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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

Kovsies present case studies to Tata Africa
2014-04-15

Tata Africa welcomed four top scholarship winners from the University of the Free State’s (UFS’s) Business Management Department who were awarded academic bursaries in 2013 for developing practical marketing strategies for the Tata group companies as part of their studies.

The students presented their winning case studies to a panel of Tata Africa executives and senior managers in Johannesburg.

“The Tata group places social responsibility at the core of its business DNA. This kind of support characterises our commitment to communities where Tata companies operate worldwide,” said Thami Mbele, Managing Director for Tata Africa Holdings.

“The impressive work of the Strategic Marketing students of the University of the Free State’s Business Management Department, who have been using Tata group companies as examples for their practical marketing strategies, deserve recognition,” he added.

To date, Tata has invested R275 000 in the University of the Free State’s talent pool. Over the past six years, Tata Africa has invested over R10 million in scholarships in Africa.

Second-semester students of the Strategic Marketing course, Lebohang Masoabi, Estie Brown, Lynne Harvey and Cecile Boshoff, were given a rare opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge by developing practical marketing strategies for Tata group companies operating in Africa. Students presented their ideas to a panel of UFS and Tata representatives in 2013, and 27 out of 78 groups were selected to compete for academic bursaries sponsored by Tata.

Through its scholarship programme, Tata Africa is committed to investing in future African entrepreneurs, leaders of industry and business.

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