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UFS Department of Economics and Finance receives prestigious CFA accreditation

09 March 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Dr Edson Vengeai — Dr Edson Vengesai believes accreditation from and affiliation with the CFA Institute signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace that the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking curriculum is well-suited to prepare students for a brighter career in the investment field.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences was recently welcomed into the world’s largest association of investment professionals, the CFA Institute University Affiliation Programme. The CFA designation is globally recognised as the gold standard in the investment field.

Accreditation by this respected source of knowledge in investment and portfolio management reflects the rigour and value of the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking (IMB) degree – housed in the more than a century-old Department of Economics and Finance.

According to Dr Edson Vengesai, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics and Finance, the BCom IMB positions students well to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charter, which has become the world's most respected and recognised investment credential. Including the UFS, only five universities in South Africa are affiliated to the CFA Institute.

Most respected investment designation

Members who have attained the prestigious designation ‘Chartered Financial Analyst’, hold prominent roles in leading investment firms in financial centres worldwide. “Becoming a charter holder is a defining moment for many investment professionals, which exemplifies a robust understanding of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills,” he says.

Dr Vengesai states that with this affiliation from the CFA Institute, the BCom IMB degree has been acknowledged as incorporating at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK) within the programme. Moreover, it also places emphasis on the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. He believes preparing graduates who are ethically grounded and ready to execute their duties in an ethical and professional manner is a major necessity in the financial analysis and investment field.

Writing from London in the United Kingdom, Director of University Relations at the CFA Institute, Peter Watkins, states: “The UFS BCom in Investment Management and Banking is a rigorous programme that will be of great benefit to students entering the investment profession.”

Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Poverty, Inequality and Economic Development, Prof Philippe Burger, adds that the accreditation aligns with the faculty’s drive to create opportunities for its students to not only pursue excellence, but also to compare with the best in the industry, locally and on an international basis. He says the BCom in Investment Management and Banking is one of a range of cutting-edge, industry-relevant, and scientifically rigorous degrees offered by the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. “Quite a number of the faculty’s programmes are accredited by professional bodies, with accreditation by the CFA being the latest.”

Taking the financial sector to new heights

Through the CFA programme, the UFS will also be eligible to receive CFA Programme Student Scholarships each year, which will contribute to the much-needed skill set of well-grounded financial analysts who can take the financial sector to new heights. “Aligning our degree programme with the CFA curriculum will equip our students with the kind of expertise and real-world skills in investment analysis that will help set them apart from other institutions and peers,” adds Dr Vengesai, who also aims to produce a breed of innovators, critical thinkers, and producers of information.

“The affiliation signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace that the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking curriculum is closely tied to professional practices and is well-suited to prepare students for a brighter career in the investment field,” Dr Vengesai concludes.

News Archive

New challenges for animal science discussed

2006-04-04

Some of the guests attending the congress were from the left Dr Heinz Meissner (honorary president of the South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS) and senior manager at the Animal Production Institute of the Agricultural Research Council), Mr Paul Bevan (President of SASAS) and Prof Magda Fourie (Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the UFS).
Photo: Lacea Loader

New challenges for animal science discussed

The South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS) is presenting its 41st Congress at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

The congress started yesterday and will run until Thursday 6 April 2006. The theme is New challenges for the animal science industries.

It is one of the largest congresses in the 45 years since SASAS was founded in 1961. Among the delegates 12 African countries are represented, with the biggest delegation from Kenya. Delegates are also from the United States of America, Iran, Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal and African countries like Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana.

“Many of our members play an important role in the training of animal scientists at universities. The congress is specifically industry orientated so that scientists can interact with farmers through the respective producer organisations,” said Prof HO de Waal, Chairperson of the organising committee and lecturer at the UFS Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences.

According to Dr Heinz Meissner, honorary president of SASAS and a senior manager at the Animal Production Institute of the Agricultural Research Council, the National Livestock Strategy (NLS) Plan clarifies the role and responsibility of the livestock sector.

“Through this strategy we need to focus on enhancing equitable access and participation in livestock agriculture, improve global competitiveness and profitability of the livestock sector and ensure that the ventures implemented do not over utilise our resources,” said Dr Meissner.

In her welcoming address, Prof Magda Fourie, Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the UFS highlighted the related challenges that the UFS will be focusing on specifically over the next five years. “We have identified five strategic clusters that represent broad areas of excellence in research and post-graduate education. Two of these are food production, quality and safety for Africa and sustainable development,” she said.

“The food safety and security cluster will focus on the production of food in all its varieties within the African context, encompassing the entire value chain – from production to consumption and nutrition related issues. This would include a strong emphasis on sustainable production systems,” she said.

According to Prof Fourie the rural development cluster will engage in questions around the role of higher education in sustainable development. “One of the focus areas in this strategic cluster pertains to sustainable livelihoods. It refers to a way of approaching development that incorporates all aspects of human livelihoods and means by which people obtain them,” she said.

Prof Fourie said that the challenges we are facing such as food production can only be effectively addressed through collaborative efforts. “That is why it is important that collaboration takes place between different scientific disciplines, researchers, institutions and countries who are confronted with similar difficulties,” she said.

According to Prof de Waal the congress will give key role players a unique opportunity to present a profile of what they perceive an animal scientist should be and state their specific requirement regarding the animal sciences and its applications.

“In this way we can determine what the industry’s needs are and we can re-align our curriculum to suit these needs,” said Prof de Waal.

During the next two days, various areas of interest will be discussed. This includes ruminant and monogastric nutrition, animal physiology, beef, dairy, sheep and ostrich breeding and sustainable farming covering the range from commercial to the small-scale farming level.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
4 April 2006

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