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12 December 2023 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Supplied
Prof Anthea Rhoda
Prof Anthea Rhoda, newly appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at the UFS.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed Prof Anthea Rhoda as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic from 1 March 2024.

Prof Rhoda is currently Dean of the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences (CHS) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She holds a Professorship in the Department of Physiotherapy at UWC and has completed a BSc and a PhD in Physiotherapy at UWC. She also completed a BSc Honours in Physiotherapy (Neurology) and an MSc in Medical Sciences (Rehabilitation) at Stellenbosch University.

She is an established leader and scholar as an NRF C1-rated researcher and brings a wealth of expertise, extensive networks, and local and international partnerships to the UFS. Her research activities have been supported by grants awarded by both the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the National Research Foundation (NRF). She conducts research in faculty development and interprofessional education. Her research output includes publications in international and local journals and books, as well as presentations and conferences both locally and abroad.

“Prof Rhoda is regarded as a trailblazer in her field of specialisation. Her more than 30 years of professional industry and higher education experience in previous roles, among others as a full professor and Dean of the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences at UWC, and various academic roles since 1988 at the UWC, Stellenbosch University, and the Western Cape Department of Health, places her in good standing to elevate the academic portfolio, aligned to the UFS’ Vision 130,” says Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS.

Prof Rhoda’s interest in building capacity in African scholars has seen her supervise a number of PhD and master’s students from across the African continent. Prof Rhoda is dedicated to developing a critical mass of next generation emerging academics through her Capacity Building Programme for Associate Lecturers and a Mentoring for Academics Programme she facilitates at UWC. She is an associate editor for the African Journal of Health Professions Education and completed her term as Chair of the South African Committee of Health Sciences Deans. 

Prof Rhoda completed a number of fellowships, including the Sub-Saharan Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) fellowship programme for health professionals as well as a Strategic Management Programme at the Saïd Business School of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

“Prof Rhoda’s excellent standing among national peers and her unique experience and networks, as well as her knowledge and understanding of the South African, African, and global higher-education environment, research systems, and breadth of community engagement are deep and extensive. We wish her well in the new portfolio and look forward to working with her,” says Prof Petersen. 

“I am looking forward to my new role as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at the UFS, contributing to achieving the university’s Vision 130, driving the agenda of impacting society through transdisciplinary approaches, and graduating students for the changing world of work,” says Prof Rhoda.

News Archive

International conference on breaking cycles of the past in societies affected by historical trauma presented from 5-8 December 2012
2012-11-28

Marguerite Barankitse from Burundi
28 November 2012

An interdisciplinary group of scholars, experts and practitioners from 24 countries around the world will gather at the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein from 5 - 8 December 2012 for a conference on “Engaging the Other: Breaking Intergenerational Cycles of Repetition.”

The conference intends to open new avenues of inquiry into the trans-generational effects of trauma on communities that have experienced extreme violence.

One of the highlights of the conference is a presentation by Marguerite Barankitse, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, on Thursday 6 December 2012. Marguerite has received several awards and distinctions for her work aimed at transforming the lives of Hutu and Tutsi children affected by war. Among these are the highly prestigious humanitarian prize, the Opus Prize, the UNESCO Prize, and the World's Children's Prize, also known as the ‘Nobel Prize’ for humanitarian work aimed at improving the lives of children and their chances of a better future.

On Saturday 8 December 2012 Prof. Martha Nussbaum, one of the world’s foremost philosophers, will deliver a keynote address on “Reconciliation: The political role of the Arts.” Prof. Nussbaum will receive a D.Litt. degree in the Faculty of Humanities from the UFS on 6 December 2012.

Other guests include Michael Lapsley, survivor of an apartheid bombing, Kimberlyn Leary, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School,  Dr Jean Decety, Irving B. Harris Professor at the University of Chicago and Dr Katerina Fotopoulou from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University College in London.

One of the conference events entitled “South Africans speak about the crisis of moral leadership: A public dialogue” will be open to the public and presented in the Centenary Complex on Friday 7 December 2012 from 18:00-19:30. Participants in the public dialogue include some of South Africa’s most thoughtful social commentators and a community activist: Barney Pityana (Professor and Rector, College of Transfiguration); Prince Mashele (Director: Centre for Politics and Research); Pierre de Vos (Professor of Law, University of Cape Town); and Faeza Meyer (Chairperson: Tafelsig Residents Unite).

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