Latest News Archive

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

UFS research scholars celebrated at the annual research awards

05 October 2023 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Stephen Collet

The University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted its annual Research Awards function at the Wynand Mouton Theatre on the Bloemfontein campus. Present at this event on 26 September 2023 were Prof Francis Petersen, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UFS, Prof Crain Soudien, a globally renowned academic and the President of the Cornerstone Institute, and members of the UFS academic community, among others.

The awards ceremony

Prof Petersen stated, ‘’The purpose of the event is to recognise scholars at the University of the Free State who are conducting outstanding research in their respective fields of expertise.’’ Certificates were presented to researchers in various categories, including National Research Foundation (NRF) Rated Scholars from categories P to A. Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation at the UFS, highlighted that there are precisely 217 NRF-rated scholars within the institution. However, some of these scholars had not been acknowledged internally. Hence, the ceremony aimed to celebrate these scholars.

Furthermore, UFS staff members were acknowledged for their research at both national and international levels. Prof Abdon Atangana, named as one of five recipients of the inaugural UNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize for the Promotion of Young Scientists in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), was among these individuals. Future professors of the institution who are part of the Professoriate Programme were also recognised for their outstanding performance in transforming the programme.

The highly anticipated category of the evening was the UFS Book Prize for distinguished scholarship. Prof Reddy explained, ‘’the purpose of the award is to recognise outstanding publications produced by any permanent member of the UFS staff, which are research-based and published in a book. Prof Soudien, who was the guest speaker for the evening and one of the reviewers of the books nominated in this category, indicated that he found the books ‘’illuminating and in many ways challenging of positions I hold and positions that I think that we all ought to be reflecting on in terms of where our world is going’’.

From the four nominees vying for this award, Prof Helene Strauss was announced as the winner of the 2022 UFS Book Prize for her book entitled, ‘Wayward Feeling: Audio-Visual Culture and Aesthetic Activism in Post-Rainbow South Africa’. Strauss expressed her appreciation, saying, ‘’It is a great honour to be awarded the UFS Book Prize given the high calibre of this year's nominees. It is a lovely morale boost at this time of the year when our motivation can start to flag under the weight of the workload. It inspires me to continue to try to live up to the many examples of outstanding research produced on this campus.’’ The prize includes a certificate of honour as well as a monetary award.

The significance of the awards ceremony

While the award ceremony aims to recognise and celebrate research outputs by the UFS staff, Prof Petersen emphasises that it is also an acknowledgement of the researchers’ impact. Through their contributions, they elevate the research profile of the institution, thereby bringing the vision of becoming a research-led university, as outlined in Vision 130, closer to reality.

News Archive

Three Kovsies receive prestigious Mandela Rhodes scholarship for 2015

2014-11-10

From the left: Lehlohonolo Mofokeng, Tumelo Morobane and Zola Valashiya
Photo: Stefan Lotter

The UFS continues to produce leaders and is proud to have three Mandela Rhodes scholars next year.

Lehlohonolo Mofokeng, Zola Valashiya and Tumelo Morobane all received this prestigious scholarship for 2015.

A Mandela Rhodes Scholarship provides full funding for a maximum of two years of postgraduate study. The award is open to all African citizens under the age of 30 years and recipients must study towards an honours or master’s degree at a recognised South African institution. Although there is no maximum number of awards, the scholarships are highly competitive, with fewer than 30 scholarships being awarded each year since its inception in 2005. The scholarships cover tuition, accommodation, meals, book allowance, general allowance, and travel expenses. Recipients of the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship are students with outstanding academic achievements, who also possess leadership ability, entrepreneurial skills, and a commitment to reconciliation. In addition to receiving funding for their studies, scholars also do a leadership development programme while in residence. The award is named after Nelson Mandela and Cecil Rhodes and is administered by the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, which is a partnership between the Nelson Mandela and the Rhodes Trusts.

Lehlohonolo has just finished his BEd Hons in Philosophy and Policy of Education at the UFS. He hopes to enroll for a master’s degree in Education Policy, Planning and Management at the University of Witwatersrand with his Mandela Rhodes Scholarship.

Zola is originally from Johannesburg and is completing his LLB degree at the UFS this year. He is planning to stay at the UFS in 2015 to do his LLM in Constitutional Law or International Human Rights Law.

Tumelo has a BSc Honours in Actuarial Science and will use this scholarship next year to study towards her master’s degree at the UFS.

“I chose to stay at the UFS because I am doing a great master's project with Munich Re through the UFS,” says Tumelo.

“Furthermore, the CEO of the Mandela Foundation, Mr Sello Hatang, asked me to work with the foundation on a few projects that mostly focus on keeping the girl child in school across Africa, as well as helping with providing training and workshops on entrepreneurship to young people.

“So, I am looking forward to a very busy year ahead of me, which will be filled with so much learning, growth and making a difference,” Tumelo says.

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