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UFS sympathises with the passing of Dr Dolf van Niekerk

03 January 2023 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Evert Kleynhans

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.

News Archive

UFS shines in MBA survey

2006-10-25

Here are Prof Tienie Crous (Dean: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS) and Prof Helena van Zyl (Director of the UFS School of Management) with a copy of the Financial Mail.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

UFS shines in MBA survey
According to a recent survey published in the Financial Mail, the MBA programme presented by the School of Management at the University of the Free State (UFS) was rated jointly second best in the country by its graduates in terms of quality and standard.
The UFS MBA Programme was also rated fourth best by its graduates in terms of relevance to their business.

“I am overwhelmed and very proud that the School of Management, although we are a young school and have only been in existence for 7 (seven) years, has been rated so high by our graduandi. The School contributes in a very special way to much-needed business training in central South Africa,” said Prof Helena van Zyl, Director of the UFS School of Management.

“According to the survey, we have the lowest acceptance rate of applicants for the MBA programme, with only 33 students being accepted out of every 100 who apply. In general, we do not compromise on quality – as stated by our slogan: Be worth more. Given the quality of the programme, our MBA is very affordable – it offers real value for money,” said Prof van Zyl.

According to Prof van Zyl, the School of Management has had an increase the past 6 (six) months in enquiries from prospective students from Gauteng who are interested in studying the MBA programme. “They are even prepared to travel to Bloemfontein to attend classes,” she said.

This year Financial Mail moved away from an overall MBA ranking to a detailed consideration of subject area strengths for each business school in South Africa. The subject Strategy offered at the UFS School of Management was rated second in the country while the subject Economics also received the same rating.

“The School of Management is the flagship of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. It gives the UFS and this faculty a standing in corporate South Africa. This is largely due to Prof Helena van Zyl’s strategy to position the school and making it visible on a national level,” said Prof Tienie Crous, Dean: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS.

According to Prof Crous, the UFS School of Management provides students with opportunities to obtain first-hand experience of how big and successful companies are managed. “For instance, our MBA students undertake an overseas study tour every year. This year they visited amongst others the headquarters of Airbus in Toulouse, France and next year they will be visiting the headquarters of Toyota and Yamaha in Japan,” said Prof Crous.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
24 October 2006

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