Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
01 December 2022 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo iFLAIR Photography

During its meeting on 25 November 2022, the Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) unanimously approved the name changes of five residences on the Bloemfontein Campus. 

The UFS Institutional Transformation Plan (ITP) states that a transformed university in South Africa will be one that strives for social justice in everything it does. It will be an institution where its diverse people feel a sense of common purpose and where the symbols and spaces, systems and daily practices all reflect a commitment to openness and engagement. 

“It is in this context that the names and symbols of all 36 residences on the Bloemfontein Campus have been reviewed to ensure that the institutional culture and spaces contribute to an inclusive sense of belonging. The process was started in 2021 through the university’s Naming Committee,” said Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor. 

Subsequently, a process was launched for the review and adjustment of the names of several residences on campus. The recommended name changes express the university’s commitment to courageously grapple with its shared past, present, and future. They are informed by the (2020) Naming and Renaming Policy, which “recognises that the names bestowed on its assets must sustain a harmonious balance between descriptive functions, the university’s origins, the rich history and heritage of the UFS, and the constitutionally democratic society it is designed to serve”. 

As such, the following name changes were approved by the UFS Council:

“The renaming process of the five residences included a variety of activities, all of which focused on building and implementing an engagement and consultation process with the various stakeholders and role player communities,” said Prof Petersen. 

During the renaming process, an important approach of the Naming Committee was to balance the social justice and multilingual agenda of the UFS. Therefore, the languages used in the renaming process reflect not only some of the languages spoken at the UFS (i.e., English, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and isiZulu), but also languages such as isiXhosa, Kiswahili and the use of a name that draws on the national motto in ways that recognise the Khoisan heritage of the Free State and South Africa. 

“The renaming process is an important milestone for the UFS as it symbolises and celebrates the courage and vision of the university community for its commitment to transformation and for participating in a process which aims at producing a names and symbols environment in which all can experience belonging,” said Prof Petersen. 

During the Council meeting, the Naming Committee was thanked for the work done and for the balanced approach to the process of renaming the residences. 

News Archive

Law degree in Reproductive and Sexual Rights introduced
2005-08-26

The Masters of Law degree (LL M) in Human Rights, specialising in Reproductive and Sexual Rights, was introduced at the University of the Free State (UFS) this year.  The programme is the first one of its kind in South Africa to be presented by a tertiary institution and is presented in partnership with the Ford Foundation.

The programme mainly focuses on grooming lawyers from the African continent to play an important role in the realisation of reproductive and sexual rights at national and international level. 

This week's workshop focused on curriculum development for the programme and was attended by delegates from South African and other African universities, and the University of Toronto in Canada .

Front from left:
Prof Rebecca Cook, extraordinary professor at the UFS Department of Constitutional Law and Philosophy of Law, and Professor in the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto; and Prof Charles Ngwena, coordinator of the programme and a member of the UFS Department of Constitutional Law and Philosophy of Law

Back from left:
Prof Loot Pretorius, Director of the Centre for Human Rights Studies at the UFS; Ms Mmatsie Mooki, lecturer at the UFS Faculty of Law, and Ms Patience Sone, LL M student at the UFS

PHOTO:  Volksblad


 

 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept