Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
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

Prof Tim Murithi calls for Africa to design new global order
2016-06-02

Description: Prof Tim Murithi calls for Africa to design new global order Tags: Prof Tim Murithi doen ’n oproep op Afrika om ’n nuwe wêreldorde te skep

From left: Prof Heidi Hudson, Head of Centre for Africa
Studies (CAS); Prof Tim Murithi, Extraordinary Professor
at CAS; Prof Lucius Botes, Dean of the Faculty of
the Humanities; and Prof Prakash Naidoo, Principal of
Qwaqwa Campus.
Photo: Stephen Collet

“What do Africans have to say about the remaking of the global order?” was the opening question of Prof Tim Murithi’s lecture which was hosted by the Centre for Africa Studies (CAS) of the University of the Free State (UFS) to celebrate Africa Day on 25 May 2016.

The annual Africa Day Memorial Lecture, entitled: Africa and the Remaking of the Global Order, doubled as Prof Murithi’s inaugural lecture. He is CAS’s newly-appointed Extraordinary Professor, as well as the Head of the Justice and Reconciliation in Africa Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town. He made a compelling argument for the need for Africa to exert an active influence on international narratives of peace, governance, justice, and reconciliation.

“If we are waiting for American leadership to get us out of the quagmire of a situation we are in, we will be waiting for a long time,” said Prof Murithi.

The Head of the Centre, Prof Heidi Hudson, concurred with Prof Murithi’s suggestion of devising African solutions for African problems. She quoted Audre Lorde’s well-known assertion that “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”

Remembering 1963
Over five decades ago, on 25 May 1963, the Organisation of African Unity was formed, and was renamed the African Union in 2002. Africa Day marks this pivotal point in the continent’s history. On this day, we reflect on the continent’s journey into democracy, peace, stability and socio-economic development. It is also an opportunity to celebrate African identity and heritage.

Continent-building dialogues
The UFS Sasol Library celebrated Africa Day with a book launch. Facets of Power. Politics, Profits and People in the Making of Zimbabwe's Blood Diamonds by Tinashe Nyamunda is a reflection of some of the challenges that Zimbabwe continues to face. It details the disadvantaged position which the country finds itself in due to greed, maladministration, and corruption, despite possessing large deposits of minerals.

In celebration of Africa Month, CAS has held a series of lectures by esteemed scholars from across the globe.  Earlier in the month, Prof Henning Melber presented lectures on Namibia’s independence and the African middle class. Kevin Bloom and Richard Poplak unpacked the issues surrounding Africa’s continental shift, while Prof Joleen Steyn Kotze focused on the possible fall of the African National Congress.

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