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28 November 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba
General Post, GRADS DEC 2023
It’s time for the UFS’s December graduation ceremonies!

Esteemed guest speakers

Tirelo Sibisi, Vice-Chairperson of the UFS Council, will be the distinguished guest speaker on the first day of graduations. Sibisi boasts an illustrious career, with over two decades of experience in human resource management, including notable roles at AngloGold Ashanti, the country's biggest cement manufacturer (PPC Cement), IBM, and Telkom. Her contributions extend to various boards and committees, showcasing her expertise and dedication to various fields.

Dr Anchen Laubscher, who also serves on the UFS Council, will take the stage as guest speaker on the second day. Dr Laubscher is currently the Group Medical Director of Netcare Ltd, leading the strategic oversight and operational execution of clinical and quality-related matters. Her commitment to healthcare excellence and leadership, coupled with being the first female President of the UFS Student Representative Council (SRC), exemplifies her remarkable achievements.

Chancellor’s Medallist

Professor Mattheus Lötter is set to finally receive the prestigious Chancellor’s Medal from the Faculty of Health Sciences. This conferral was postponed from the April 2023 graduation ceremonies due to a personal loss experienced by Prof Lötter. This will mark a pivotal point in his distinguished career, allowing him to celebrate a noteworthy accomplishment.

Details of the ceremonies

The festivities are set to commence on 7 December 2023, starting at 09:00 with the graduations for the Faculty of The Humanities, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, and the Faculty of Theology and Religion. The day concludes with ceremonies for the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, and the Faculty of Law, all beginning at 14:30.

The celebration continues on 8 December 2023, at 09:00, as graduands from the Faculty of Health Sciences proudly take the stage.

For further information and updates on the UFS 2023 December graduation ceremonies, click here

News Archive

Justin J. Kennedy leads new Programme in Personal Excellence
2012-05-08

 

Justin J. Kennedy
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar
8 May 2012

Justin J. Kennedy has been appointed as the Manager of the new Programme in Personal Excellence. The programme is hosted in the Centre for Business Dynamics, the commercial unit of the Business School.

He studied at Rhodes University and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and his research has been published in various health-related publications. His D.Psych. at the University of California migrated into a Ph.D. with research partner DiscoveryHealth.

While in New York, he was part of the research laboratory Helicor that developed the world’s first hand-held medical device for measuring heart-rate variability of the peripheral nervous system.  This device forms part of the programmes offered to control stress and improve cognitive performance as per clinical trials at the UCT Department of Human Biology. This programme evolved into developing the M.Sc. course work on occupational stress and Ph.D. student supervision.

The programme will launch during the university's Beneficiary Programme for Academic Heads of Department, and will focus on the neuro-economics of stress resilience.

Justin’s most recent research is peer review for an international leadership journal where he has presented evidence on how people can improve their cognitive performance and working memory by building functional stress resilience. The overall aim of the programme is to not only reduce stress, but to improve ability to be excellent at work.  Clinical results have shown it is beneficial for performance anxiety, insomnia, migraine, hypertension control and improved ability at cognitive tasks.  The aim of his work is to ensure that simple and practical skills provide academics, students and corporate participants with enduring, functional techniques that are easily applied in their working lives.

The programme has three roles: to offer services that equip students and academics; consulting services to corporate clients, financial groups and private hospitals; and publication of results in peer-reviewed journals. 

This initiative also envisages offering a postgraduate qualification and selected coaching qualifications.  For more info about corporate interventions and programmes open to students and academics, please contact Ansie Barnard at barnardam@ufs.ac.za.
 

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