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11 January 2021
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Story André Damons
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Photo Supplied
Dr Ralph Clark
The Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), the flagship research group of the University of the Free State (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus, has recently been granted R8,4 million to establish a Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre programme.
The Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre (RVSC) programme was established by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) as part of the Global Change Research Plan for South Africa and is funded by the DSI through the National Research Foundation (NRF). The RVSC will focus on the need to generate and disseminate knowledge about risk and vulnerability on global change challenges faced by local policy makers/ governance structures and communities in South Africa.
Invited to participate
Dr Ralph Clark, Director of the ARU, says the UFS, together with the University of Zululand and the Sol Plaatje University, has been invited to participate in Phase 2 of the RVSC programme. Dr Clark was approached by the DSI (on referral from the South African Environmental Observation Network – SAEON) in February 2020 regarding the potential for establishing a RVSC at the UFS Qwaqwa campus.
Subsequent interactions were held between the UFS and DSI, and in March 2020, the UFS formally accepted the DSI invitation. It has since been agreed that the RVSC: UFS will be hosted as a RVSC under the ARU umbrella, with dedicated personnel embedded at the UFS in this regard (internal processes and reporting) but reporting directly to the NRF regarding the RVSC.
Interest and support welcomed
Dr Clark welcomed this interest and support from the DSI-NRF, saying that the funds will further assist the UFS in growing its excellent and growing research portfolio and building more research capacity on this traditionally undergraduate-focused campus. “The RVSC will contribute to much-needed solutions in an area marked by major sustainability challenges and will assist in moving Phuthaditjhaba away from its negative apartheid history towards becoming a sustainable African mountain city,” says Dr Clark.
Registration process not affected by power shedding
2008-01-24
The power shedding that has been affecting the country over the last few weeks has no effect on the University of the Free State’s (UFS) registration process and it is continuing as normal.
The Callie Human Centre in Bloemfontein, where the registration process of the Main Campus is taking place, is supplied with emergency power. Although power shedding is taking place on the rest of the campus, the centre is not affected by this. The registration process has been running smoothly so far.
“It appears that students are under the impression that the registration process is also affected by the power shedding and, as a result, they are turning up in smaller numbers than usual to register. This can cause problems for us later on because the registration process is divided into different categories of students and it takes place according to a predetermined programme,” said Mr Vernon Collett, Registrar of Academic Student Services at the UFS.
“If students do not keep to the registration programme it can create unnecessary delays in the registration process. I want to encourage students to keep to the predetermined registration dates that are applicable to them as the academic year will commence soon,” said Mr Collett.
Senior undergraduate students (that is students entering their second or later year of study) started registering on Monday, 21 January 2008. Students who applied for admission to the Main Campus after 30 November 2007 and were accepted, must register from 4 February 2008 according to a process applicable to them. Lectures will start on 4 February 2008 and the registration process will end on 8 February 2008. Registered modules can be amended from 4-8 February 2008.
Detailed information on the dates and times of registration for the various faculties and academic learning programmes is available on the UFS website at www.ufs.ac.za.
MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
24 January 2008