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#YouthMonth: Celebrating youth empowerment (Boitumelo Mokheseng)

22 June 2023 | Story Boitumelo Mokheseng | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS) is celebrating Youth Month by showcasing the positive influence of the institution on career development. As part of this initiative, we are sharing the stories of UFS alumni who are now working at the university.

Boitumelo Mokheseng, Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) Intern in the Qwaqwa Campus Health and Wellness Centre, shares her UFS journey:

Q: Year of graduation from the UFS:

A: 2021.

Q: Qualification obtained from the UFS:

A: Bachelor of Administration.

Q: Date of joining the UFS as a staff member:

A: March 2023.

Q: Initial job title and current job title:

A: PYEI intern in the Qwaqwa Campus Health and Wellness Centre.

Q: How did the UFS prepare you for the professional world?

A: The University of the Free State (UFS) propelled me towards the career path I had always aspired to. The comprehensive education I received not only equipped me with the necessary skills for the workplace, but also fostered a problem-solving mindset that was ingrained in us from our undergraduate years.

Q: What are your thoughts on transitioning from a UFS alumnus to a staff member?

A: The transition from being a UFS student to a staff member has been wonderful, even though challenging, because now I get to feel the pressure that the clinic staff felt while I was a student. For instance, when visiting the clinic before, I didn’t understand why there are long queues, why we are not assisted in time; since I’m the one assisting the students with the booking systems and making sure they get to the consulting rooms, I now understand how things work.

Q: Any additional comments about your experience?

A: Working here at the UFS has been a dream come true. I am fascinated daily by meeting up with inspiring people who motivate me to do better in life, and I keep learning new things. The experience so far is good; I have acquired new skills, moved from office work and got involved in campaigns such as First Things First where I can engage more with students and meet the different stakeholders from the health department. I’m thankful for the great opportunity the university has given me to be part of it as a staff member – no longer a student.

News Archive

New developments in the Faculty of Theology and Religion

2017-08-30

Bishop JM Khumalo, Apostolic Church of
Christ; Prof Fanie Snyman, Dean of the
Faculty of Theology and Religion; and
Rev Simon Galada, Wesleyan Church,
at the faculty’s official opening in
February 2017.
Photo: Eugene Seegers

At a meeting of the UFS Council last year, a name change was accepted for the Faculty of Theology, renaming it to the Faculty of Theology and Religion. This change signals openness in approach to other religions, in addition to those of Christian denominations. This is a development that took root in Europe a few years ago. Furthermore, a growing field of interest is the study of the impact religion has had and still has, even in highly secularised societies. This name change is the first of its kind in South Africa, which means that the faculty will lead the way in transformation and impact-based religious studies.

Exciting times lie ahead
Prof Fanie Snyman, Dean of the faculty, says of these refinements: “The new name and restructuring of departments will lead to a new synergy that will have an impact on our teaching and research in the faculty. Exciting times lie ahead for the Faculty of Theology and Religion!”

Apart from the change in the name of the faculty, departments within the faculty were also regrouped, with new names. The Departments of Old Testament and New Testament merged to become the Department of Old and New Testament Studies, while the Departments of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology merged and will now be known as the Department of Historical and Constructive Theology. The former Departments of Practical Theology and Missiology became the Department of Practical and Missional Theology. The Department of Religion Studies remained unchanged to emphasise the importance of religion in South Africa and the world at large.
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Distinction of theological disciplines
The rationale for these groupings is the distinction of theological disciplines in terms of the study of texts (Old and New Testament), sources (Systematic Theology and Church History), and practices (Practical Theology and Missiology). One benefit of these newly-constructed departments is that they will be more cost-effective, but the more important advantage is that this will stimulate discussion and research across the various theological disciplines.

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