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Women Advancement Programme launch 2024
Distinguished guests and esteemed speakers gathered for the launch of the Women’s Academic Advancement Programme on 5 April 2024 on the Bloemfontein Campus.

A new initiative by the University of the Free State (UFS) is set to ensure that women academics at the university have equal opportunities for advancement. It will focus, amongst other things, on challenging long standing systemic biases – both explicit and implicit – that have historically disadvantaged women in higher education.

The Women’s Academic Advancement Programme was launched on Friday (5 April) during an event which was attended by Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and principal of the UFS; Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Internationalisation; Prof Anthea Rhoda, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic; and Dr Molapo Qhobela, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Institutional Change, Strategic Partnerships and Societal Impact. Prof Relebohile Moletsane, professor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Social Cohesion) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal who holds the JL Dube Chair Rural Education in the university’s School of Education was the guest speaker.

Celebrating women’s contribution

In welcoming the guests, Prof Petersen said the launch of this commendable programme marks a celebration of the contribution of women colleagues to the scholarly excellence at the university and that the programme will impact on the career progression of women academics and raise the profile of women, especially women academics at the UFS.

“An advantage of the programme is that it requires us as an institution to reflect on the socio-economic, the structural, and the workplace obstacles women so often encounter. This programme is a significant indicator of our institutional commitment to support women academics who often navigate a combination of challenging demands and commitments in their professional and personal lives.

“In addressing the challenges to women academic advancement, we will contribute to the creation of a more conducive work environment and institutional culture for all of us. Indeed, it is about the rising tide lifts all boats – that is the idea of this programme. By providing mentorship, networking opportunities and professional development, this programme aims to empower women academics to thrive in their academic careers,

leading to a more inclusive, innovative academic environment for everyone,” said Prof Petersen.

According to him, by increasing the representation of women in academia at all levels of management, and in the academic hierarchy, the diversity of perspectives, ideas and approaches in research, teaching and leadership will be enhanced. It also increases the pool of female academics both in the university and Higher Education sector.

The diversity, Prof Petersen continued, will foster innovation and creativity, and will result in more robust scholarship and academic outcomes. Importantly, women who succeed in academia, serve as role models and mentors for future generations of scholars, as well as inspiring and supporting other women in pursuing academic careers. This mentorship is essential for overcoming barriers and for navigating the challenges that women might face in the academic context.

According to Prof Petersen, women advancement programmes such as these will help address this imbalance and will aid in retaining talented women researchers and lecturers in academic careers. He said prioritising women advancement in academia is not only a matter of social justice and equality, two of the guiding principles of the UFS Vision 130, but it is also essential for driving progress, innovation, and excellence in higher education and beyond.

Prof Petersen also pledged the collective support of the executive management of the rectorate for the programme and to increase the research productivity, impact, and influence of women academics participating in this programme.

“Let us remember that collective directed efforts do matter. By championing diversity, equity and inclusivity, we not only empower women to thrive in academia, but we will also enrich our institution. Together let’s continue to break barriers, shatter stereotypes and pave the way for the future where every academic regardless of their gender has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.”

The Vice-Chancellor implored all deans, senior members of staff, and heads of department to encourage their emerging and promising colleagues to apply to be part of a truly important initiative and to become part of this first cohort. The call for participation was already opened in March.

High attrition rate of black women in higher education

Prof Moletsane talked about coloniality and the legacy of the British empire and what it left us with. “Not only in terms of racial inequality but with gender inequality as well. As well as other inequalities. This legacy endures even today, post-1994”

She encouraged everybody to look at the enduring legacy of apartheid in the higher education system everywhere in the country and world by asking what historical and cultural events brought us here. It is true, she said, that the number of women has increased, and in particular the number of black women in academia, but she highlighted the high attrition rate of black women in higher education. She wondered if academic leaders, vice-chancellors and deans are turning a blind eye to the fact that black women are leaving academia after staying for short periods of time. “Why is that we are not asking the right questions?” she said.

Prof Moletsane also talked about various interventions to assist early-career scholars at institutions that are not always coherent and well-coordinated. She emphasised the importance of sustainable support for programmes to ensure a lasting impact on the capacity of early-career scholars.

She discussed a case study of a sustainable, impactful intervention for female academics at UKZN, called The Neoliberalism, Gender and Curriculum Transformation in Higher Education: Feminist Decoloniality as Care (FemDAC). The programme involved collaboration between colleagues from UKZN (PI); DUT; Stellenbosch. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (PI) and University of New Mexico which was funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation over a period of six years.

Prof Moletsane’s lecture was followed by a presentation by Prof Liezel Lues, the Project Manager of the Women’s Academic Advancement Programme. She said the purpose of the programme is to address the significant underrepresentation of female colleagues amongst the UFS professoriate and rated researchers through deliberate, personalised academic mentoring interventions to increase the pipeline of female scholars who are research productive and have impact as leading scholars to contribute to a UFS research culture of excellence and impact. The target group of the Women’s Academic Advancement Programme is women in the mid-career stage of their careers who want to improve their scholarly impact and professional excellence.

Milestone and turning point

Prof Reddy, closed the event by emphasising that the initiative is a milestone and a turning point which will help the university to drive not just Vision 130, but also a social justice project within the broader context of the university.

“This is about how we create a real equitable workforce that brings people together. The Women’s Academic Advancements Programme is really about providing those deeper opportunities, but I think also deepening the experience to play a leading role in academic leadership. It’s going to be critical, not just for NRF rating and the career trajectory of the individuals but also for the broader academic leadership of the university,” he said.

Prof Reddy concluded by saying it is important that the programme is not about an adjective project, but about a deep integration and recognising that women are not afterthoughts.

News Archive

Campus-wide poll to determine preferences among current staff and students for language models
2015-10-20

Language poll postponed until Thursday 22 October 2015

Due to the closing down of all UFS campuses on Wednesday 21 October 2015, the language poll has been postponed until Thursday 22 October 2015.

 

Invitation to take part in a campus-wide poll to determine preferences among current staff and students for language models.

As mandated by the Council on 5 June 2015, the senior leadership of the University of the Free State (UFS) has committed itself to a formal review process of the current language policy through a comprehensive process of consultation with all university stakeholders.

Since 19 August 2015, the following public sessions have taken place across all three campuses:

  • Public dialogue for staff and students, Qwaqwa Campus, 19 August 2015
  • Staff submissions, Bloemfontein Campus, 20 August 2015
  • External stakeholder submissions, Bloemfontein Campus, 24 August 2015
  • Public dialogue for staff and students, South Campus, 26 August 2015
  • Alumni submissions, Bloemfontein Campus, 27 August 2015
  • Expert panel discussion for staff and students with Q&A, Bloemfontein Campus, 31 August 2015
  • Staff, students, and external stakeholder submissions, Qwaqwa Campus, 9 September 2015
  • Panel discussion and public dialogue for students, Bloemfontein Campus, 10 September 2015
  • Expert panel discussion for staff and students with Q&A, Bloemfontein Campus, 11 September 2015
  • Student submissions, Bloemfontein Campus, 15 September 2015
  • Staff and student submissions, South Campus, 16 September 2015
  • Convocation submissions, Bloemfontein Campus, 30 September 2015

Further, written and online submissions from the entire university community were put forward until 18 September 2015, while the Convocation had until 30 September 2015 to submit. During the process, the Language Committee has met weekly and discussed the viability, benefits and challenges of various language model options, taking into account institutional, regional, national and global concerns, documents and information.

Following the university’s commitment to open, democratic practice, the UFS calls upon all its current staff and students to participate in a campus-wide poll in order to assist the Language Committee in determining possible preferences among current staff and students for language models. The possible models have emerged from the broad consultation process.

Please note that the campus-wide poll is NOT a formal voting process or referendum and will form only one part of many deciding factors that will be referred to the UFS Council on 20 November 2015 for their deliberations regarding the future of the language policy at the UFS. The poll, conducted by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), will be indicative of the preferences of staff and students for possible language model options, with specific focus on language of instruction. 

The poll will take place at the following venues from 21-28 October 2015, 08:00-16:30, including the weekend:

Bloemfontein Campus: Kestell Residence Gazellie

Qwaqwa Campus: VIP Lounge

South Campus: Conference Hall

To take part in the polling, a valid staff or student card must be produced. Polling will take place on the basis of one poll per current staff member/student.

We look forward to your participation in the poll and hereby thank the entire university community for their ongoing interest and responsible engagement with the review process.

 The UFS Language Committee

 

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