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17 August 2022 | Story Samkelo Fetile | Photo Charl Devenish
Gadija Brown MEC for Finance in the Free State
Gadija Brown, Free State MEC for Finance.

Students in the Department of Business Management within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) had the opportunity to attend guest lectures by Gadija Brown, MEC for Finance, and Makalo Mohale, MEC for Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) in the Free State government. The guest lectures, which took place on 1 August 2022, were also attended by the Black Management Forum (BMF) Free State Chapter Chair, Mosebetsi Dladla. 

Insights from the guest lecturers

“A priority for the government was SMEs involved in agriculture, tourism, and agricultural industrialisation or manufacturing, as these were the main contributors to the Free State’s economy,” said Brown in her keynote address as she profiled the small business sector of the Free State. 
Makalo Mohale discussed the importance of establishing an enabling environment for the creation of SMEs in the province. “University students, such as the UFS students, can be active participants in the economy by creating businesses that are feasible and viable in order to reduce the unemployment rate of the country, as well as provide employment for themselves,” he said.

Prof Brownhilder Neneh, Head of the Department of Business Management, extended her gratitude to the Free State government representatives for honouring the invitation. She advocated for more interactions and partnerships between the university and provincial government to create a synergy of collaborations between government and academia.

Makalo Mohale MEC Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs
Makalo Mohale. Photo: Supplied. 


From sit-down exam to practical engagement

The Department of Business Management offers Small Business Management as an undergraduate programme at NQF Level 7 (16 credits) during the third year of study. The module's goal is to give students the knowledge and abilities they need to become capable and self-assured business professionals or leaders.
Dr Ekaete Benedict, Coordinator of the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management modules, outlined that the group project is what students are assessed on, instead of a sit-down examination. 

“One of the first things I did to change the curricula of the module was to apply for it to become a continuous assessment module,” she said.  “That is, do away with the sit down and write exam component at the end of the semester, and rather test the students on practical engagement with real-life business scenarios and people throughout the duration of the semester,” she continued. 

“This is in line with best practices at the world's top universities,” Dr Benedict concluded.

News Archive

Prof. Dingie Janse van Rensburg promoted to Outstanding Professor
2007-11-19

The University of the Free State (UFS) is pleased to announce that Prof. Dingie Janse van Rensburg, Director of the Centre for Health Systems Research and Development has been promoted to Outstanding Professor.

In 1991 the Executive Committee of the Council introduced the category of Outstanding Professor to give recognition to a small group of outstanding academics. Not many academics at the UFS received this status since then.

Prof. Janse van Rensburg has been working at the UFS for 37 years and played a big role in establishing a culture of scientific publication among young and upcoming researchers.

Prof. Janse van Rensburg enjoys extensive national and international recognition as researcher and research manager. He delivered various national and international papers and is involved in a variety of international research projects – some of which were initiated by him. He succeeded in involving a variety of foreign researchers in long term research projects.

In 1993 he established an entrepreneurial research and development centre, which he has sustained for more than 13 years. The centre enjoys recognition nationally as well as internationally as well as credibility in the eyes of the international donor community, within government’s health sphere as well as in peer academic circles.

Prof. Janse van Rensburg has for several years been a grant holder of both the National Research Foundation and the Medical Research Council for research projects on Tuberculosis and HIV/Aids.

During his career at the UFS Prof. Janse van Rensburg received several merit awards and commendations from the UFS and other institutions. These include the Stals Prize in 1993 from the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, a Council Medal from the UFS in 2003, the UFS Centenary Medal in 2004, an award from the Department of Health in 2004 for excellence and continued support of this department, a promotion to Senior Professor from the UFS in 2005 and the Free State Premier’s Excellence Award Gold category in 2006 for excellence in research and development.

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  
19 November 2007
 

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