Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
20 June 2023
|
Story Melissa Kilian
|
Photo Supplied
Melissa Kilian is a Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy.
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.
Melissa Kilian, Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy, shares her UFS journey:
Q: Year of graduation from the UFS:
A: 2011 and 2021.
Q: Qualification obtained from the UFS:
A: Baccalaureus and Master of Occupational Therapy.
Q: Date of joining the UFS as a staff member:
A: 1 June 2022 (employed for one year this month).
Q: Initial job title and current job title:
A: Lecturer in Occupational Therapy.
Q: How did the UFS prepare you for the professional world?
A: The UFS provided me with excellent clinical exposure to the diverse profession of occupational therapy. Additionally, the occupational therapy undergraduate course provided many opportunities for promoting self-awareness and self-development and entering the workforce as a graduate willing to explore the dimensions of the profession and what my unique contribution can be.
Q: What are your thoughts on transitioning from a UFS alumnus to a staff member?
A: Since being employed with the UFS, I have a deeper acknowledgement and appreciation for lecturers, as well as a multi-layered understanding of the importance of curriculum development and how this translates into students becoming competent graduates.
Q: Any additional comments about your experience?
A: It’s been quite an experience ...!
Prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to Senior Researcher
2010-05-27
 |
| Ms Melody Mentz. |
Ms Melody Mentz, Ph.D. student and Senior Researcher at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Division for Student Development and Success (SDS) has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship award to work on her Ph.D. in the United States of America (USA). This award has only been granted to a limited number of students from the UFS in the past.
For the 12-month duration of the scholarship, Ms Mentz will be based at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. During this time she will be doing a part-time internship at the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Institute. Ms Mentz will also be completing doctoral level coursework in the School of Education’s Higher Education and Student Affairs programme. She intends to complete her Ph.D. thesis during her time abroad.
Both her Ph.D. and research work at SDS focus on factors influencing the success of students in South African higher education and the impact of student engagement on student success. More specifically, her Ph.D. focuses on how high-school experiences and expectations of higher education influence the success of first-year students at the UFS.
Ms Mentz completed her B.Com (Human Resource Management), as well as the rest of her postgraduate studies in Psychology at the UFS, obtaining all her qualifications with distinction. She was also the recipient of the Dean’s medal for the best honours student in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences in 2006, and the Kovsie Dux student of the year in 2005.
Ms Mentz will be departing for the USA during August of 2010.