Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
25 January 2023 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Supplied
Prof Vasu Reddy
Prof Vasu Reddy, newly appointed Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation.

Prof Vasu Reddy has been appointed as Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation of the University of the Free State (UFS). His appointment for a five-year term was approved by the university’s Council during its quarterly meeting on 25 November 2022.

Prof Reddy completed a BA, BAHons, and an HDE at the University of Natal (Durban), a master’s at Wits University, and a PhD in Gender Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He began his career in languages, comparative literature, and gender studies as a lecturer at the same institution in 1993, before moving through the ranks as senior lecturer, associate professor, honorary professor, and research fellow. He was also Executive Director of the Human and Social Development Research Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) before joining the University of Pretoria as Professor of Sociology and Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities in 2015.

“Prof Reddy has valuable experience in the South African higher education sector, and his extensive networks – nationally, on the continent, and globally – will contribute greatly to the university’s intent for the coming years to be a research-led university that contributes to development and social justice through the production of globally competitive graduates and knowledge. His portfolio will play a critical role in supporting the institution’s Vision 130, which is a formulation of our aspirations and intentions to reposition the UFS leading up to 2034, when the university will celebrate 130 years of existence,” says Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

Prof Reddy is a member of the Academy of Sciences of South Africa (ASSAf) and a B1 NRF-rated scientist. His research areas are African sexualities, genders, and inequalities, which exposes the persistent silences around sexualities (also aligned to HIV/AIDS). His research focuses on the importance of sexual cultures to interpret and understand sexual diversity in promoting people’s rights, well-being, and dignity with local and international research partners. He has supported an extensive number of postgraduate students and contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications as both author and editor. He also boasts an extensive list of local and international conferences and is a respected workshop and short course facilitator.

Between 2007 and 2022, he was involved in obtaining substantive research funds, which contributed to numerous projects, including topics such as gender-based violence, affirmative action, poverty, food security, sexuality, education, public intellectuals, and equality – to name a few.

Prof Reddy is a regular guest for local and international media, providing expert opinions and insight in his field of interest. He was part of a Ford-funded international project on sexualities and pedagogies and had several successful linkages with institutions in the USA and the UK. He has also been involved in successful partnerships with civil society organisations and some multilateral agencies that have resulted in successful research collaborations with scholars and activists in South Africa, other parts of Africa, India, Europe, the UK, Latin America, and North America.

“Prof Reddy’s experience in these positions and his demonstrated success with research collaborations across different sectors place him in good standing to lead research and internationalisation at the UFS, “says Prof Petersen.

Prof Reddy will assume duty on 1 May 2023.

News Archive

Artistic development at UFS to transform the face of Bloemfontein creatively
2015-07-02

The 7-metre high ‘Urban Fox’ is one of Alex Rinsler's artworks adding a fragment of the wild to the city of Shanghai in China.

Bold, bright, and beautiful public art sculptures are in the inception phase at the university’s Bloemfontein Campus. Manchester-based public artist, Alex Rinsler, of the Programme for Innovation in Artform Development (PIAD)’s forum for artist development, is to install three enthralling sculptures in the city of Bloemfontein.

The PIAD forum for artist development is an initiative of the Vrystaat Arts Festival, formerly known as the Vryfees, which aims to celebrate art in the Free State by hosting experimental art practices. In its capacity as a PIAD partner, the University of the Free State promotes increased access to, and participation in, culture as a form of human development.

Presenting an artist’s talk titled ‘Urban Safari: Art in public space,’ on the Bloemfontein Campus recently Rinsler introduced himself and his creative ideas to students, staff, and the public at the Johannes Stegman Art Gallery. The talk served as an invitation to the active participation of Bloemfontein citizens in all phases leading to the installations. Dispersed across the Mangaung Metropolitan, the giant sculptures are intended to capture and reflect different aspects of the community’s lived experiences. 

As a public artist based in the United Kingdom (UK), Rinsler has exhibited in cities nationally and internationally, with the intention of bringing a touch of the wild to urban lives. His vision is to witness the development of cities into cultural boulevards, and explore “what we can do to bring back the sense of nature, the wild” by adding new symbolism to urban lifestyle.

“I believe in creating work accessible to the public, which stimulates conversation,” said the Clore Leadership Programme Fellow (University of Manchester) and Founder of Pirate Technics - an artistic practice company.

In 2012, he worked with 31 Master’s students from 24 countries on an icon for global peace named “Under the Baobab” in London. The colourful and magnificent Baobab tree made from pieces of fabric representing distinct cultures told the story of migration to London.

Rinsler is determined that the Bloemfontein “project, similar to the London installation, will create imagery that people will remember.”

Dr Ricardo Peach, Director of the Vrystaat Arts Festival and PIAD, hopes the project fosters diversity while producing a “communal cultural product." 

“What I know about Alex’s work is that he will be working with what he calls a self-selected community, people who are interested in this, and who want to work together to build these sculptures, as part as a process for them to get a sense of where they belong, and their input into the city. It’s about people telling their own stories.”

The public installations are a way of transforming the landscape, and connecting people of “a place like Bloemfontein where communities are often still so divided,” said Peach.

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