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UFS December graduations: reflecting on the cheers and pride

13 December 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Charl Devenish

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

International success for UFS Professor in Japan

2016-12-07

Prof Hussein Solomon from the UFS was recently
appointed as Visiting Professor at Osaka University
in Japan.
Photo: Charl Devenish

He has been involved with the Osaka University for several years, but Prof Hussein Solomon’s recent appointment as Visiting Professor will allow the University of the Free State (UFS) and Osaka to work on long-term issues.

Kovsie academics hold their own internationally

His appointment at the university in Japan came as no surprise as he is a regular teacher to students and leader of seminars to staff. According to Prof Solomon, Senior Professor at the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the UFS, Kovsie academics can hold their own internationally.

The Faculty of Humanities has a memorandum of understanding with Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), which consists of Political Science, Public Administration, Law and Economics at Osaka University.

Enhancing the universities’ relationship

“I have been involved with Osaka since 2007, initially with their Global Collaboration Center (GLOCOL), focusing on conflict resolution, and then later with OSIPP.”

Although Prof Solomon has been working with Osaka for a while, his appointment will enhance the relationship between the universities.

“We have been cooperating with Osaka for some time, hosting annual conferences, engaging in staff and student exchanges, as well as the establishment of the international centre. This appointment allows us to work on longer-term issues allowing us to chase funding together and deepen our existing linkages,” he says.

UFS doctoral students being jointly supervised

Prof Solomon says that he would like to see the doctoral students from the UFS being jointly supervised. “We already have one of our doctorial students, Alta Vermeulen, who is being co-supervised between myself and Prof Virgil Hawkins from Osaka,” he says.

Prof Solomon was also recently appointed to the board of flagship journal, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

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