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PhD motivated by a desire to make a positive impact on society

12 December 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Leonie Bolleurs

When asked what inspired her to pursue a PhD, Dr Karen Venter, Head of the Division of Service Learning in the Directorate Community Engagement at the University of the Free State (UFS), said she wanted to make a difference in addressing societal challenges through the practice of engaged scholarship in community-university research partnerships for the common good.

“Also, I love to learn and share knowledge – and that is exactly what I did in this PhD, titled: An integrated service-learning praxis approach for flourishment of professional development in community-higher education partnerships.”

She explains, “My five-articles-style thesis explored the contribution of an integrated service-learning praxis approach towards the flourishment of engaged scholarship in community-higher education partnerships. The approach combined community engaged service-learning (CESL), appreciative inquiry and appreciative leadership, to advance the praxis of engaged scholarship. The study was demarcated in the field of higher education, applied in the discipline of nursing education, and contextually bound to three interrelated action research cycles and settings – for international, national, and local level engagement.”

Community members participate in the research journey

“The intent of the study was to recognise the community-led action learning of community member participants at the core action learning set,” says Dr Venter.

The study followed a participatory action learning and action research methodology. During her research journey, she was joined by members of the community, specifically from Bloemshelter – a shelter for the homeless. “They co-constructed and completed a four-year community-led action learning pathway to holistic development (spiritual, personal, professional), which brought about holistic social change and well-being in their livelihood, moving from dependence on others to establishing viable multiple micro-enterprises,” she says.

The UFS affiliated with GULL to reward the community member participants’ action learning. “Already in 2019, GULL certified their action learning with a Professional Bachelor’s degree, while I still had to document the action research, and only now received the PhD,” says Dr Venter.

“I am grateful to all the participants who co-created action-oriented knowledge with me in the study, from international, to national, to local level of engagement.”

Integrating a PhD with work and life

A PhD requires a lot of hard work and effort, to the point that the lines between studies, work, and life become blurred. Dr Venter acknowledged that she tried to balance work/life and study, but “I was not very good at it”.

Passion, patience, peace, perseverance, positivity, and prayer are good principles to maintain when you are in the process of completing a PhD. – Dr Karen Venter

She elaborates, “Studying became an integrated part of my work and life. For the duration of my studies, I started working at 03:00 and I also did not watch any television.” She did, however, make time for herself by joining the wellness workout programme presented by the UFS, enjoyed gardening, and playing with her grandchildren. “I also tried to rest one day over weekends, and made time to praise and worship, which energised me for the next week,” she adds.

“Passion, patience, peace, perseverance, positivity, and prayer are good principles to maintain when you are in the process of completing a PhD, she believes.

Dr Venter says that although writing a PhD is indeed lonely, it is also an exciting journey, “especially when you reach those moments of breakthrough that can only come to life after deep reflection.” She also describes it as a deep spiritual journey. “Almost like walking in and out of a labyrinth – and where many hours become equal to a breath.

She is very grateful to her supervisors, Dr Somarie Holtzhausen, Prof Mabel Erasmus, and Dr Elanie Myburgh. “I deeply honour and salute you for your unconditional and continuous coaching, compassion, and care – guiding, supporting, motivating, mentoring, and keeping me grounded until I completed the journey.”

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Address by the first Inaugural President of the Central SRC

2005-08-03

The UFS Central SRC

Address by the first Inaugural President of the Central SRC of the University of the Free State, Mr Tello Motloung on Wednesday 3 August 2003

The Chairperson of the UFS Council, Judge Faan Hancke,
The Vice-chancellor and Rector of the UFS, Prof Frederick Fourie
The Vice-Rector Student Affairs of the UFS, Dr Ezekiel Moraka
The Presidents of the main campus SRC and the Vista campus SRC
Colleagues in the Central SRC, campus SRCs, students and fellow South Africans

Please receive my heartfelt revolutionary greetings

Vice-chancellor and rector what I bring here with me assisted by facts, is just the work of my imagination. Like a love letter addressed to a sweetheart miles away, even though you do not know how she feels, what she wants to hear, and do not even know what she looks like.

I value speech as just an honest intimation, that’s why I got into a habit of establishing a dialogue with people, looking at each other’s face, and persuading one another of what we are saying.

Vice-chancellor, today marks an important milestone in the history of the existence of the UFS. Today reflects the confidence and trust that students of the UFS have placed in us. They are confident that the Central SRC has both the will and the capacity to take our university forward as we confront the challenge of transformation.

Students are confident that they are correct to trust the Central SRC as the principal agent of change in our university that is genuinely committed to the objective of building a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic university. We need to frankly ask ourselves, as CSRC members, whether are we up to all these challenges?

All Central SRC members have to understand this fully, internalize it, and ensure that everything we do, does not betray the confidence and trust of students, or disappoint their expectations. I say this knowing that all Central SRC members have committed themselves to serve the students of the UFS, black and white, and no one among us (CSRC) needs any special lectures about this central commitment.

The UFS should be an omnibus, welcoming everybody on board. But we should be a bus with a clear direction. We will certainly lose our way if we, as an institution, don’t have a clear road map spelling out where we are heading to.

There should be clear guidelines on the role of students in the transformation process. Students should also be viewed as role players in transformation along with the University management, and not just opposing forces. There is no right time, other than this one, to move away from the politics of opposition to politics of transformation.

However, we need the support of management to do so. The University should value the role and contribution of student leaders, hear our legitimate claims and consider them as part of political and policy decision making.

Vice-chancellor and Rector, it remains our task to ensure that the UFS is transformed into an institution that is seen to be playing a vigilant role in developing students academically, intellectually, socially, culturally, politically and otherwise. The process of transformation is not ending tonight, it is just beginning tonight.

Judge Hancke, Prof Fourie, Dr Moraka, fellow students and fellow South Africans, I lead students at this university with a sense of pride and duty, and I know very well that I lead men and women, students who are all determined that we reach our destination safely and on time.

A navy divided within its ranks will be destroyed and vanquished by the enemy, but the navy united in purpose and action, loyalty and commitment will not sink but sail on to victory.

It is befitting to mention that every drop of my blood is telling me that the UFS is my home. I firstly became a student here, I became the SRC treasurer in my first year here, I became the deputy president here, and I became the first president of the Central SRC of the UFS.

Therefore you should never doubt my commitment towards the transformation of this university. To paraphrase what was said by students at another institution, “If there is no UFS in heaven, then I am not going.”

Let me conclude by thanking my ancestors for teaching me that even if I wined and dined with kings and queens, I am not a king myself, so I should not turn my back on people who made me what I am today.

Most importantly, I would like to thank the Almighty God and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for giving me time and power to lead this university.

It will be theoretically irresponsible if I ended my speech without indicating that “Only a Kovsie knows the feeling”.

I thank you.

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