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03 January 2023
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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.
Computer Science lecturer receives Vice-Chancellor’s Award for teaching excellence
2011-11-11
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Dr. Liezel Nel from our Department of Computer Science.
Annually, many lecturers receive awards and recognition for their contribution to the UFS’s plans to accomplish outstanding academic performance.
Photo: Johan Roux
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This year, the UFS presented its fourth awards function for outstanding learning and teaching.
At the awards function this past week, lecturers were rewarded for their outstanding teaching inputs at the UFS.
Dr Liezel Nel from our Department of Computer Science and Informatics was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s award for her outstanding contribution to teaching and learning at the UFS.
The award, together with other awards presented to lecturers for outstanding teaching and learning, was instituted to encourage innovative teaching methods in departments in order to achieve outstanding academic results.
The Vice-Chancellor’s award is awarded to the lecturer who not only displays good leadership, but has also published research during the preceding year, with excellent knowledge and teaching skills in his/her discipline.
Dr Nel said she had realised over the past years that educators increasingly had more teaching resources at their disposal than before, which could be utilised to improve the teaching and learning experience of students.
“Therefore, I constantly renew my study material and the way in which I present the material. Currently I use a combined method, which includes electronic presentation by means of Blackboard, personal interaction and sessions, which enable the student to take ownership of the module.”