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Prof Nompumelelo Zondi assumes new role as Vice-Dean in the Faculty of The Humanities

25 March 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Lutendo Mabata

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.

News Archive

A year of various highlights for UFS

2016-12-19

Some other highlights:

Description: Prof Maryke Labuschagne, Bloemfontein Highlights Tags: Prof Maryke Labuschagne, Bloemfontein Highlights
The UFS was awarded five SARChI
(South African Research Chairs Initiative)
research chairs, the main goal of which is
to promote research excellence.
Read the full story

The UFS Chancellor’s Distinguished
Alumni Awards ceremony was held on
5 November 2016 on the
Bloemfontein Campus.
Read the full story

UFS student Candice Thikeson
completed a hat-trick of accolades when
she was named recipient of the Abe Bailey
Travel Bursary.
Read the full story

Reitumetse Maloa, a young researcher
at the UFS, is searching for a solution to
South Africa’s energy and electricity
problems from a rather unlikely
source: cow dung.
Read the full story

It was a year of various highlights for the University of the Free State (UFS) which has again illustrated the institution’s versatility by excelling on various fronts, from sports to research.

Some of these included Wayde van Niekerk winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; research on the locomotion of the giraffe, and the awarding of honorary doctorates to people such as veteran journalist Max du Preez.

Van Niekerk breaks 400m world record

After his feat in Rio on 14 August 2016, Van Niekerk was described as “the next star” by former US sprinter Michael Johnson, whose 17-year-old 400m world record he broke in a time of 43,03. Johnson described the way in which the Kovsie outperformed the 400m field as “a massacre”.

Wayde van Niekerk was described as “the next star" by Michael Johnson, whose 17-year-old 400m world record he broke in a time of 43.03.

Max du Preez and Trevor Manuel honoured

Du Preez (Humanities) said he was excited about the young minds he had interacted with at the Winter Graduation ceremony of the UFS. The leading journalist and political analyst was one of four recipients of honorary doctorates from the university on June 30 2016. The others were Prof Joel Samoff (Humanities), former finance minister Trevor Manuel, and Dr Reuel Jethro Khoza (both Economic and Management Sciences.

Research of great value for conservation

Dr Francois Deacon, Department of Animal, Wildlife, and Grassland Sciences at the UFS, and Dr Chris Basu, a veterinarian at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK, conducted research on the manner in which giraffes locomote from one place to another.

Very little research has been done on the manner in which these animals move. The research will assist in understanding aspects such as the giraffe’s anatomy and function, as well as the energy it utilises in locomoting. Such information could help researchers understand where giraffes fit into the ecosystem and the data would be of great value for large-scale conservation efforts.

Wayde van Niekerk:

15 August 2016: Wayde the next big star, says Michael Johnson
20 September 2016: I don’t see myself as a star, says Wayde
27 October 2016: Wayde, Karla shine again at KovsieSport gala night
24 November 2016: Wayde keeps winning off the track

Honorary doctorates:

29 June 2016: UFS will award four honorary doctorates during Winter Graduation ceremonies
2 July 2016: Trevor Manuel and Max du Preez among the recipients of honorary doctorates at UFS graduation

Giraffe research:

9 March 2016: Giraffe research broadcast on National Geographic channel
23 August 2016: Research on locomotion of giraffes valuable for conservation of this species
18 November 2016: Studies to reveal correlation between terrain, energy use, and giraffe locomotion

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