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14 November 2023 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo SUPPLIED
Prof Frans Prinsloo
Prof Frans Prinsloo, the newly appointed Vice-Dean: Learning, Teaching, Innovation and Digitalisation in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS.

The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed Prof Frans Prinsloo as the Vice-Dean: Learning, Teaching, Innovation, and Digitalisation. Prof Prinsloo officially started his new role on 1 November 2023. “I am excited at the prospect of being able to support the academics in the faculty, enabling them to develop successful graduates who will not only sustain themselves and their families, but who can also function in and contribute positively to a dynamic world being transformed by technology,” Prof Prinsloo indicated. 

What the new role entails

According to Prof Prinsloo, the role includes overseeing and providing strategic leadership regarding the teaching and learning portfolio within the faculty. The portfolio he is responsible for looks at teaching and learning policies as well as the development of new curricula in the faculty, among others. In addition, as part of his work, he indicated that, “I will also have to ensure that the faculty’s teaching approaches remain relevant and responsive to our diverse body of students’ learning needs to ensure their academic success, but also to develop essential graduate attributes.  A further focus will be that the curricula of our academic programmes position our graduates to be in demand by employers and enable them to contribute meaningfully to the economy and society.”

Furthermore, Prof Prinsloo is responsible for ensuring that the academic programmes within the faculty are of high quality and accredited by all relevant top industry bodies.

The future of the faculty 

As an Auditing academic for more than 25 years and Director of the UFS School of Accountancy for the past five years, Prof Prinsloo plans to use the experience he has acquired, as well as the leadership positions he has held throughout his career, to lead the faculty to new heights. “I look forward to positioning the UFS Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences as a faculty with effective and cutting-edge teaching approaches to ensure our students’ academic success, and to have quality and unique academic programmes that draw top students from across South Africa, Africa, and beyond – in line with the UFS Vision 130,” he said. 

In addition, part of what he aims to accomplish in his term as Vice-Dean is working to establish the faculty and its academics as recognised thought leaders and innovators as far as teaching and learning is concerned. Prof Prinsloo also highlighted that, “We also need to ensure that the successes attained by the faculty and its staff are shared within and outside of the UFS, and as such, I will also be responsible for strategically leading the marketing efforts of the faculty.” 

However, his efforts to advance the faculty are not only focused on the progress of the staff and their offerings, but also on that of the students. In fact, he indicated that, “I would also like to use this position to explore ways of further supporting our students, particularly recognising the multitude of challenges such as ineffective study skills, financial and mental wellness-related challenges that many of our students face.”

News Archive

Kovsies win Loerie award
2011-10-28

 
Tarran Jacobs, Elizabeth Forson and Mafohlela Mahlatsi's breast cancer awareness advertisement earned them a prestigious Loerie award.

The creativity of a group of students from our university was rewarded with a bronze Loerie Award after they won an internal competition.

 Tarran Jacobs, Elizabeth Forson and Mafohlela Mahlatsi, all third-year Marketing Communication students, won the award for an advertisement they designed for Cansa.
 
 Each year, the third-year Marketing Communication students of the Department of Communication Science have the opportunity to flex their creative muscles in the Copy-writing class. The challenge is to design two advertisements for any charity organisation by applying the knowledge they gained from the subject in a practical way. The top three groups are then entered for the Loerie and Pendoring awards – two of the most prestigious awards in the South African advertising industry.
 
The top three groups designed advertisements for Cansa, the South African Blood Service and Crime Line.
 
“They deserve this compliment and it is a good indication of the relevance of our copy-writing course,” says Prof. Angelique van Niekerk, associate professor in the Department of Afrikaans, Dutch, German and French.

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