Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
18 May 2022 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Supplied
Jon Kehrer
Jon Kehrer is a prolific academic and scholar. He also spent a few years teaching English in the Middle East.
It was a former professor who influenced American scholar Jon Kehrer to further his academic journey with the Department of Hebrew at the University of the Free State (UFS). And it was at the UFS where he recently graduated cum laude with a master’s degree in Hebrew, and was named recipient of the Dean’s Medal. 

Although he never expected to receive the Dean’s Medal, he is very glad – and somewhat relieved – that his dissertation made it through the examiners. “I never anticipated receiving this award. It makes me even more grateful for the strong Hebrew Department at UFS, and their rigorous standards for their students,” Kehrer says. 

“I wish I had been able to attend the graduation ceremony, but the circumstances of the semester just did not allow it.” Kehrer is currently teaching in the areas of the Old Testament and Biblical Languages at the Ozark Christian College (OCC) in Missouri, USA. In addition to his UFS qualifications Kehrer also holds a Bachelor of Theology qualification from the OCC. “I love the opportunity to invest in students and help them see new perspectives,” he says. 

UFS Hebrew a firm foundation for a solid academic career  

“I was looking for a high-quality and challenging programme that was flexible, especially since I work full-time and have a large family,” Kehrer says, as he recalls how he initially decided to become part of the UFS. He remembers fondly how Dr Kevin Chau, senior lecturer in Hebrew at the UFS, motivated and supported him when he first enrolled for the BA Honours programme. 

It is also a testament that the Department of Hebrew has made an impact internationally for the quality of its academic offerings. “Dr Chau helped me to think about how what I was learning would have an impact on my research and teaching in the future, and he was always quick to provide thorough and constructive feedback on my work,” Kehrer says.  

Once enrolled for the master’s programme it was initially difficult to know which direction to pursue and what topic to research, but the guidance and support of his two advisors, Prof Cynthia Miller-Naude and Prof Jacobus Naude, was “very helpful”.

“They never dictated what paths I should pursue, but they listened carefully and provided expert guidance to help me choose the path that would best suit my interests and the needs of the field,” he says. 

It was this support from the Department of Hebrew and its excellent reputation that came full circle when Kehrer was named Dean’s Medal recipient for achieving the highest marks of any student in a master’s qualification in the UFS Faculty of The Humanities. 

Dissertation a closer look at verbs in Biblical Hebrew 

His dissertation focused on Biblical Hebrew and how the object of a verb appears in various ways. “Sometimes an object appears by itself, but sometimes it can have a preposition or a two-consonant Biblical Hebrew particle along with it. Many Bible translations treat all these objects the same,” he says. “I wanted to try to understand why these variations occurred, so I looked at how different sentence elements might contribute to the variation. It was a fascinating study!” 
 
Kehrer believes it is important for university students to continue studying classical subjects like Hebrew. “I think we can all learn much from those who have gone before us, and so much wisdom and insight is connected to these ancient Biblical Hebrew texts, texts that would be inaccessible to us without translation,” he says. 

“I also think classical disciplines can help train students to think well and to read critically – essential skills for living in today’s ever-changing world.”  

News Archive

Kovsie Tennis team defends proud USSA record in Cape Town
2015-12-01


In 2014, Kovsies won gold at the USSA Tennis Tournament for the eighth consecutive time. Six players from last year's 12-man squad are in 2015 in Cape Town again available. Photo: Johan Roux

Duke Munro already has six gold medals from the USSA Tennis Tournament in his cupboard, and the Kovsie Tennis team would wish to bid him farewell in a fitting manner during what will probably be his last tournament in Cape Town.

This year's tournament, taking place from 30 November to 4 December 2015, will probably be Munro's last, since he is completing his Master's degree in Quantity Surveying at the University of the Free State (UFS).

He has competed in the USSA Tournament since 2009, and would like to help his team defend its proud record.

UFS aim for ninth consecutive title

Kovsies have won gold at the USSA Tournament for the last eight years. They are the only team who have been able to win the tournament since the combined format was adopted in 2010. In 2007 and 2008, their Women's team won the tournament, and in 2009, their Men's team.

Kovsies will play in group matches against the Universities of Venda and Wits on 30 November 2015, against the University of Cape Town's (UCT's) second team on 1 December 2015, and against UCT's first team on 2 December 2015. The cross and knockout matches will be played on 3 and 4 December 2015.

Other sporting codes

The Sevens Rugby team from the UFS will compete in the USSA Tournament in George on 30 November and 1 December 2015.

For the past two years, the team has won bronze, and will be playing three league matches on 30 November 2015 against the North-West University's Vaal Campus, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's Port Elizabeth Campus, and the Vaal University of Technology.

Kovsies are the current Varsity Sevens Champions after winning the title in Cape Town in April 2015.

Ten Kovsie swimmers took part in the USSA Tournament in Johannesburg from 28 November to 30 November 2015. Last year, Kovsies came third, but unfortunately some of their leading swimmers were unable to take part this year.

The Kovsie Table tennis team will participate in the USSA Tournament in Kimberley from 30 November to 4 December 2015.

Most of the USSA Tournaments in the other sporting codes were either postponed or cancelled because of the recent nationwide student protests. As a result of the protests, exams were written later, and tournaments would have taken place during the holidays.

Only the tennis, table tennis, Sevens rugby, swimming, and cricket B Division in East London will continue.

The USSA Soccer Tournament, to take place at the UFS and the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein, was postponed until March 2016.

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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