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2023 Ernst Mach Grant recipient from the UFS

16 August 2023 | Story Rorisang Ramorena | Photo Supplied

Michael Skosana, a student on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS), has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 Ernst Mach Grant scholarship exchange programme at the University of Applied Sciences in Austria.

Skosana, currently pursuing his honours in Financial Economics and Investment Management at the UFS, aspires to pursue not only his master's qualification but also his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) levels and regulatory exams and ultimately pass his board exams. Skosana is set to leave on 30 August to start the semester on 1 September 2023.

About the grant

The Ernst Mach Grant is a program aimed at students from non-European universities who wish to spend a semester or two at an Austrian University of applied sciences. The Austrian Ministry of Science and Research offers the Ernst Mach Grant to students with non-European citizenship who plan to take up exchanges at an Austrian university.

According to its 2023 – 2028 internationalisation strategy, the UFS aims to integrate international and intercultural dimensions into the university's being, including the formal and informal curriculum. The Office for International Affairs (OIA) enables such comprehensive internationalisation, and specifically its International Scholarships portfolio, under the leadership of Mbali Moiketsi, contributes by liaising with funding bodies for mobility, sharing information about possible opportunities, and supporting students through the process.

The responsibility of the OIA is to ensure that students and staff are exposed to intercultural opportunities as part of their learning curriculum through information sharing. The OIA partners and works with international funding agencies to bring the information to the students and staff and support them through the process.

Skosana's motivation to study abroad is to challenge himself on the spectrum of finance, to learn more about the Austrian and South African economies, and, hopefully, to work in Europe and gain insight before returning home to change the financial landscape of South Africa. He added that “the acquired skills will empower and develop the South African financial economy and educate South Africans on financial literacy, investments, and any financial goals they seek knowledge about.”

Furthermore, Skosana encourages students to be more open to knowledge and international experiences by participating in such opportunities. He emphasizes that “students should always want to broaden their intercultural and global competencies beyond academics.”

For more information related to scholarships and opportunities, contact Mbali Moiketsi at the following email moiketsimv@ufs.ac.za

News Archive

Arts and Social Justice festival brings creativity and academia together

2013-08-28

Photo: Linda Fekisi
14 August 2013

Who really benefited from the post-1994 democratic dispensation in the sports arena? What happened to the heroes of non-racial sport? Did the 1992 transition to unification wipe out an entire history of black sport in rugby and replaced it with a sanitized version of the sport?

These are some of the questions film producer Mark Fredericks explores in his thought-provoking documentary film ‘Injury Time’. The film is one of several documentaries screened as part of the second annual Artistic and Social Justice Week, hosted by the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice from 19 to 31 August 2013.

Extended from last year's one-week run, this year’s programme is packed with great productions, exhibitions and intellectual encounters celebrating freedom of expression. A highly-anticipated event on the programme is the open-air film screening of the documentary 'Dear Mandela' on Friday 30 August. This film follows the journey of three young people from their shacks to the highest court in the country as they invoke Nelson Mandela's example and become leaders in a growing social movement.

Speaking at the opening of the festival, Prof André Keet, Director of the Institute, said the purpose of the two week programme is to explore new and different ways of understanding social relations. "It’s an endeavour which is crucial to the Institute's objective of confronting the histories, policies and practices that has shaped and constrained the intellectual and social mandate of universities across the country and world."

“The role of art and literature in reflecting on society, has overtaken – in terms of substance, quality and relevance – the function of critical commentators, political analyst, sociologists and philosophers. Artists are, simply put, better political commentators than political commentators themselves. Better political commentators than philosophers, better political commentators than political analysts. Uniquely positioned to engage with social reality, art and literature demand that we experience artistic work as political acts.” Prof André Keet

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