Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
01 June 2023 | Story Nicole Bongo | Photo Supplied
Student centered community engagement programmes
University of the Free State students participating in one of the many projects coordinated by the Engaged Scholarship Office.

To help make a change and push for sustainable development, the University of the Free State Division of Student Affairs works with communities around Bloemfontein fostering a culture of creating sustainable solutions.

Gernus Terblanche, Kovsie Support Services and Assistant Researcher in the Division says, ‘it is important for the university to be actively involved in the community as it makes up such a large portion of the Bloemfontein and students also represent many different communities on and off- campus.’

Terblanche said: “As an educational institution it is vital for the UFS to support and guide students towards creating innovative solutions; both local and globally. Our experience is that students often come up with real solutions that can make a real impact in the lives of real people – and it would be crucial to support such initiatives.” 

The office has worked with BloemShelter, VermiVillage, GAP Equip, National Hospital and as part of the programmes of 2022 also with Lighuis, Talita Cumi, ROC Kids and the Universitas Neighborhood association. “We are also very fortunate to have, Shanen Emam, Miss Free State 2023 as one of our students that are involved with our programmes,” added Terblanche.

One of the students involved is Prince Sijane, Bloemfontein Campus Student Representative Council member responsible for Civic and Social Responsibility when asked why student participation is important, he said, “By actively participating in initiatives that address social issues or promote community well-being, students become more aware of the challenges faced by society.”

The Division of Student Affairs’ KovsieACT office is also in partnership with the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development) and the Faculty of Health Sciences (Department of Nutrition and Dietetics) to develop and maintain vegetable gardens.

Tereblanche said: “The produce of these gardens addresses hunger and malnutrition amongst students on campus. KovsieACT also facilitates an eco-vehicle project during which student teams learn how to build electric vehicles powered by solar charging stations. This project is aimed at developing skills appropriate to the 4th Industrial Revolution and sustainable resources development including clean and green energy.”  

News Archive

Good practice discussed during workshop of the ACU Benchmarking Programme
2012-09-10

 From the left are: Prof. John Brennan, assessor from the Open University in the UK; Prof. Driekie Hay, Vice-Rector: Academic, UFS; Mr Cliff Wragg, ACU Benchmarking Programme Manager; Prof. Ellen Hazelkorn, assessor from Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland; and Mr Mike Gallagher, Executive Director of Go8 in Australia.
Photo: Johan Roux
10 September 2012

The ACU University Management Benchmarking Programme presented a workshop on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) from 27 to 29 August 2012.

The programme offers a unique and cost-effective opportunity for participating universities to compare their key management processes with those in a range of other universities. This helps to identify areas for change and assists in setting targets for improvement and identifying techniques for managing change. The outcomes of the programme provide models of good practice. It creates the opportunity for networking and a workshop, guided by internationally acknowledged subject experts. This year representatives from universities in among others Australia, the South Pacific, Canada, the United Kingdom (UK) and South Africa attended the workshop. The topics discussed were financial management, managing league tables and ranking and managing graduate outcomes.
 

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