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UFS Book Launch Invitation - 2024 State of Nation: Quality of Life and Wellbeing

23 May 2024

The Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Francis Petersen, invites you to attend the upcoming book launch of State of the Nation: Quality of Life and Wellbeing.

Celebrating its 20^th year of existence, this HSRC flagship publication serves as an invaluable, independent scholarly resource offering insights into the current state of South Africa. The theme of the 2024 edition, Quality of Life and Wellbeing, underscores the commitment to understanding and addressing critical societal issues. Edited by Profs Vasu Reddy, Narnia Bohler-Muller, Zitha Mokomane, and Crain Soudien, this edition builds on the preceding editions, focusing on HSRC priorities of poverty and inequality in novel and relevant ways.

During the launch, UFS scholars and editors will hold an interactive session and panel discussion; we look forward to your participation, which will help to enrich the conversations.

Date: Thursday 13 June 2024

Time: 15:00 to 16:30 (guests required to be seated by 14:45)

Venue: Equitas Auditorium, Bloemfontein Campus

RSVP: https://ufsweb.co/3QGWpXY before 10 June 2024

Contact: For more information, please contact Pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za

ONLY MS Teams for Qwaqwa and South Campus staff (upon request to the RSVP address)

Books available for purchase at the event venue. Card payments will only be accepted.

News Archive

UFS takes the lead in solar heating in the Free State

2010-06-03

In the “engine room” of the solar heating system of the Vergeet-my-nie Residence with the big hot water tanks in the background. From the left are Mr Anton Calitz, Electrical Engineer of the UFS, and Mr Nico Janse van Renburg, Manager: Physical Planning at the UFS.
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar

The University of the Free State (UFS) took a further step in reducing its carbon footprint and its dependency on coal fired electricity with the installation of a solar heating system at one of its residences. The contractor handed the system over to the UFS on Wednesday, 2 June 2010.

The system installed at the Vergeet-my-nie Residence is the first commercial solar water heating project in both Bloemfontein and at the UFS. It is estimated that it will provide in 70% of the residence’s energy needs and save approximately R101 000 per annum in electricity cost. The project was completed at a cost of R2,4 million.

More residences at the UFS will be refurbished with solar systems as the existing heating systems in the rest of the twenty residences are due for replacement.

The energy crisis of 2008, and the challenges and necessity to reduce the use of electricity, sparked the initiative around the installation of solar heating systems at the UFS. The UFS is the second largest energy user in Bloemfontein.

Mr Nico Janse van Rensburg, Manager: Physical Planning at the UFS, says the management of the UFS saw an opportunity in the crisis and pro-actively embarked to become a market leader. Solar heating would not only alleviate the electricity problem of South Africa, but will impact the ever increasing electricity bill of the UFS.

“Protecting the environment and being on the cutting edge of technology are core issues to the UFS,” says Janse van Rensburg. “We are an educational institution and take pride in practicing what we preach.”

Please see fact sheet for more information.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (acting)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
3 June 2010

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