Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
25 March 2024
|
Story Anthony Mthembu
|
Photo Lutendo Mabata
Prof Nompumelelo Zondi, the newly appointed Vice-Dean: Research and Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of The Humanities at the University of the Free State (UFS).
Prof Nompumelelo Zondi has been appointed as Vice-Dean: Research and Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of The Humanities at the University of the Free State (UFS). Prof Zondi assumed this new role on 1 March 2024 after serving as the Head of Department for African Languages at the University of Pretoria for seven years. “I consider this appointment as an opportunity of growth and learning more about higher education and the Faculty of The Humanities at large,” she said.
Prof Zondi indicates that part of her role is to spearhead the UFS Vision130 within the Faculty of The Humanities, and to ensure that the faculty assists the institution in becoming research-led, student-centred, and globally impactful.
Motivation for assuming this role
One of the primary reasons that led her to consider this role is sharing the knowledge she acquired as part of the Fulbright South African Research Scholar Programme. As a result of that experience and exposure, which went beyond the Ohio State University, she felt it befitting to implement some of the insights she acquired on a bigger scale. Therefore, even though she was impactful in her previous role, Prof Zondi believes that this is an exceptional and more desirable platform to do so. “I feel that I will have easier access to departments within the faculty, while also encouraging and supporting interdepartmental and faculty collaborations,” she explained.
A significant component of Vision 130
He believes that the elements that make up Vision 130 are interrelated. While she considers research central to Vision 130 – as she begins her journey at the UFS, she feels students deserve to be nurtured to further contribute to the university’s impactful research. Thus, student-centredness is the way to go. “I believe that students must be major role players in this Vision130; we must include them in the interactions and discussions that are part of the university’s strategic plan as well as in decision-making processes,” she said. As such, according to Prof Zondi, the more the faculty and the institution care for the students and involve them in Vision130 and in collaborations, the more research outputs the university will achieve.
Meet Dr Mpho Jama, Prestige Scholar
2013-07-26
|
 |
Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector (right), visited Dr Jama at UCLA on his recent trip to the USA where this photograph was taken with Prof Bill Worger of UCLA’s History Department. Dr Jama will return to the UFS in December 2013.
26 July 2013 |
Dr Mpho Jama, Fulbright scholar, is a lecturer in Health Sciences Education and a member of the Vice-Chancellor's Prestige Scholars Programme since 2011. She is currently hosted by the Graduate School of Education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), funded by Fulbright.
At UCLA, Dr Jama is collaborating with the David Geffen School of Medicine on a research paper focusing on stress among medical students.
She also works in collaboration with the Higher Education Research Institute on psycho-social and spiritual support for students in higher education with specific emphasis on medical students. Dr Jama has joined the Research Apprenticeship Committee of the Institute and participates in its activities.