Latest News Archive

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

Student Geography conference inspires next generation of geographers

06 November 2023 | Story MBALI MABOEA | Photo SUPPLIED

The Department of Geography on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus recently played host to the Society of South African Geographers Conference (SSAG 2023), which gathered more than 100 students over three days.

Fostering academic growth, collaboration, and inspiration among students and researchers in the field of geography, the Department of Geography on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus recently played host to the Society of South African Geographers Conference (SSAG 2023), which gathered more than 100 students over three days.

Following a five-year hiatus, the three-day conference comprised student proposal presentations in different fields: human geography, environment geography, geoinformatics, and physical geography, divided into breakaway sessions over two days. Furthermore, day three of the annual conference included an excursion to the Basotho Cultural Village and Clarens.

The three-day annual student conference focused on different themes presented by two main speakers. The topic of the first keynote speaker, Dr Mahlomola Daemane, General Manager of the SANParks Arid Research Unit, focused on the contemporary conservation, transition, and relevance of science in policy and decision making.

The second keynote speaker was Dr Felicia Akinyemi, a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research Fellow affiliated with the Institute of Geography at the University of Bern in Switzerland. Her work focuses on the intersection of geoinformatics, global change, and sustainability. Dr Akinyemi focused her talk on the integrative geospatial methods and metrics for sustainable land use. She introduced different techniques and metrics and gave students insight in early-career African research.

Speaking about the success of the conference, Nthebohiseng Sekhele, Geography Lecturer on the Qwaqwa Campus and chair of the organising committee, said, “The local organising committee was also very impressed with the quality of presentations from our postgraduate students in Geography, as well as the robust discussions that happened during the parallel sessions in the two days of the conference. We had a positive response of physical and online participation from many universities across South Africa. We are pleased that we have achieved our goal with this conference, which is to inspire the next generation of geographers.”

News Archive

Joseph Pali - Serving with a heart for the ministry

2017-09-19

Dr Joseph Pali received his joint
doctoral degree at the Vrije University,
Amsterdam.
Photo: Anja Aucamp

Dr Khamadi Joseph Pali is the coordinator of the Higher Certificate in Theology at our university’s Faculty of Theology and Religion. This course focuses on Biblical hermeneutics, Christian leadership, African theology, and pastoral care for students who have a passion for the ministry. In addition to this responsibility, he participated in a collaborative doctoral programme with the Vrije University (VU) in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 2011 till December 2016.

What is the theme of your doctoral thesis?
“The theme of my PhD thesis is Leadership and Transformation in the African Church: A Practical Theological Study of One Denomination. The Dutch Reformed Church in Africa in the Free State region was used as a case study. The study was an attempt to understand what kind of leadership transformation is needed.

Please describe your journey from the UFS to the Netherlands?
“My completion of this joint PhD programme is monumental, and a historical achievement for me and the Faculty of Theology and Religion. After completing my master’s degree in 2009, I was employed by the then Department of Practical Theology. Prof Kobus Schoeman, my head of department, proposed that I enrol for this programme. I agreed, viewing it as an opportunity to learn, empower myself, and be exposed to new study experiences.”

What did this learning experience mean to you?
“For me, it was an opportunity from God, enabling me to help my church and its members. It was also a reward for my hard work, and I grabbed the opportunity to learn from the best with both hands. My interaction with various scholars at the VU during my visits to Amsterdam was especially rewarding. The experience made me develop an open mind, interdisciplinary approach, and critical reflection.

In my teaching responsibilities, I focus on Africa as our context of study. Learning about our past and how to effectively engage that legacy, especially in South Africa, is a measure of success in our academic and ministerial training. I intend to delve into transformation from the Christian and African perspective to understand what is needed for the practice of Christian religion and to drive transformation in the African context.”

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