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01 March 2022 | Story Jóhann Thormählen
Alumni reflection

Alumni from the University of the Free State (UFS) are making their mark locally and internationally.

The UFS is committed to keeping its alumni informed, engaged, and connected with each other and their alma mater.

In 2021, the university hosted international and local events, webinars, reunions, and celebrated many achievements as part of these endeavours.

International connections

COVID-19 made us rethink our identity and citizenship. Expert voices from around the world were invited by Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, to reconsider these views in a webinar series.

In partnership with the South African Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom (UK), the ‘Courageous Conversations’ was launched on the theme of ‘The Global Citizen’.

A UK Alumni Connect evening was hosted in London, where Lord Peter Hain was the guest of honour. The UFS met old and new friends and alumni, promoting UFS and South African interests abroad.

Alumni achievements

Seven former Kovsies represented South Africa at the Olympic Games. They were Wayde van Niekerk (400 m), Gerda Steyn (marathon), Nicole Erasmus (women’s hockey), Chris Dry (sevens rugby), Neil Powell (rugby sevens coach), Kate Murray (triathlon coach), and Carla Oberholzer (cycling – women’s road race).

And Louzanne Coetzee became a Paralympic star when she won silver (1 500 m; T11) and bronze (marathon; T12) medals. The Residence Head of Akasia also returned home with a world marathon record in her class and an African record.

The voices of UFS alumni inspired in a unique podcast series. In Voices from the Free State, François van Schalkwyk and Keenan Carelse, both alumni, connected with former Kovsies who reflected on their journeys.

Appointments and celebrations

Prof Petersen plays a major role in strengthening local and international UFS relationships, and his reappointment as Rector and Vice-Chancellor was a big highlight.

“Since his appointment on 1 April 2017 and under his leadership, the UFS has excelled in a number of key areas,” Dr Willem Louw, former Chairperson of the UFS Council, said.

Prof Bonang Mohale was officially inaugurated as the eighth Chancellor of the UFS. Although he took up his term in 2020, the UFS community celebrated his appointment last year.

Dr Russell Ally started his UFS journey as Senior Director: Institutional Advancement.

He joined the UFS after being the executive director of the Development and Alumni Department at the University of Cape Town, and working for the likes of the Ford Foundation and the United Nations.

The second virtual Rector’s Concert was dedicated to first-year students and their accomplishments in trying times.
It featured performances by students, staff, and alumni, including performances by UFS alumna Caroline-Grace, the Odeion String Quartet, OSM Camerata, Dineo Bokala, and many more.

In 2021, the university hosted international and local events, webinars, reunions, and celebrated many achievements as part of connecting with and celebrating alumni.
Reunions

The UFS also reached out locally to alumni in many different ways

An Alumni Connect event in the Eastern Free State was hosted to build relationships between alumni, staff, and UFS stakeholders, while former Akasia residents from 1996 to 2000 had the opportunity to connect and reminisce with their peers during a reunion weekend.

Health Sciences alumni from the class of 1991 celebrated 30 years since graduation during an MBChB reunion. They paid homage to their formative UFS years and connected with fellow classmates and mentors.

The UFS also collaborated on an event organised for couples who are medical specialists. They were celebrated and shown support, as these doctors battled with the COVID-19 pandemic in the healthcare environment. Most of the attendees were UFS alumni.

Graduates of the then University of the North, known as Uniqwa before it merged with the UFS in 2003, had a Uniqwa Chapter Reunion during a special weekend. 

The UFS is looking forward to another prosperous year ahead. Its aim is to connect with alumni, recognise and celebrate their achievements, and grow the UFS alumni community through quality, impact, and care.



News Archive

Sought-after fellowship for Deaf Kovsie academic
2012-04-25

 

Magteld Smith
Photo: Provided
25 April 2012

For a Deaf person to achieve academic excellence in a sound-dominated world is extremely challenging, but Ms Magteld Smith sees each challenge as another opportunity.

Ms Smith, a Medical Social Researcher at the University of the Free State (UFS), recently received the Herbert H Humphrey fellowship. She is one of only two South Africans to receive this fellowship.
 
The Humphrey Fellowship Program provides mid-career professionals from designated countries around the world with an opportunity to enhance their professional capabilities through participation and is developed specifically for small clusters of Humphrey Fellows at 18 selected US universities.
 
It was initiated in 1978 to honour the memory and accomplishments of the former Senator and Vice-President, Humbert H. Humphrey. Fellows are selected based on their potential for national leadership and commitment to public service, in either the public or private sector. The programme provides a basis for establishing long-lasting productive partnerships and relationships between citizens of the United States and their professional counterparts in other countries, fostering an exchange of knowledge and mutual understanding throughout the world.
 
Ms Smith applied for this fellowship, but was still very surprised when she heard her application was successful.
 
“Upon receiving the news, in my mind I saw an enormous rotating world globe and I asked my Heavenly Father, "What is happening now?" I saw big libraries with books, laboratories, state of the art technology for people with hearing impairments, big cars, big houses, big trucks, big farmers, big women and the White House with big trouble. Furthermore, I saw how the UFS became the world leader of academic excellence and change for people with disabilities with high technology manufacturing and rehabilitation programmes.”
 
Ms Smith says Prof. Jonathan Jansen, UFS Vice-Chancellor and Rector, is a great asset, because for the first time people with disabilities are high on the priority list.

 

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