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03 January 2023
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Story Lacea Loader
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Photo Evert Kleynhans
Dr Dolf van Niekerk.
The University of the Free State (UFS) would like to express its condolences to the family and friends of South African author, Dr Dolf van Niekerk, on his passing.
Dr Van Niekerk, the recipient of an
honorary doctorate from the UFS, passed away on 31 December 2022. The UFS awarded a Doctor of Letters to Dr Dolf van Niekerk during its April 2021 graduation ceremony.
Dr Van Niekerk was a celebrated author who also achieved fame as a dramatist and radio presenter. An alumnus of the UFS, he received a BA degree from the university cum laude in 1949. He also played a role in academia and was an emeritus professor at the University of Pretoria until his retirement in 1994. His work includes 27 books in philosophy, poetry, fiction, drama, and memoirs, for which he has received numerous awards. These include the
Eugene Marais Prize, the MER Prize, and the Scheepers Award for Youth Literature.
“Dr van Niekerk is a Kovsie alumnus with a deep connection to the Free State. He played a significant role in the country’s literary history, and it was an honour for the university to award him with an honorary degree. A wordsmith of note, Dr van Niekerk’s contributions to South African literature, radio, and stage will live on," says
Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor.
UFS appoints a Director for Internasionalisation
2009-03-17
 Prof. Aldo Stroebel has been promoted to Director Internationalisation of the University of the Free State (UFS) effective 1 April 2009. This confirms the UFS's commitment to excellence in research and student support, and investing in international competitiveness. As a result, Internationalisation will report to the Vice Rector: Academic Operations.
He is recognised as a leader in the internationalisation of higher education, inter alia through appointments such as Vice-President of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA), Executive Committee member of the International Educators’ Association of South Africa (IEASA), member of the Board of the South Africa Netherlands Partnership Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD) and Conference President of the International Organisation of Research Management Societies (INORMS 2010).
Prof. Stroebel is an internationally renowned agriculture and rural development specialist, focusing on Africa. He obtained his Masters degree from Ghent University, Belgium, and a Ph.D. from the UFS in collaboration with Cornell University, USA. During 2005, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands. He is the author/co-author of more than 80 articles, book chapters and reports.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs
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