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21 June 2021 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Kaleidoscope Studios (Sonia Small)
Prof Francis Petersen
Prof Francis Petersen
The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) unanimously approved the re-appointment of Prof Francis Petersen for a second five-year term as Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, as from 31 March 2022 to 1 April 2027. The decision was made during Council’s second scheduled meeting for the year, which took place virtually on 18 June 2021.

Council appreciation for exceptional leadership
“Prof Petersen’s first term was characterised by exceptional leadership and the Council has significant appreciation for the work that he has done and his accomplishments to date. Since his appointment on 1 April 2017 and under his leadership, the UFS has excelled in a number of key areas,” said Dr Willem Louw, Chairperson of the UFS Council.

Excellence, inclusivity, innovation, academic freedom, a particular focus and emphasis on critical enquiry, social responsiveness, integrity, and humaneness have been the value trademarks by which Prof Petersen operates. Early in his term – through a well-structured, thought-through, and consultative approach – he produced the strategic framework for the UFS for the period 2018 to 2022, the key performance areas of which have been implemented in most cases or are nearing completion.

“Prof Petersen has put forward a compelling set of drivers for his second term and indicated that he specifically intends to focus on and elevate the teaching and learning, research and internationalisation, and engaged scholarship portfolios of the university. On behalf of the Council, I wish him all the best with the second term and look forward with great expectation to what he and his executive team will achieve to further advance the UFS nationally and internationally,” said Dr Louw.

“I am humbled and honoured by the expression of confidence in me; it is a privilege to  continue leading one of the greatest universities in the country on its new journey. I will continue to do my utmost to build a strong institution that belongs to everyone, and want to thank our staff, students, and valued stakeholders for their continued support,” said Prof Petersen.

Achievements during first term
The UFS’ achievements during Prof Petersen’s first term include the implementation of an Integrated Transformation Plan (ITP) (towards social justice); the UFS Strategic Plan (towards expanding the scope of transformation); the Vice-Chancellor Strategic Projects (towards a high-performance institution); the institutional Risk Management Committee (towards risk management and risk philosophy); and the institutional Multi-Stakeholder Group (towards an inclusive institutional culture).

Further highlights include the development of differentiated research, internationalisation, and innovation strategies for the UFS; the development of Project Caring in the domain of the Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice; facilitating an institutional governance project; development of a strategy and plans for a Digital Scholarship Centre; the development of proactive relationships with the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS); and the establishment of a Reputation Management Forum to assist in improving the reputation and profile of the UFS.

Vision for the second term
Prof Petersen’s vision for his second term includes the continuation of the ITP, with a primary focus on the social justice imperative and ensuring the completion of all the deliverables; using the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as basis of the response as to how the UFS will affect society positively; using digitisation as key focus in determining how the academic project will be delivered, supported and how it is interfacing with the external environment; raising the external profile of the UFS through alumni, foundations, donors, and strategic communication as critical drivers; and to continue participating and further advancing national and global discourses.




News Archive

UFS research project aims to stimulate reflection on theological studies
2017-06-20

Description: Book, Theology and post Apartheid condition Tags: Book, Theology and post Apartheid condition

The first book in the ‘UFS Theological
Exploration’ academic series, called Theology
and the Post(Apartheid) Condition, has just
been released.
Photo: Supplied

 

The first study book with the title Theology and the Post(Apartheid) Condition, which is part of a new academic series by the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of the Free State, is now available. Volume 1, compiled by Professor Rian Venter as editor, is the first book in the ‘UFS Theological Exploration’ academic series, which the faculty plans to release.

Transformation
Professor Venter says the transformation of processes and practices in communicating and creating knowledge has become an urgent task for public universities in a democratic South Africa. Much reflection has already gone into the methods and scope of transformation in higher education.

Although the faculty has done work on the implications of this for theology, there is one area of investigation that has not received much attention. It concerns the role of theological disciplines such as Old and New Testament, Missiology and Systematic Theology and Practical Theology, and specifically the relationship between academic disciplines and societal growth. The book focuses on these challenges and contains the intellectual undertakings of the contributors who are all lecturers, research fellows and post-graduate students linked to the faculty.

The questions
The key questions addressed are: what are the contours of the (post)apartheid condition and what are the implications for responsible discipline practices in theology. Professor Venter says the chapters in the book are logically arranged and moves from wider to more specific concerns. The first three chapters suggest broad perspectives on the challenges for theology in higher education, chart the changes, and make some suggestions for the future.

A dynamic field of study
The book states that theology has already experienced profound and radical changes over the past decade, which is known to us. All the chapters demonstrate these fundamental shifts, which have taken place in all theological sub-disciplines. Professor Venter says the contributions in the book illustrate that theology is a dynamic field of study, and is pursued with enthusiasm and commitment. Not all disciplines in theology are investigated for the book. However, the studies reflect the interests of the theologians in the Faculty of Theology at the UFS. Professor Venter hopes that the volume might stimulate further reflection of a similar nature by other theologians.

New insights
Through the ‘UFS Theological Exploration’ research series, the faculty hopes to stimulate new insights and new developments in academic progress and overall human growth. Series editor Professor Francois Tolmie says it is a fact that strong university research is necessary to achieve academic progress and advance human prospering. He says the faculty's research series will make a valuable contribution to these causes. Professor Tolmie says the ‘UFS Theological Explorations’ contains research of the highest academic standard which has been peer-reviewed to make significant educational contributions to core theological issues in South Africa and overseas.

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