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10 March 2022 | Story Bonolo Mahlatsi | Photo Pexels
Secure the Grad- CTL initiative
The initiative, termed #SecureTheGrad (#STG), serves to promote student engagement, learning, and progress. Furthermore, it aims to create well-rounded students who are responsible and will, in turn, become productive citizens when they exit university. In that way, they will be able to deal with societal issues.

As the registration process has been concluded and the academic year is underway, the academic race for students is in progress. The race may be overwhelming and daunting at the beginning because of new modules, assessment schedules, and imminent test weeks.  

Secure the Grad Initiative

However, there is no need for students to fret, as help is always available to them. The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the University of the Free State (UFS), under the focus area of Student Success and Learning (SLS), has created a senior experience and senior student success initiative. The initiative, termed #SecureTheGrad (#STG), serves to promote student engagement, learning, and progress. Furthermore, it aims to create well-rounded students who are responsible and will, in turn, become productive citizens when they exit university. In that way, they will be able to deal with societal issues. Secure the Grad is an institutional programme available to all students across the three campuses. To date, it has more than 2 600 students who formed part of the senior student orientation in February 2022. In addition, it has more than 1 300 students joining the live webinar on advising, academic appeals, postgraduate funding, as well as student accommodation.

Benefits of the initiative

Secure the Grad invites experts to share the value of their services with senior students in a conversation format. In fact, the programme’s webinars and seminars aim to provide senior UFS students with an opportunity to network within the campus community, as well as with key partners. In addition, the initiative aims to enable students to plan their professional development, establish realistic expectations aligned with those of the university, foster a sense of belonging that enhances the experience towards graduation, and transition into the entrepreneurial world of work. Thus, granting students the opportunity to have access to the support services (such as navigating campus, having access to academic support, career development, wellness, and personal success) available at the university in order for them to be successful in their studies, profession, and life.
 
Engagement with the UFS students

The initiative is a pragmatic way to understand student and community engagement by familiarising students with all departments and the services rendered, to create well-rounded students. Since its inception, Secure the Grad has gained much momentum in the student community. As such, the initiative will kick off this month with first-ever activations across the three campuses, and a series of webinars and seminars throughout the semester. Communication about the events will be sent by the marketing team to students on their student emails and the relevant social media platforms.

Learning should be fun, with meaningful initiatives that tie in with teaching, learning, and ultimately students succeeding in their studies. At the end of the day, the idea is to create holistic student experiences that will enhance student success by having students who stay on track, feel nurtured, connected, and engaged with the university. 

News Archive

Public Tourism lecture at Qwaqwa Campus a first
2011-10-03

 

Attending the Tourism Month celebrations were from the left: Dr Elias Malete, Qwaqwa Campus Principal; Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk; and Dr Choice Makhetha, Vice-Rector: External Relations (actg).
Photo: Thabo Kessah

Tourism Month was celebrated in style at our Qwaqwa Campus with the hosting of the first ever Public Tourism Lecture. The lecture was part of the national Tourism Month celebrations and was organised by the National Department of Tourism in partnership with the UFS, the Central University of Technology, Free State and the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

The keynote address was presented by UJ’s Ms Milena Ivanovic, whose paper was entitled Cultural Tourism – Global and Local Perspective. This presentation was followed by a discussion by a panel of experts, namely Prof. Doreen Atkinson, Ms Merle Naidoo (both from the UFS), Prof. Albert Strydom (CUT), Dr Webber Ndoro (African World Heritage Fund), Ms Leonore Beukes (Department of Tourism) and Dr Kevin Mearns (UJ).

In acknowledgement of the role that institutions of higher learning play in advancing the tourism agenda, Minister of Environmental Affairs & Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said that South Africa was now in a better position to welcome tourists compared to pre-1994.

“Before 1994 we had less than 500 000 foreign arrivals in the country while in 2010 we had over 10 million of whom 8 million were tourists. In 2006 only 26 airlines were using our airports, but now there are over 50 airlines,” he said.

Also in attendance were Free State MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mxolisi Dukwana, and the UFS team led by Qwaqwa Campus Principal, Dr Elias Malete, and Vice-Rector: External Relations, Dr Choice Makhetha.

The Tourism Month festivities were concluded by a tough, but informative Poster Presentation Competition that pitted UFS, UJ and CUT students against each other.

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