Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

#YouthMonth: Celebrating youth empowerment (Kate Poen)

28 June 2023 | Story Kate Poen | 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.

Kate Poen, Academic Adviser in the Centre for Teaching and Learning, shares her UFS journey:

Q: Year of graduation from the UFS:

A: April 2018 and 2023.

Q: Qualification obtained from the UFS:

A: BSocSci Honours in Psychology and PGDip in Higher Education.

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

A: I joined the UFS as a staff member in 2017.

Q: Initial job title and current job title:

A: My initial job was as a Teaching Assistant for UFS101 (now UFSS) under Transition Development and Success (TDS) and I am currently an Academic Adviser under Advising, Access, and Success (AAS) in the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

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

A: The UFS has taught me responsibility and accountability as a professional. It instilled in me the competence of lifelong learning, to consistently develop myself personally and professionally, as well as the ability to always innovate my skills, and not only be an individual able to compete on a national level, but globally in the higher education space as well.

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

A: Transitioning from a UFS alumnus to a staff member has been interesting. Being a UFS alumnus in my experience opens the door to opportunities for growth and development, even with the challenges it does bring. It is a personal choice as to whether one sees and uses the opportunities. What it does provide one with is definitely an informed perspective of the staff experiences, especially support staff.

Q: Any additional comments about your experience?

A: I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve been afforded at the institution to not only grow as an individual, but also to make a difference and a little impact in the work that I do daily. Grateful for the relationships I was also able to establish with colleagues in different spaces on all three of our campuses.

News Archive

Kovsie Open Day a resounding success

2010-05-05

Photo: Gerhard Louw

The Kovsie Open Day 2010 that took place on the Main Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein last week, was attended by more than 6 000 prospective students and their parents. This event was a resounding success. Thus report our prospective students, their parents, campus personnel, as well Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor at the UFS.

Parents and learners from across South Africa were firstly welcomed by Prof. Jansen, the Deans and Moses Masitha, the President of the Student Representative Council (SRC) in the Callie Human Centre. Thereafter they were afforded the opportunity to visit the various exhibitions in the faculties and residences. Parents and learners could also complete application forms for entrance to the UFS in the tent of the Division Corporate Relations on the Red Square. Liesl Cronje from Magaliesburg, who wants to come and study B.Sc.Agric. at Kovsies, was named as the winner of R3 000 by Corporate Relations after her application form had been selected in a lucky draw.

Residences and student organisations also had information points on the grass in front of the Main Building, where more information was given out to prospective students. Armentum, Vishuis and Karee won the first, second and third place respectively with their information points. The ladies’ residences Vergeet-my-nie, Emily Hobhouse and Soetdoring respectively boasted with the best information points.

The first official Kovsie slogan competition was also held and Madelief was appointed as the winner.

This day was held to provide prospective students and their parents with the opportunity to become better acquainted with the distinctive quality that the UFS offers its students. Staff and students also provided learners with the necessary information to enable them to make the right decisions regarding their career and studies next year.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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