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Retiring after 41 years: It was a privilege – Prof Magda Mulder

27 May 2021 | Story André Damons | Photo André Damons

Looking back on a career spanning four decades at the University of the Free State (UFS) School of Nursing, Prof Magda Mulder, who retired as Head of the school at the end of May, had more highs than lows. Her last day was on 26 May 2021 – ending a career of 41 years.

One such achievement that this dedicated nursing professional can be proud of, is helping to ensure that the School of Nursing was one of the first training schools in South Africa to complete its curriculum during a year marked by a hard lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My years at the School of Nursing were wonderful and joyous. Things do happen, and not everything was sunshine and rainbows. However, the past 10 years have been especially good because of the people and the team I have worked with, our achievements, and all the things we have done that we can be proud of,” said Prof Mulder.

Her highlights

Prof Mulder’s first task when she started working at the UFS in 1980, was to standardise all the basic clinical procedures in nursing. This was an enormous undertaking that later turned into a textbook, now in its fourth edition (2019).

Among Prof Mulder’s many highlights – which included starting the first nursing simulation laboratory, becoming part of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and moving to the Idalia Loots Building – the biggest highlight was receiving the Atlantic Philanthropies grant of R16 million.

“During this period, we established an Academy and started developing short learning programmes to generate third-stream income for the school. In total, 35 short learning programmes were developed, the Benedictus Kok Building (Nursing education facility) was renovated, and new simulation laboratories were installed. It was a wonderful experience, and we started using simulations as an innovative teaching strategy for our students. The school benefited a great deal from that grant,” said Prof Mulder proudly.

Nursing not the first choice

According to Prof Mulder, nursing was not her first choice as a career, as she wanted to study either plant or animal science. Due to a lack of funding, she had to choose between nursing and teaching to earn money and be independent. Nursing won.

“I have never regretted it. These have been wonderful years. The university is a great place to work. There is never a dull moment, and you do not know what to expect next. It was white-water rafting: you must go, go, go with the stream, and I think this was my salvation. I was able to adjust and adapt despite my age. Holding on to your old beliefs does not work.”

Prof Mulder spent 10 years as Head of the School of Nursing, starting in 2011. Prior to this, she was Programme Director.

Time to leave

According to her, COVID-19 made her realise that it was time to leave and make room for new blood to take the school further.

“I was privileged to work this long. I do not know of any other academic of my age who is still in a permanent position. That in itself is a privilege. But it is time now to go and make room for a younger generation to take the school forward,” said Prof Mulder.

With COVID-19 came many challenges, and she realised that her team needed to make a 90 degree turn from face-to-face teaching to online teaching.

“It was not easy, but we did it. We were one of the first training schools in South Africa to complete the year. We had to plan to make up for the hours lost due to COVID-19, and we did it by getting the students to work night shift. We had to obtain special permission from private hospitals to let our students work longer hours.”

The pandemic was also her worst time at the university. On returning to campus during the lockdown to help students finish their training, Prof Mulder felt the impact of the lockdown. “The campus was dead quiet with not a soul in sight. It was like a graveyard. This was the worst part for me. Usually, I can hear the students from my office, I hear their laughter, and I hear the excitement of graduation, the drums. However, there was nothing. It was as if the world had come to an end.”

Future of nursing

After 41 years, Prof Mulder still talks with passion about nursing and students. She is excited about the future of nursing, the students, and the work the UFS School of Nursing is doing to prepare students for their careers. However, she is also deeply concerned about the profession she loves so dearly.

“There is a tremendous shortage of nurses worldwide, and we came to realise this during COVID. There are simply not enough nurses, especially in specialisation areas such as critical care, theatre, primary health care, and forensic nursing. Currently, all those programmes have been phased out. “We are waiting for the South African Nursing Council (SANC) to approve our new curricula,” said Prof Mulder.

What comes next?

Retiring is a bittersweet moment. “It was many years of long hours, working during holidays, working over weekends, and then suddenly there is nothing. It is a new phase in my life, and I am looking forward. I am excited but also hesitant, as I don’t know what to expect from the future.”

“I will miss nursing; I will miss the academic environment. I am a dedicated type of person; the academic environment was my life. These are my friends. I am going to miss the friendships I made here. As an academic, you do not have time to make other friends, so colleagues become your academic friends, and later they become your academic family. I will miss my team. I have an amazing team.”

Final goodbyes
Prof Marianne Reid, Associate Professor: School of Nursing (worked with Prof Mulder at the UFS since 2005)

“What an honour and privilege to work with Prof Magda. What nurse would not want to have Prof Magda as a model in her profession? She was the same as a person. She made me feel safe as an employee precisely because she could identify and exploit my personal limitations and possibilities.”

“Prof Mulder was the type of leader who invited us to participate, and then gave her input by pointing out the pros and cons. May this new phase in your life be a blessing and be aware of the blessings from our Lord daily. May the prospect of big plans feature in the future.”

News Archive

Professor launches his book, opposition parties attend

2011-03-22

Prof. Hussein Solomon
Photo: Stephen Collett

“We are good in opposing people, but we’re less good in opposing ideas.” This was how Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State (UFS) introduced the book launch of Against all Odds: Opposition Politics in Southern Africa.

The event was hosted in collaboration with the publisher under the title: Are opposition parties in South Africa in a crisis? This formed part of a series of dialogue sessions, organised by the Centre for Africa Studies, in the run up to the local elections.

Amongst those interested who attended the evening in the Senate Hall of the CR Swart Building on the Main Campus were various politicians, students, staff en a panel consisting of academics and the respective provincial representatives of the ANC and DA.

Dr Mcebisi Ndletyana from the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), acted as arbiter.

Proff. Hussein Solomon, author of Against all Odds: Opposition Politics in Southern Africa, also lecturer at the UFS, as well as Dirk Kotzé, Head of the Department of Political Science at Unisa, delivered enriching lectures on the stance and positioning of opposition parties.

Prof. Hussein, who spoke first, circumscribed the context of the political climate in the country, based on his book. “The problem that political science encounters is that everybody becomes experts on the internet, while they have no experience of what is happening in South Africa.” He said that when political parties in the country are under discussion, voters often allow myths and/or stereotyping to influence their concept of it. ‘’If there are no opposition parties, there is no democracy and people are deprived of their vote.”

Prof. Kotzé stated in his speech that it was not only opposition parties who had to make the government watch its step, but also the status that the country acquired, amongst others, from its connections, i.e. collaborative agreements such as BRICSA and the country’s inclusion in the G20. He left the audience with a question about how they were going to become involved in politics, and with his rhetoric question referred to options like social networks and movements.

Mr Sibongile Besani, the ANC'S secretary in the Free State, said the DA grew due to it’s swallowing of other parties; something he claims is taking the country backwards. He also described the use of personalities by opposition parties as means of association a weakness. He added that voters will continue voting for the ANC because they can associate themselves with the party’s vision.

In contrast, Mr Roy Jankielsohn, provincial leader of the DA, said voters and parties unite under their core vision for the country as like in the case of the ANC during the liberation struggles.

During the question-and-answer session, which followed after Mr Jankielson’s speech, Prof. Kwandiwe Kondlo, upon completion and summary of the discussions, stated firmly that the opposition parties are in a crisis. “The start of the solution is to recognise the problem. That is why our democracy finds itself in the state in which it is; because the opposition does not fulfil the role that they are supposed to fulfil.“ Prof. Kondlo is the head of the Centre of Africa Studies at the UFS.

He concluded by stating that the economic basis in the country was not transformed. “We cannot say that people determine their futures if they posses nothing. Opposition parties must start to communicate at this level in order to table something new. Our democracy must become more inclusive at political and material level.”

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