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08 December 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Sonia Small
Namibia university
The Office for International Affairs at the UFS recently hosted a delegation from the Namibia University of Science and Technology. Pictured here are, from the left, front: Seithati Ramonaheng, UFS International Scholarships in the Office for International Affairs (OIA); Dr Erling Kavita; Dr Erold Naomab; Prof Yonas Bahta; back: Kagiso Ngake, UFS Partnerships in the OIA; Cornelius Hagenmeier; Zenzele Mdletshe, UFS Partnerships in the OIA; and Dr Falko Buschke, Centre for Environmental Management.

The Office for International Affairs (OIA) at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently (25 November 2021) hosted a delegation from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST).

During deliberations, the two institutions discussed the possibility of formalising a partnership and it was agreed that the OIA would lead this process through its Partnership portfolio. The UFS and NUST are looking to work together and share information on the development of a COVID-19 vaccination policy, leveraging on the Germany/Namibia green hydrogen partnership, joining forces on the application for centres of excellence administered by the African Union, establishing staff and student exchange programmes, and intensifying their research collaborations.

Cornelius Hagenmeier, the Director of the Office for International Affairs (OIA) at the UFS, chaired the meeting with Dr Erold Naomab, the Vice-Chancellor of NUST, and his adviser, Dr Erling Kavita. Prof Yonas Bahta, Associate Professor in the UFS Department of Agricultural Economics, and Dr Falko Buschke, Senior Lecturer in the UFS Centre for Environmental Management, also attended the meeting and reported on their existing academic collaborations with NUST.

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#Women'sMonth: PSP provides scholarly support system for Prof Wilson-Strydom
2017-08-17

Description: Merridy Wilson-Strydom Tags: National Research Foundation, Prof Merridy Wilson-Strydom, Centre for Research on Higher Education and Development, Prestige Scholars Programme, writing retreats, higher education literature 

Prof Merridy Wilson-Strydom loves asking questions and
therefore has a strong focus on research.
She also enjoys supervising PhD students.
Photo: Sonia Small


Publishing her first book and receiving a rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) are career highlights for Prof Merridy Wilson-Strydom. As an emerging scholar, the Prestige Scholars Programme (PSP) of the University of the Free State (UFS) played an important role in reaching these goals. 

According to the Associate Professor in the Centre for Research on Higher Education and Development, the PSP provided an important scholarly support system, both through the coordinators and the other researchers who are part of the programme.

Writing retreats made book possible
“I found the support and advice provided during the process of applying for funding and rating really helpful,” she says about receiving a NRF C2 rating, based on her work over the past eight years.
She compliments the PSP writing retreats, which “provided a wonderful space for writing and it was during the writing retreats that I did a lot of the writing for my book that was published by Routledge in 2015.” Her book, University Access and Success: Capabilities, Diversity and Social Justice, moving back into academia from institutional research, working closely with undergraduate students as research participants, and postgraduate supervision, are all highlights of her work.

Her book makes a valuable contribution to higher education literature related to access and transition to universities. But, contrary to the mainstream approaches to access which rely on school performance and admissions tests, she poses the issue of social justice at the centre of the analysis.

Student project produces E-book
Another project headed by her and funded by the NRF Thuthuka Programme, was a study to understand the lives of 40 undergraduate students (on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus) who attended township high schools. The study had a particular focus on identifying institutional practices that either enable or constrain students’ capabilities for success in undergraduate study.

One of the outputs was the writing of an E-book called In our own words: Perspectives on being a student. It was written by 30 undergraduate students and the purpose was to provide a platform for students to tell their own stories about life as a student. 

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