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Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences obtains affiliation with CFA Institute

26 May 2022 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo istock

The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State is pleased to announce its affiliation with the prestigious American-based Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute of Investment and Financial Professionals. The affiliation of the Bachelor of Commerce in Investment Management and Banking with the CFA programme demonstrates that the programme embeds a significant portion of the intensive CFA programme’s candidate body of knowledge (CBK) and standards of professional conduct. This reflects the rigour and value of our degree programme in the field of investment and portfolio management.

“The affiliation signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace that the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well-suited to prepare students for a brighter carrier in the investment field and better placed to sit for the CFA examinations,” says Dr Nico Keyser, the Head of the Department of Economics and Finance in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS.

Through participation in this programme, the university is eligible to receive CFA programme student scholarships each year, thereby massively contributing to the much-needed skill set of well-grounded financial analysts who can take our financial sector to new heights.

According to Dr Keyser, aligning the UFS degree programme with the CFA curriculum will equip students with the expertise and real-world skills in investment analysis that will set them apart from other institutions and peers. “We encourage our students to pursue professional certification that distinguishes them in the market and enhances their job execution skills, innovation, and employability,” says Dr Keyser.

The CFA programme is an international postgraduate, globally recognised professional designation offered by the American-based CFA Institute to investment and financial professionals. To become a CFA charter holder, candidates are required to pass three exam levels covering the fundamentals of investments tools, valuing assets, portfolio management and wealth planning, and acceptable work experience to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation.

The CFA Institute is the world's largest association of investment professionals. Members attain the prestigious designation of 'Chartered Financial Analyst', and many hold prominent roles in leading investment firms in financial centres worldwide.

“Aligning our programme with the CFA code of ethics and standard of professional conduct sets us apart in terms of preparing graduates who are ethically grounded and ready to execute their duties in an ethical and professional manner, which is a major necessity in the financial analysis and investment field. The affiliation is part of our continued commitment to promoting the highest standards of ethics and professional excellence in our investment graduates, which is one of the tenets of the CFA curriculum in grounding investment professionals for better functioning capital markets,” adds Keyser.

News Archive

New SRC constitution for UFS main campus agreed upon by all organisations

2005-07-20

University of the Free State Fact Sheet

1. The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) unanimously approved an amendment to the SRC constitution for the main campus to allow for the introduction of proportional representation (PR) alongside a first-past-the-post electoral system.

2. This decision was taken by the UFS Council on 10 June 2005 at the same meeting where it also approved the establishment of a Central SRC for the three campuses of the UFS.

3. The new main campus SRC constitution is the result of consensus reached during a lengthy negotiation process involving diverse student formations such as Sasco, the ANC Youth League, the Young Communist League, the ACDP, HEREXVII, KovsieAlliance, as well as the democratically elected SRC members of the main campus. Independent persons such as Mr Jack Klaas and Mr Kobus van Loggerenberg facilitated the negotiation process.

4. The consensus reached during this process, and the subsequent decision by Council, represent a major breakthrough for student governance and transformation of the UFS main campus and constitutes a legitimate basis for the democratic participation of all students at the UFS main campus in the governance of the university.

5. The introduction of the proportional representation system follows earlier calls by some student formations, notably Sasco and the ANC Youth League, for such a system to be introduced at the UFS main campus in Bloemfontein.

6. In terms of the amendments to the main campus SRC constitution, nine of the 18 SRC members are to elected by means of proportional representation and nine on the basis of an direct, first-past-the-post election.

7. The following portfolios of the main campus SRC will be contested by individual candidates on the basis of “first past the post”:
• president
• secretary
• academic affairs
• legal and constitutional affairs
• student development
• arts and culture
• men’s internal liaison
• ladies internal liaison
• media, marketing and liaison

8. The following nine portfolios will be contested by affiliated organizations on a proportional representation basis.
• two vice-presidents
• treasurer
• dialogue and associations
• transformation
• campus affairs and recreation
• sport
• international affairs
• community service

9. These two decisions regarding student governance represent a breakthrough in that, for the first time in many years, all SRC constitutional changes were processed and approved by the June meeting of the Council, well in time for the scheduled August SRC election; in addition, all relevant student organizations have been part of the process and all have accepted the outcome of the process.

20 July 2005

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