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“Great to come back home to my UFS family”

15 September 2021 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Charl Devenish

Louzanne read more — The University of the Free State celebrated the achievements of the Paralympic athlete, Louzanne Coetzee. She won silver and bronze medals at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

It is great to be back with her University of the Free State (UFS) family, and Louzanne Coetzee would not have been able to reach her dreams without her Kovsie support.

The Paralympic star thanked the UFS for the role it played in her career and said it was a privilege to represent the UFS and South Africa.

She returned from the Paralympic Games in Tokyo with silver (1 500 m; T11) and bronze (marathon; T12) medals and was welcomed back at a special UFS celebration on 13 September 2021.

The 28-year-old, her guides – Estean Badenhorst and Claus Kempen – and a small group of UFS dignitaries celebrated her achievements.

The Residence Head of Akasia Residence at the UFS not only brought home two medals, but also set a new 1 500 m African record (T11; 4:40.96) and a new world marathon record (T11; 3:11:13) in her class.

Support from home

Coetzee is a UFS alumna who started running while being a Kovsie student.

“Thank you so much for the welcome back,” she said.

“It is great to come back home to my UFS family. Especially after three weeks in another country.”

She said the support messages from the likes of Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, meant a lot while she was in Tokyo.

“I, Claus, and Estean would not have been able to do this without the support of the UFS and Oom DB (Prinsloo; Director of KovsieSport).”

Representing the UFS and the continent

She made special mention of Badenhorst and Kempen, who also run for the Kovsie Athletics Club. “I really feel we function well as a team, and I think the results have been fruitful.”

Prof Petersen praised and thanked them, also for representing the UFS, South Africa, and the continent in such a superb manner.

It is great to come back home to my UFS family. Especially after three weeks in another country. – Louzanne Coetzee

“You really made us proud as the University of the Free State family, and I know that you will continue with great performances in the future,” he said.

Prinsloo said KovsieSport is immensely proud of the trio and for being UFS ambassadors.

“Thank you very much. We are looking forward to the next couple of years.”

News Archive

Prof. Aldo Stroebel serves on SAYAS

2011-09-23

Prof. Aldo Stroebel

Prof. Aldo Stroebel, from our university, has been elected as a Founding Member of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS).

He is currently Associate Professor in the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Development and Extension, as well as the Director of International Academic Programmes in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at the university.

The Young Academy has as its objectives to represent young scientists in advising the government on science and technology policy and human resource development. In addition, they will prepare the SAYAS to join the Global Young Academy (GYA) to engage with high-level international bodies, including the World Economic Forum. Twenty Founding Members have been elected – ten new members will be elected annually to a maximum of 50.

Prof. Stroebel obtained his master’s degree at the University of Ghent, in Belgium, and a PhD at the UFS after a year of graduate coursework at Cornell University in the USA. He completed post-doctoral work at Wageningen University and Research Centre in The Netherlands, where he has been appointed as a Visiting Fellow to their recently-established Centre for Food Security and Sustainable Development. He has published widely, including more than 90 journal articles, book chapters and reports, and co-edited a book published by CTA Wageningen. He has supervised ten master's and doctoral students.

He serves in various capacities: he is a member of the Research and Innovation Strategy Group of Higher Education South Africa (HESA), former member of the SANPAD Board, the President of the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) Conference in 2010, and Vice-President of Research and President-elect of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA).

Prof. Stroebel has participated in a number of national and international conferences. He was a keynote speaker at the Society of Research Administrators (SRA) in Washington DC in the USA and at the Ministerial Conference on Higher Education in Agriculture in Uganda.

He has worked as a consultant and/or advisor for a number of international and multinational organisations, including the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Bank, Lux Development, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Switzerland.

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