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UFS presents inaugural Senate Conference on Engaged Scholarship

28 March 2024 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Stephen Collett

Keynote speakers during the UFS 2024 Senate Conference included, from the left: Prof Kristina Josefsson from University West, Sweden; Prof ‘Funmi Olonisakin from King’s College London, England; Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS and Chairperson of the Senate; and Prof Relebohile Moletsane from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

The University of the Free State (UFS) presented its inaugural Senate Conference on the Bloemfontein Campus from 11 to 12 March 2024.

The conference, themed ‘Making Change through Engaged Scholarship’, initiated an important suite of conversations aligned with the UFS’ aspirations with Vision 130. The programme – which covered a wide range of topics by national and international speakers – included case studies of engaged scholarship from faculties, as well as breakaway sessions during which pertinent questions around engaged scholarship were discussed. A key element of the programme was the screening of a documentary film titled One Day, which accentuated the significance of engaged scholarship.

The organisation of the conference – both conceptually and logistically – was led by Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation at the UFS, supported by an organising committee consisting of various role players across the university.

Importance of engaged scholarship for universities

In his opening remarks, Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, said that in the higher education sector, universities in South Africa, continentally, and globally are grappling with the key challenges of our time, including social justice, environmental degradation, and economic growth and job creation.

“We encounter these challenges in a global context that is increasingly volatile, and in which universities must constantly innovate and adapt in order to remain vibrant, relevant, and impactful. This is a time for higher education that is demanding, fraught, and disruptive. The challenges are many and complicated,” said Prof Petersen.

“Engaged scholarship is crucial for universities, particularly those in the Global South, as it fosters community collaboration, addresses local challenges, and promotes sustainable development,” he said.

Conference proceedings showcased of UFS’ involvement in engaged scholarship

On day 1, presentations included a discussion on ‘Engaged Scholarship in a Time of Geopolitical Contestation: An African Perspective’ by Prof ‘Funmi Olonisakin from King’s College London, England; and ‘Knowledge Products and Scholarship Engagement: The Way Forward for Universities’ by Prof Eugene Cloete from Stellenbosch University. The programme included a screening of a documentary film about engaged scholarship, titled One Day. Produced by Charlene Stanley from Storytown Productions, the film focused on the collapse of the tailings dam wall at the Jagersfontein Mine in September 2022 and the severe sludge damage to houses, property, and the environment. In particular, the film highlighted how the university’s interventions made a difference to the community. The day was concluded with presentations of engaged scholarship case studies from faculties, as well as group discussions.

Day 2 started off with a presentation by Prof Kristina Josefsson from University West, Sweden, on ‘Work-Integrated Learning and Engaged Scholarship – Meetings of Knowledge to Create Positive Change’, followed by a presentation on ‘Rurality, Community and Engaged Scholarship’ by Prof Relebohile Moletsane from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. As was done the previous day, presentations of engaged scholarship case studies from faculties and group discussions rounded off the day.

Some of the issues that have been identified and need to be taken further in order to embed engaged scholarship within the UFS, include the need to create a common understanding of engaged scholarship through careful interrogation of the terminology; the co-creation of knowledge, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to solving problems; the impact of engaged scholarship on teaching, learning, and research interventions; and the sustainability of projects when the engaged scholars leave a community, and how to measure success or otherwise.

Programme

Click to view document UFS 2024 Senate Conference Programme

Documentary Film: One Day

Presentations

Click to view document ‘Knowledge Products and Scholarship Engagement: The Way Forward for Universities’ by Prof Eugene Cloete, Stellenbosch University.

Click to view document ‘Work-Integrated Learning and Engaged Scholarship – Meetings of Knowledge to Create Positive Change’ by Prof Kristina Josefsson from University West, Sweden.

Click to view document 'Rurality, Community and Engaged Scholarship’ by Prof Relebohile Moletsane from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

News Archive

UFS is the most integrated campus in the country

2010-01-29

Judge Ian van der Merwe, Chairperson of the University of the Free State's (UFS) Council and Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS at the official opening ceremony.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

“The University of the Free State’s (UFS) Main Campus is the most integrated campus in the country.”

This was said by Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS during the university’s official opening on its Main Campus in Bloemfontein today.

Addressing staff and students, Prof. Jansen said that the first-year students in the majority of the residences are now fully integrated on a 50/50 basis. “The majority of our house committees are now also integrated,” he said.

He used the ladies residence Welwitschia as an example. “When I walked into to this residence last year it consisted only of black female students. When I visited them again this year I could not believe what I saw: the residence is fully integrated and there are white and black students living together. This is an example of our young people’s willingness to live together and we must believe in their potential,” he said.

Prof. Jansen said that the UFS does not want to be good because “good is the enemy of great” (from Jim Collins in his book Good to Great). “We want to be great. This is the year in which our staff and students’ lives will change and this university will change as we take the first steps in making the leap from good to great,” he said.

Prof. Jansen said that there have been many developments at the UFS so far this year. “We have attracted some of the best scholars in the country and other parts of the world to this university, and we will be selecting from among them in the next two weeks. We have also attracted some of the best athletes in the country in our first-year class, including some of the best hockey players,” he said.

Prof. Jansen outlined the following as his priorities for 2010:

The phasing in of compulsory class attendance as a way to drastically improve the quality of teaching at the UFS. “This will also enhance our throughput. However, before we can to this, we are going to accelerate the building of larger classrooms to accommodate all our students,” he said.
The appointment of a senior vice-rector in the near future, who will manage the day to day operations of the UFS;
To market the UFS to the best and most promising schools in South Africa. “This will start next week when I will be visiting schools in the Eastern Cape.”
To raise R100 million to enable more students with talent to study at the UFS, and to build an endowment to be proud of for the future of the university;
To upgrade the infrastructure in the residences;
To require every member of the university’s academic staff to publish every year;
To train administrative and support staff so that a world-class service culture can be created which takes every student, every parent and every staff member seriously; and
To insist that the conditions of service of staff working for agencies outside the UFS be improved by increasing the minimum remuneration dramatically and by making study benefits available to them as well. “We will not renew our tenders with outside agencies unless they raise the minimum wage of their staff,” he said.

Prof. Jansen said that he was extremely proud of the Student Representative Council’s (SRC) leadership and what they have achieved so far during their term. He also thanked the staff for their hard work and the excellence they bring to the UFS.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
29 January 2010

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