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07 March 2024 Photo Lunga Luthuli
Simphiwe Kunene and Prof Francois Strydom
Prof Francois Strydom, Senior Director at the Centre for Teaching and Learning and Simphiwe Kunene, the first African DREAM scholar and a master’s student from the Faculty of Education.

The University of the Free State (UFS) received recognition for its commitment to student success at the 2024 Achieving the Dream (ATD) conference which celebrated its 20-year anniversary. Simphiwe Kunene, an Education master's student originally from the Qwaqwa campus, was selected to represent South Africa as the first DREAM scholar from Africa as part of the conference.

The Achieving the Dream network of over 300 institutions, which is one of the largest movements in US higher education aims to transform colleges and universities so that students of colour and a lower socio-economic status are supported to earn a degree. The UFS is a leading partner in the Siyaphumelela Network, which has been working for 10 years with ATD to enhance the success of students in South Africa. Prof Francois Strydom, Senior Director at the Centre of Teaching and Learning (CTL), accepted the award on behalf of the institution.

Prof Strydom said that collaboration with the ATD and Siyaphumelela institutions has helped the UFS to develop cutting-edge approaches to “level the playing field” and support Kovsies to earn their undergraduate degrees.

The first African DREAM scholar

Kunene was selected as the first African DREAM scholar from the Siyaphumelela network. To select the DREAM scholar, each Siyaphumelela partner institution nominated one student as a preferred candidate. From the proposed candidates, the DREAM scholar was selected by the South African Institute for Distance Education (Saide) based on the following: demonstrating resilience, academic excellence, and a deep commitment to making a positive difference in universities and personal communities.

He addressed the conference of over 2 000 delegates and shared with them his hopes and dreams. Many members of the South African delegation said Simphiwe did his country proud. He had the following to say about his opportunity to be a DREAM scholar: “Being a DREAM scholar was life changing for me, exposing me to an array of opportunities I never knew were possible and available for me. It was as if, for a moment, the world had stopped to just listen to what I had to say."

The way forward

The UFS will continue its work as a partner of the Siyaphumelela network for the 2024-2026 cycle. The multi-stakeholder project team is focused on enhancing undergraduate students’ time, and to position the UFS as a thought and research leader in the area of student success as part of Vision 130.  

News Archive

Kovsie hockey achieves
2010-07-22

Gregg Clark

Three players from the University of the Free State (UFS) Womens Second Hockey Team, Theane Guthrie, Ayesha Samuels and Chantelle Deere, were selected for the South African Country Districts A Team. Theane, Ayesha and Chantelle played for Free State B Team when they participated in the recent SA Country Districts Hockey tournament. The Free State B Team also won the Tournament. 

Jason Klinkradt, coach of the UFS Womens Second Team, was also the coach for the Free State B Team.

Eight Kovsies were also included in the Free State Hockey Team that will participate in the National Interprovincial Hockey Tournament in East-London from 19-24 July 2010. The players are Lesley Ann George (captain), Berne van Wyk, Jo-Nelka Swanepoel, Felicia Shongwe, Orpah Pretorius, Cardeux Nel, Nicole Kemp and Hettie Oosthuizen. The Protea under-captain, Lesley Ann is the captain of the Free State Team. Elsie Coetzer, the Kovsie womens hockey coach, is also the coach of this team.

More news from Kovsie hockey is that the national mens coach, Mr Gregg Clark, presented a very successful training camp for the Free State womens and mens teams on the Kovsie Astros. The training camp was open to all Free State coaches and was amongst others attended by Elsie Coetzer and Des Donald, Kovsies mens hockey coach.

Mr Clark was also course leader at the hockey course for schools, attended by 900 learners, presented by the Kovsie Hockey club earlier this year, said Mr Frans van der Watt from KovsieSport.
 

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