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01 February 2024
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Story Lacea Loader
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Photo SUPPLIED
Prof Prince Ngobeni, newly appointed Campus Principal of the UFS Qwaqwa Campus.
The University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed Prof Prince Ngobeni as Principal of the Qwaqwa Campus as from 1 February 2024.
Prof Ngobeni completed his first qualification in Analytical Chemistry at the then Technikon North-West before furthering his studies at the then Technikon Pretoria. He completed a DTech in Chemistry at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in 2003. In 2016, he enrolled for a Doctor of Business Administration in Higher Education at the University of Bath in England.
His lecturing career began at TUT in 1995 where he progressed from Head of Department: Chemistry in 2003 to Associate Dean: Faculty of Science in 2010, before being appointed as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at TUT in 2015 – a position he held until 2023. He also served as Interim Campus Rector of TUT’s Pretoria Campus from 2018 to 2020.
“With extensive years of academic leadership experience, Prof Ngobeni has the experience required to guide the Qwaqwa Campus towards the university’s Vision 130. The campus is already recognised as a leader in some of its unique research fields, and Prof Ngobeni’s strong research background will be valuable in this regard,” says Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS.
Prof Ngobeni is a member of several professional bodies in his field of expertise, including MatTEK at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the South African Chemical Institute (SACI), the Society for Atomic Spectroscopy, and the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP). During his career, he has also secured research funding for individual projects and international partnerships. Prof Ngobeni also initiated chemistry practical sessions for local schools and participated in the Technology Station in Chemicals project, which offers a wide range of services designed to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the chemical sector.
His substantial list of publications in journals and books covers a range of chemistry-related and managerial topics. He is also a well-versed presenter at local and international conferences.
“The Qwaqwa Campus has experienced major developments in recent years; I look forward to further contributing to the growth of the campus and to support the university in achieving its Vision 130,” says Prof Ngobeni.
Unconditional accreditation for Architecture at the UFS
2008-08-20
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 The Department of Architecture at the University of the Free State (UFS) is so far the only department of its kind in the country to obtain unconditional accreditation from the South African Council for the Architecture Profession (SACAP) for all three its programmes.
“SACAP has already visited seven out of a possible ten institutions in the country who present Architecture. Of these, only the UFS’s Department of Architecture has so far received unconditional accreditation. This is indeed an achievement for us,” said Prof. Jan Smit, Head of the Department.
According to Prof. Smit, the SACAP’s evaluation of all institutions who offer Architecture takes place every four years. During the accreditation process in 2004, the department also received unconditional accreditation for the two programmes it presented at that stage, namely the B.A.S. degree and the B.Arch. degree. Since then, the B.Arch. degree has fallen away and the qualifications the department now offers are the B.A.S. degree, B.A.S. (Hons.) and the M.Arch.(Prof.).
“The unconditional accreditation serves as proof that the qualifications obtained by our students are of value and that it enjoys local and international recognition. It is also an indication that our students’ training is up to standard,” said Prof. Smit.
The criteria students are evaluated on includes the facilities, degrees and courses presented, the standard of exam papers and assignments of a subject, the style of management and staff compilation. The panel of judges comprise of among others a representative from the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), who reports to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). “This is an indication of the high level on which the evaluation is being done,” said Prof. Smit.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
20 August 2008
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