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08 May 2024
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Story Anthony Mthembu
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Photo SUPPLIED
From left to right: Prof Philippe Burger, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of the Free State (UFS), presenting an award to Ntswaki Moshwaisi.
A cohort of esteemed academic and support staff from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of the Free State (UFS), received well-deserved accolades at the 2024 annual EMS Awards. Notable among them were Programme Coordinator Ntswaki Moshwaisi and Associate Professor Prof Liezel Massyn from the UFS Business School.
Prof Massyn was lauded in the Teaching and Learning category, while Moshwaisi garnered recognition in the Support Staff category at the awards ceremony held on 18 April 2024, on the UFS Bloemfontein campus.
Reflecting on her achievement, Moshwaisi expressed gratitude, stating, “The award serves as motivation to myself to keep working hard and to innovate methods and approaches towards my work.’’
The significance of the awards
Prof Massyn remarked that the awards serve to spotlight the remarkable contributions of both academics and support staff within the faculty. She considers the award as a testament to her dedication, acknowledged by her esteemed colleagues. Both Prof Massyn and Moshwaisi attribute their success to the support they receive from their peers.
Moreover, they emphasise that these awards transcend mere recognition. It will serve as an impetus to the way forward. Moshwaisi envisages leveraging her award to enhance the quality and efficacy of the programmes under her stewardship. Prof Massyn, echoing this statement, asserts, ’’It will strengthen my belief in the transformative power of teaching and make me work harder to provide quality learning opportunities to students. I am a firm believer in following an evidence-based approach and will continue to research learning and teaching.’’
Discourse on statues and symbols puts transformation questions in the spotlight
2015-04-12
Amid various protest actions against historical statues across the country over the last two weeks, the University of the Free State’s Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice presented a three-day discussion session the past week about the role and place of statues, symbols and signs in the transformation attempts of universities.
During these lunchtime sessions, various speakers from different contexts had expressed their opinions about this issue that has become a focal point, not only for universities, but also for the country as a whole.
Thus speakers not only gave their opinions about whether there is a place in present-day South Africa for statues and symbols from colonial and apartheid-South Africa, but also highlighted the cultural-historical values and the more deep-seated issues and symbolism of the statue-debate.
UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Jonathan Jansen, said on the first day of the session that the discourse was not about only one person’s memories, but about everyone’s in the country. He proposed that similar sessions should be held at each university campus.
He also said that, instead of breaking down, people should learn to live together, and everyone should be involved for transformation to occur.
Speakers who served on the panel, included academics from the UFS and Stellenbosch University as well as representatives of the Student Representative Council and of historical and heritage foundations.