Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

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

A degree means nothing if you are not a decent human being, Vice-Chancellor tells first-years

2016-02-01

Description: Qwaqwa first-year welcoming 2016 Tags: Qwaqwa Campus

The 2016 Qwaqwa Campus first-year students received one of the warmest welcomes when the entire Rectorate and other senior UFS officials arrived to welcome them.

Leading the delegation was the Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof Jonathan Jansen, whose captivating message was well received by students and those parents who were in attendance.

“What keeps me going is your determination to come to the University of the Free State to start your life. You have done the right thing; do not forget that you are smarter than you think,” said Prof Jansen.

“Each one of you has a story to tell. You had to overcome poverty, disadvantage and abuse,” he said.

Prof Jansen encouraged first-year students to do more than just obtain a degree whilst at the university.

“This university is good not only in ensuring you get the best qualifications. Graduating and continuing to disrespect women is not good enough. Graduating and still continuing to be biased against gay people is not good enough. Getting a degree and still thinking you are better than others just because you have money is not good enough. A degree means nothing if you are not a decent human being,” he added.

In his welcoming message, the SRC President, Paseka Sikhosana, highlighted the importance of academic excellence that is backed by human embrace.

“Human embrace and academic excellence are two very important aspects that we strive for. Five of our members will be graduating this year whilst six are Golden Key members. And we have a very huge task of bringing our campus closer to the community and the community closer to our campus in an attempt to make a difference in those communities,” he said.

Back

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