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22 February 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Stephen Collett
Prof Petersen 2024 Official Opening
UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof Francis Petersen addressed the institution's official opening on 16 February 2024.

Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Free State (UFS), addressed the institution's official opening on 16 February 2024, highlighting the complex current global geopolitical landscape and the university's long-term strategic plan, Vision 130.

During the address, held at the Centenary Complex on the UFS’s Bloemfontein Campus and streamed live to its Qwaqwa Campus, Prof Petersen noted that the “world is more interconnected but also more divided and fragmented, with inequality and injustice reaching critical levels”.

He added that there is a need for the higher education sector to be prudent and think differently in the face of global challenges, including market dislocations, supply chain dislocations, and economies going into recession. 

Vision 130 progress: addressing global disruptions

Vision 130, a strategic plan to reposition the university by its 130th anniversary in 2034, is centred around values such as Excellence, Innovation and Impact, Accountability, Care, Social Justice, and Sustainability. “The exciting journey is about care, being courageous, and having a strong appetite for curiosity,” Prof Petersen said. He acknowledged that 2023 provided initial traction but also identified specific areas where the university needed to improve to stay on track to deliver on the commitments of Vision 130.

“Undergraduate student success and overall student employability have been reset and stabilised post-COVID pandemic, with continued engagement and financial and advisory support from various foundations and government departments.” The university's student success rate currently stands at 83%, and Prof Petersen applauded the efforts of the team at the Centre for Teaching and Learning and all the faculties for their contributions towards this achievement.

Industry and private-sector involvement in the university’s academic work remains strong through a range of academic advisory boards and a renewed focus for the Career Services office. Prof Petersen highlighted the need to develop more platforms and spaces for robust engagement, debate, critical thinking, and exposure to diverse views for and among students.

Looking back to 2023, there was no change in the UFS’s average postgraduate-level results, but there was an overall improvement in other indicators of research output. Prof Petersen committed to strengthening support to the research and postgraduate environments.

Digital transformation and the UFS's forward-looking approach

Prof Petersen highlighted the importance of digital transformation, digitalisation, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the university's institutional DNA, supported through its Digitalisation Strategy. He acknowledged that a fully resourced Information Communication and Technology Service (ICTS) is essential to ensuring a quality, forward-looking institution.

Valamy Vermeulen, Chief Officer at University Estates responsible for cleaning and events maintenance, said Prof Petersen’s speech created enthusiasm about facing 2024 head-on. “Working together, we can overcome a lot of challenges and achieve university goals,” Vermeulen said. “It is important to see your plans for the university, play your role, stay positive, and together as a team, we will succeed.”

Prof Petersen concluded by saying the university is financially sustainable but needs to be prudent in its resource management. He emphasised the need for a renewed commitment from all members of the university to own their space, understand how their space is connected to Vision 130, and share an unrelenting ambition to deliver on the strategy.

Grey document Click here for the official opening speech or watch the video below.

News Archive

Former UFS Dean awarded SAAWK medal for contribution to Bible translation work
2016-05-09

Description: Prof Hermie van Zyl Tags: Prof Hermie van Zyl

Prof Hermie van Zyl
Photo: Eugene Seegers

Prof Hermie van Zyl, former Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the University of the Free State (UFS), was recently awarded the Ds Pieter van Drimmelen medal by the South African Academy of Science and Arts (SAAWK) for his contribution to Afrikaans Bible translation and other translation work.

Prof Van Zyl was part of the team that published the Interlinear translation of the Bible (New Testament) in Greek and Afrikaans. This translation takes the reader from the original text (Greek), to an almost verbatim version, to a rough translation, and, ultimately, to a more polished, finished translation in the target language of Afrikaans.

Other translations Prof Van Zyl has been involved in include the Afrikaans Bible for the Deaf (published in 2008), the direct translation of the Bible (of which the New Testament and the Psalms have already been published), the New Living Translation, the Parallel New Testament, and the Reference Bible. He is the first lecturer from the Faculty of Theology at the UFS to receive an award from the SAAWK.

“It is a wonderful privilege and an honour and really came out of nowhere,” said Prof Van Zyl. He added that he is grateful that, amongst all the wonderfully talented people at the UFS, he could make a modest contribution. He mentioned that the collegial conversations, seminars, and other discussions in the faculty over the years, were very stimulating. He singled out Prof Jan du Rand and Prof Francois Tolmie (another former Dean of the Faculty and long-time colleague in the department of New Testament Studies) as inspiration.

The official presentation of the medal will take place in the Atterbury Theatre in Pretoria on 29 June 2016.

Prof Van Zyl was employed in the Faculty of Theology at the UFS for 29 years until his retirement in 2013. He is currently a Research Fellow in the Department of New Testament, and still lectures on occasion.

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