Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
31 January 2024
|
Story EDZANI NEPHALELA
|
Photo ANJA AUCAMP
Dr Martin Laubscher’s thesis, crowned with the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize, is testament to the university’s unwavering commitment to scholarly excellence.
In a historic triumph that reverberates over four decades since its inception, the UFS has clinched the coveted
Andrew Murray Prize – now renamed the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize – for the first time. Standing shoulder to shoulder with institutions such as the University of Pretoria (UP) and Stellenbosch University (SU), this achievement marks a significant milestone in the UFS’ journey.
At the heart of this accomplishment lies the profound contribution of
Dr Martin Laubscher, distinguished Senior Lecturer specialising in Practical and Missional Theology in the
Faculty of Theology and Religion. Dr Laubscher’s dedication and scholarly prowess culminated in the groundbreaking work titled
Publieke teologie as profetiese teologie? (Public theology as prophetic theology), a revised edition of his doctoral thesis, which was originally crafted at Stellenbosch University in 2020, with a focus on the eminent Karl Barth.
Dr Laubscher received the Andrew Murray Prize for Theological Books in Afrikaans for his research and insightful analysis. The journey started when he realised, under the guidance of his study leader,
Prof Dion Forster, that his script had the potential to be published in Afrikaans. Sun Media’s interest in publishing this work in Afrikaans, led to it being the first-ever published thesis in Afrikaans. Dr Laubscher recalls, “I was grateful and excited about Sun Media’s interest. The book emerged within a year, and during a celebratory launch Prof Forster suggested I submit it for the Andrew Murray Prize.”
Earlier this year, Dr Laubscher was excited to learn that he was being shortlisted for the prestigious award. Reflecting on the significant moment, he shares, “The elation I felt upon receiving the news was unparalleled. I was not only celebrating a personal triumph, but also etching my name as the first laureate from our faculty to secure this prestigious accolade.”
UFS cattle auction facilities made available to CMW
2005-10-28
The University of the Free State (UFS) made the cattle auction facilities of its Lengau Agricultural Development Centre at the Sydenham experimental farm available to CMW. The agreement is a collaboration between the UFS, the Mangaung Local Municipality and the National Farmers Union (NAFU) and will commence in November 2005. CMW is a minority shareholder of Sinethemba Mafana, a black economic empowerment company concentrating on the upcoming agricultural sector. The cattle auctions will be held at the centre on the last Thursday of the month.
From the left:
Dr Léan van der Westhuizen (head of the UFS Lengau Agricultural Development Centre), Mr Willie Meyer (manager of CMW's central region), Prof Johan Greyling (head of the UFS Department of Animal- and Wildlife- and Grassland Sciences), Mr Thabo Pietersen (president of NAFU in the Free State) and Mr Koos Kruger (auctioneer from CAW).