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26 July 2022
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Story Bulelwa Moikwatlhai
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Photo Supplied
Experiencing the UFS in person for the first time are from the left: Sandor Potjer (VU Amsterdam), Bulelwa Moikwatlhai (UFS OIA), Ricarda Kochems (Bremen University, Germany), Froukje Pronk (VU Amsterdam) and Matome Mokoena (UFS OIA)
As the UFS COVID-19 Regulations and Required Vaccination Policy has been lifted with immediate effect – allowing 100% capacity of both students and staff members and a fully operational campus – the
Office for International Affairs welcomes its first physical exchange cohort after two years. The cohort of students hail from the various international partners of the UFS, namely the
University of Bremen in Germany, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Sciences PO Bordeaux in France. The students will be hosted in the UFS faculties of the Humanities, Economic and Management Sciences, and Natural and Agricultural Sciences, respectively.
These students have been paired with
Umoja Buddy Programme ambassadors to help ensure their smooth transition and integration into student life at the UFS. Furthermore, the students received an invitation from the President of the
International Student Association (ISA), Courtney Madziwa, to join their association, thus exposing them to students from other countries to learn about the various cultures.
On 18 July, the Office for International Affairs (OIA) arranged a hybrid orientation programme for the exchange students, including those students who have not yet arrived on the Bloemfontein Campus. The students took part in an icebreaker activity, where they had the opportunity to learn from and teach other participants about their home countries. Dr Cornelius Hagenmeier, Director of the OIA, welcomed the exchange students to the Bloemfontein Campus, and expressed excitement to have physical exchanges again. Furthermore, the guest presenters ranged from student leadership, staff members, and service providers.
The presentations were practical, demonstrating, among others, how to create a password on the institutional website – presented by Mr Molemo Mohapi from UFS ICT. The presentation on how to fully utilise Blackboard was facilitated by Ms Vuthihi Mudau from the UFS CTL division. We take the safety of all our students seriously, so Ms Elise Oberholzer from the UFS Protection Services has given the students some tips on how to safeguard themselves.
Postgraduate Open Day: Mapping the journey
2016-06-27
Prospective postgraduate students listen
attentively at the Postgraduate Open Day
Photo: Charl Devenish
“Whether you are a psychologist, a theologian, an economist, a political scientist, a chemist, or a physician, the purpose of knowledge is to improve the lives of others.”
Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State (UFS), was speaking at the opening of the Postgraduate Open Day, held on our Bloemfontein Campus on 22 June 2016. In addition, he highlighted these grounds for considering postgraduate studies:
• To be globally literate and globally mobile
• To gain the satisfaction of understanding the world more deeply
• To serve as an inspiration to others to further their studies
Prof Fanie Snyman, Dean of the Faculty of Theology, said, “One of the benefits of postgraduate studies especially is that they enable you to think critically. This capacity helps you to understand society better—even outside your field of expertise.”
Prospective postgraduate students were assisted in selecting a suitable postgraduate degree, as a first step in mapping out their postgraduate journey at the UFS.
Kgosi Makhetha, who is currently studying a degree in Business Administration, agreed with Prof Jansen, saying, “Studying gives me great satisfaction. I truly believe that postgraduate studies will give me an edge in the current labour market.” Kgosi plans to enrol for an Honours degree in Industrial Psychology in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
Prof Jansen concluded by exhorting students to “study to make a difference.”