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Trailblazing win: UFS wins its first-ever Andrew Murray Prize

31 January 2024 | Story EDZANI NEPHALELA | Photo ANJA AUCAMP

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.”

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Prof Magda Fourie is visiting the University of Oxford

2004-08-30

Prof Magda Fourie, Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the University of the Free State (UFS), is currently visiting the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom where she is doing research at the Institute for the Advancement of University Learning.

The primary role of the Institute is giving effect to the Teaching and Learning Strategy of Oxford University by supporting the quest for excellence in learning, teaching and research at the university. Prof Fourie will pay particular attention to research that the Institute has done on creating an optimal learning environment for students, with the purpose of enhancing the learning environment of students at the UFS.

Prof Fourie was awarded a University of Oxford Fellowship by the Association of Commonwealth Universities to spend two months at Oxford University for professional development purposes.

She will also visit the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, the Office for Distance and Online Learning and the Planning and Resource Division.

Prof Fourie’s visit abroad will be concluded with a visit to Dundee in Scotland, where she will attend a conference for vice-chancellors and deputy vice-chancellors on managing change in higher education. She will return to South Africa by the middle of next month.

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