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07 March 2024
Photo Lunga Luthuli
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.
State of our campuses: UFS campuses closed until Friday 23 September 2016
2016-09-20
After careful assessment of the situation on the Bloemfontein, Qwaqwa, and South Campuses of the University of the Free State (UFS), and engagement with the Student Representative Council (SRC), the senior leadership decided this morning to close all its campuses until Friday 23 September 2016.
All academic and administrative services on the three campuses have therefore been suspended and will resume again on Monday 26 September 2016. This means that no academic and administrative services will be available and no lectures and/or tests will take place on the three campuses for the rest of the week.
This decision was made after all academic activities were suspended on the Bloemfontein Campus yesterday afternoon because of a growing unease and disruption of some academic activities by groups of students, resulting from yesterday morning’s announcement on tuition fees by the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande. Although the university management is in favour of peaceful protests, it condemns these disruptions, especially as it took place during an important time in the academic calendar.
The decision to suspend academic and administrative services for the rest of this week was taken with caution, as it will ensure the safety of staff, students, and university property. It will also assist the university management in maintaining stability on the campuses.
Adjustments will be made to the teaching calendar, and students are requested to obtain this information from their respective faculties. No student will be disadvantaged in terms of tests or assignments as a result of the unfortunate closure of the university for the rest of the week.