word woman mean to you?
Being able to be powerful and assertive, yet kind, gentle, compassionate, vulnerable, and understanding at the same time. 

Which woman inspires you, and why?
I work with a team of exceptional women leaders who inspire me every day. Many women at our university have reached incredible heights and put the institution on the national and international stage with their achievements. I salute all my women colleagues in whatever role they play. Also, my involvement with professional organisations and international awards programmes has given me the opportunity to work with so many women across the world in the field of communication and marketing who are making a difference in our profession. 

What advice would you give to the 15-year-old you?
Grab the opportunities that may come your way, and always think of ways to enrich yourself personally and as a professional. Remember that your character is like a tree and your reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what others think of you; the tree is the real you.

What is the one self-care thing that you do? 
I make time to drink tea, and lots of it! Walking with my husband, spending time with my family and friends, camping and enjoying nature are some of my favourite things.

What makes you a woman of quality, impact, and care?
My intuition and sixth sense, positive mindset, and deep belief that nothing will get me down. If you ask my children, they will say it is my work ethic – as it inspires them in their studies, my kind heart, and my resilience. 
 
I cannot live without … my music playlist and a good night’s sleep.
My secret weapon is … knowing when to pause and to take time out.
I always have … a plan B.
I will never … jump from anything higher than five times my length.
I hope … to visit Easter Island, Alaska, and Norway.

News Archive

Lecture on interpretations and translations of San place names
2011-09-23

Prof. Peter Raper, recently appointed as Honorary Professor: Linguistics, in the Department of Language Management and Language Practice at the University of the Free State, will deliver his inaugural lecture on Tuesday evening, 27 September 2011. His topic for the evening is “Interpretations and translations of Bushman (San) place names”. With this inaugural lecture, he also introduces an interesting one-day international colloquium on the theme: “Name-change planning – striving towards authenticity”.A panel discussion about street-name changes in Bloemfontein forms part of this colloquium and promises to elicit a stimulating debate.

Prof. Raper is probably better known for three popular place-name dictionaries, Streekname in Suid-Afrika en Suidwes, published in 1972; the Dictionary of Southern African Place Names, published in 1987, updated in 1989 and published in 2004 with some additions as New dictionary of South African place names; and Hottentot (Khoekhoen) place names, a dictionary compiled in collaboration with the famous Prof. G S  Nienaber (a former Kovsie). In fact, Prof. Raper’s work is a continuation of their world-renowned series, Toponymica Hottentotica, which was published between 1977 and 1981. It is generally regarded as the most authoritative work on Hottentot place names. His current interest in Bushman place names builds on this pioneering work and is actually also a re-evaluation of the underestimated role of the Bushman with regard to place naming in South Africa up to now. His work offers a new perspective on what could be regarded as the “first” or earliest names of places in South Africa and brings a sobering perspective to the current debates regarding place-name changes where various claims are made about “who has given the name first”.

However, Prof. Raper is also known for his role in the standardisation of place names, both nationally and internationally. In South Africa, he has served on the South African National Place Names Committee (1972-1999), the South African Geographical Names Council (1999-2002) and, since 1981, on the Names Society of Southern Africa. Currently, he is an honorary member of this association. Since 1984, he has also been serving on the United Nations Group Experts on Geographical Names and has even been the Chairperson of this Leading international standardisation body (1991-2002).

Apart from this, Prof. Raper regularly publishes his research on geographical names in a variety of academic journals and still participates in the most important national and international conferences on names on a regular basis. Prof. Raper is honoured as South Africa’s foremost names expert.

His inaugural lecture will introduce a colloquium on names planning, presented by his host department. Experts from Lesotho, Zimbabwe and the USA are participating in the proceedings, amongst others, the current Chairperson of the Names Society of Southern Africa, Prof. Adrian Koopman (University of KwaZulu-Natal).

RSVP: Joy Maasdorp on +27(0)51 401 2405 or maasdorpjh@ufs.ac.za before or on Thursday, 22 September 2011.

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