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13 December 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Charl Devenish
Lieutenant Colonel Dr Rifa Tshivhase
Lieutenant Colonel Dr Rifa Tshivhase, Head of the Department of Surgery at 3 Military Hospital in Bloemfontein, addressed graduates within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State on 10 December 2024.

Momentous and joyous – these are some of the words used to describe the December 2024 graduations at the University of the Free State (UFS). In celebration of the academic achievements of its students, the UFS hosted graduation ceremonies at the Callie Human Centre on its Bloemfontein Campus from 9 to 10 December 2024.

Prof Anthea Rhoda, acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, encouraged the graduates to always acknowledge and recognise the significance of this achievement as they transition from being UFS students to being UFS graduates.

Undergraduate and postgraduate achievements

At least 2000 undergraduate qualifications and postgraduate qualifications were conferred. As such, there were some standout academic achievements across the sessions. For instance, Itumeleng Pooe received his Advanced Diploma in Theology cum laude, making him the only graduate in the Faculty of Theology and Religion to receive his qualification with distinction during these graduations. In addition, Dr Bobuin Jr Valey Gemandze Oben – at just 28 years old – was the youngest PhD graduate from the Faculty of Law at the graduation ceremony, which took place on the morning of 9 December 2024.

Conferring Honorary Doctorates

Some highlights from these graduations were the recipients of honorary doctorates, as well as the keynote speakers. The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the UFS conferred an honorary degree on Prof Murray Leibbrandt, Research Chair in Poverty and Inequality Research in the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). In addition, the Faculty of The Humanities at the UFS conferred an honorary degree on HE Bineta Diop, Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace, and Security.

On the final day of the graduations, graduates within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the UFS were addressed by Lieutenant Colonel Dr Rifa Tshivhase, Head of the Department of Surgery at 3 Military Hospital in Bloemfontein. In her address, Lieutenant Colonel Dr Tshivhase encouraged and challenged the graduates to actively seek out good in the world.

As the December 2024 graduations concluded, several of the graduates within the Faculty of Health Sciences indicated that the most memorable moments in the session were the cheers and applause they received as they walked across the stage.

News Archive

Faculty of Law congratulated on 100 years of Iurisprudentia
2009-11-05

Prof. Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the UFS and Prof. Barry Rider from the Jesus College at the University of Cambridge in the UK.
Photo: Stephen Collett

This year the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) is celebrating a century of excellence in legal education under the theme “Iurisprudentia 100”. A number of prominent leaders in the international legal arena congratulated the faculty on this milestone achievement.

Prof. Harry Rajak, Emeritus Professor from the Sussex Law School at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom communicated his heartiest congratulations to the faculty. “It has been my great privilege and pleasure to have had, for many years now, a close association with the Faculty of Law of the UFS. I have enjoyed several visits to the Law Faculty, during which I have benefited enormously from the vibrant intellectual, scholarly and extremely friendly atmosphere which you have all created, as well as from the enthusiasm and intelligence of your students. I look forward to the continuation for many more years of this important and fruitful connection,” he said.

Prof. Barry Rider from the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the Jesus College at Cambridge University in the UK also congratulated and expressed his admiration towards the faculty. “The reputation for excellence in the teaching of law and in its scholarly research that your faculty has attained both in the Republic and internationally is a testament to the outstanding efforts and commitment of so many generations of scholars in Bloemfontein. I have been extraordinarily privileged to be associated with your faculty. The achievements of your faculty are truly impressive,” he said.

The faculty also received wishes of congratulations from Prof. Thomas Hurst, Research Scholar and Professor of Law from the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida in the United States of America. “The UFS has established itself as a world renowned leader in legal education,” he said.

Mr Anton Trichardt from Londsdale Chambers, Melbourne Australia also conveyed his best wishes to the faculty. “Your Faculty of Law has indeed been an example of excellence in legal education, training and research. The Centre for Business Law and its monograph series has been an unrivalled trend-setter in law,” he said.

Old Mutual also conveyed its wishes of congratulations.
 

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