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06 December 2021 | Story Temba Hlasho
Dear Student,
I trust that this letter finds you and your loved ones in good health.

The 2021 academic year has presented numerous changes in the Department of Student Affairs (DSA). However, we remained resilient to continue providing needed support to all students on our three campuses. 

As we conclude the 2021 academic year, it is a golden opportunity for each and every one of us to introspect by reflecting on our academic journey, identifying shortcomings, opportunities to help us reimagine, reconstruct, and improve going forward. This reflection does not serve to intentionally create discomfort, but rather to create an opportunity for all of us to be self-aware and gain a depended perspective of the direction we should be taking in 2022. 

I would like to congratulate Kholeka Mtshali and Nonstikelelo Ntima, who participated as finalists in the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) national competition. The competition was highly contested, with more than 75 applications and only 6 student entrepreneurs competing. Furthermore, both students were invited to pitch for the Free State Innovation Drive 2021 and Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards (GSEA) competition, which will take place in February next year. The DSA is excited about students being engaged in their communities and their personal development. In the same breath, I urge you to explore your out-of-classroom experiences to enhance your skill and development, as well as the development of your community. 

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the global 16 Days campaign.  The campaign kicked off nationally on 25 November 2021. The Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office (GEADO) will be hosting a placard campaign for the global 16 days.  As a Kovsie, I encourage you to embrace the values of inclusive society and to oppose any form of violence against women and children.  Further, we are living in perilous times, we need to be vigilant; you are encouraged to stay safe, wear your mask, sanitise, and vaccinate.

We can now look ahead into the new biennium with confidence, hope, and resilience. In the 2022 academic year, I encourage you to take some time to explore student life opportunities, whether it be arts, sports, campus competitions, making new friends, joining an organisation, or getting involved in community projects.  Your participation will sharpen your skill sets for the world of work and the entrepreneurial space. 

To our final-year students who might not be returning to our campuses for postgraduate studies – congratulations on completing this big milestone! As you enter the world of work or venture into an entrepreneurial environment, please remember that there is no script for life after university – but be bold and courageous on the path you choose. 

To our postgraduate students who will continue to enhance their academic outfit at the UFS – the DSA is here for you, let us hear about your experiences and expectations.  We are geared to interact more with you in the new year to make your postgrad study experience a memorable one.  

I therefore bid you well for the holidays and urge you to stay alert and safe during the festive season. I hope that you will all take time during this holiday season to relax, recharge, and reflect on all that you have accomplished this year. I look forward to seeing you all upon our eventual return to campus. Best wishes for your continued health and well-being in 2022!

Thank you to all the students who participated in our campaigns and activities during the year. Please continue to support the DSA in 2022. In the same breath, please be safe, wear a mask, wash your hands, sanitise, and practise social distancing, but most importantly, stay at home as far as it is practically possible.

To remind yourself about the services offered by the Department of Student Affairs, please follow the link for more information.

Mr Temba Hlasho
Executive Director: Student Affairs 


News Archive

Professor’s research part of major global programme
2011-04-04

 

Prof. Zakkie Pretorius, professor in Plant Pathology in the Department of Plant Sciences at our university

Research by Zakkie Pretorius, professor in Plant Pathology in the Department of Plant Sciences at our university, has become part of Phase II of a mayor global project to combat deadly strains of a wheat pathogen that poses a threat to global food security.

Prof. Pretorius focuses on the identification of resistance in wheat to the stem rust disease and will assist breeders and geneticists in the accurate phenotyping of international breeding lines and mapping populations. In addition, Prof. Pretorius will support scientists from Africa with critical skills development through training programmes. During Phase I, which ends in 2011, he was involved in pathogen surveillance in Southern Africa and South Asia.
 
The Department of International Development (DFID) in the United Kingdom and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will invest $40 million over the next five years in the global project led by the Cornell University. The project is aimed at combating deadly strains of Ug99, an evolving wheat pathogen that is a dangerous threat to global food security, especially in the poorest nations. 
 
The Cornell University said in a statement, the grant made to the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat (DRRW) project at Cornell will support efforts to identify new stem-rust resistant genes in wheat, improve surveillance, and multiply and distribute rust-resistant wheat seed to farmers and their families.
 
Researchers worldwide will be able to play an increasingly vital role in protecting wheat fields from dangerous new forms of stem rust, particularly in countries whose people can ill afford the economic impact of damage to this vital crop.
 
The Ug99 strain was discovered in Kenya in 1998, but are now also threatening major wheat-growing areas of Southern and Eastern Africa, the Central Asian Republics, the Caucasus, the Indian subcontinent, South America, Australia and North America.
 
Prof. Pretorius was responsible for the first description of this strain in 1999.
 
Among Cornell’s partners are national research centres in Kenya and Ethiopia, and scientists at two international agricultural research centres that focus on wheat, the Mexico-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (known by its Spanish acronym as CIMMYT), and the International Center  for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), in Syria. Advanced research laboratories in the United States, Canada, China, Australia, Denmark and South Africa also collaborate on the project. The DRRW project now involves more than 20 leading universities and research institutes throughout the world, and scientists and farmers from more than 40 countries.


Media Release
28 March 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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