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01 February 2024
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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.
Leadership for Change celebrates graduation ceremony
2014-10-15
The Leadership for Change Programme hosted its third annual graduation ceremony on 9 October 2014 at the Centenary Complex on the Bloemfontein Campus.
The event consisted of two segments. The first was aimed at the group who has travelled abroad during the past year. They were presented with special certificates acknowledging the work they have done during their participation in the programme.
The second element of the evening was to wish the 2014/2015 group all of the best for their upcoming travels. This group will be travelling abroad during next year. Of the 250 applicants, the top 32 students were chosen to be part of the Leadership for Change Programme.
Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, said, “I hope you came back with the capacity to distinguish right from wrong – not only through law, but morally as a leader.”
Waldo Staude, Vice-president of the Student Representative Council (SRC), acted as Chair to the evening’s proceedings. He is also an alumnus of this programme.
“This programme has made its mark as we observe the number of leadership positions our students from the programme hold on this campus,” Staude said. “We have eight Leadership for Change students in the SRC for the 2014/15 term.”
The Leadership for Change Programme each year gives first-year students exposure to top universities throughout the world. Its focus is to establish a new campus culture of student relations across boundaries.
Six cohort groups – of between five to six students each – will visit universities on three different continents in January 2015. Each group will be accompanied by a UFS staff member serving the role of mentor.
The universities they will be visiting (according to continent), are:
USA
Cleveland State University
University of Minnesota
University of Vermont
Europe
The Netherlands: Vrije University in Amsterdam
Belgium: University of Antwerp and Ghent University
Asia
Japan: International Christian University