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UFS Business School signs MOU with University West, Sweden

18 November 2024 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Tania Allen

Business School Partnership 2024 — Prof Per Assmo from University West, Sweden and Prof Anthea Rhoda from the UFS signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will develop academic cooperation across fields such as research, student and academic exchanges, and collaborative projects.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with University West, Sweden. Held at the UFS Business School on the Bloemfontein Campus, the event saw the signing of the agreement by Prof Anthea Rhoda, acting UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal, and Prof Per Assmo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation at University West. The partnership aims to develop academic cooperation across fields such as research, student and academic exchanges, and collaborative projects.

This MOU opens the door to a wide range of collaborative initiatives, including academic and researcher exchanges for the purposes of teaching, conducting lectures, conducting research, and exchanging expertise. Additionally, the MOU includes student exchange programmes, joint research projects, and the shared hosting of seminars and conferences.

Prof Rhoda shared her enthusiasm to incorporate work-integrated learning (WIL) more widely at the UFS. “We are looking at work-integrated learning as an extension of engaged scholarship. It is something that we're looking forward to expanding,” she said.

Building a connected community

Prof Assmo explained that their institution, though small, has a unique approach that focuses on both production technology and work-integrated learning – a teaching model that goes beyond internships to provide students with practical, hands-on experience. "For us, WIL is a research field and academic discipline in its own right," he said.

University West is also the only university in the world to offer a PhD specifically in WIL, a programme it spent 20 years developing.

“We want to collaborate with South Africa as a strategic partner,” he said. The University West is already actively working with several South African universities, including the UFS, the Central University of Technology, the University of the Western Cape, and Tshwane University of Technology. “This would be the core for us, where we collaborate and find different forms within research and education, not restricted to any faculty or field as such.”

His vision also includes forming a larger ‘Nordic hub’ of connections across Sweden, Norway, and the European Union, along with a ‘regional hub’ in Bloemfontein. This way, universities can share ideas and resources to build a stronger, more connected community for the future.

A need for work-integrated learning

A working example of this partnership between University West and the UFS is the collaborative focus on integrated learning between Prof Liezel Massyn, Associate Professor in the UFS Business School, and Prof Kristina Areskoug Josefsson, Professor in Work-integrated Learning and Health Science from University West. They have a mutual commitment to improve educational practices through international partnerships and to advance integrated learning strategies. Together, they have already co-authored a research article and presented their findings at five conferences this year.

Prof Massyn said she realised that there is a need for work-integrated learning, specifically in the UFS Business School. “Initially, I thought our students were working, so they didn't need the work-integrated learning component. I then realised it could actually add a lot more value.”

Prof Nicolene Barkhuizen, Director of the UFS Business School, highlighted how this venture aligns with the university’s Vision 130, which aims to expand the UFS’ global footprint. “This partnership is an optimisation of the collaboration to contribute to Vision 130, expanding our reach globally while bringing practical value locally. We are looking forward to a very fruitful collaboration,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, acting Dean Prof Frans Prinsloo discussed the potential for future projects. “Now that we have this collaboration agreement, there are many opportunities we can explore further,” he stated.

News Archive

Judge Albie Sachs and Candice Mama discuss traumas of the past and forgiveness in the present

2015-08-05

Judge Albie Sachs embraces Candice Mama for her courage in confronting Eugene de Kock, who killed her father.

Two generations. Two stories of triumph. Two South Africans who have displayed immense courage.

Public Dialogue on Trauma, Memory, and Representations of the Past

Judge Albie Sachs and Candice Mama exchanged their experiences of past trauma and subsequent transformation in a public conversation. The event was co-hosted by Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela and The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) in Cape Town on Thursday 30 July 2015.

The event was the first instalment in a series entitled Public Dialogue on Trauma, Memory, and Representations of the Past. The theme of the discussion was ‘Intergenerational Dialogue on Trauma and Healing’.

"The aim of these public dialogue events we are co-hosting with IJR is to place the issues of trauma and memory, and the strategies that individuals and communities use to heal, in the public sphere," Prof Gobodo-Madikizela, Senior Research Professor in Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS) said.

Judge Albie Sachs and Candice Mama in conversation

Former Constitutional Court Judge, Albie Sachs, talked about his participation in South Africa’s liberation struggle, the loss of his right arm in an assassination attempt, and meeting the man responsible – Henri van der Westhuizen. Despite years of exile and extended periods of solitary confinement, Judge Sachs maintains that “we need to acknowledge our history, not be trapped by it.” Judge Sachs also remarked, though, that “we’re seeing too much lamentation, not enough activation.” In a heartrending gesture, Judge Sachs embraced Candice Mama in a hug for her courage in confronting Eugene de Kock, who killed her father.

How poignant then, when Mama said, “I wanted to embrace the brokenness within him,” when she spoke about her meeting with De Kock. By the time I met with Eugene, I could meet him as a human being, not as a villain.” Mama believes that forgiving someone translates into an investment in the person you are forgiving and in your own sanity. She also emphasised the importance of dialogue to move our country forward: “When we share our stories with each other authentically, walls break down.”

This is a stance that Prof Gobodo-Madikizela supports strongly: “When we listen to one another, something unexpected emerges; we encounter the human in each other,” she said. “When we listen with open hearts to each other, we see and experience each other’s humanity.”

Building a bridge between research and society

Referring to the research aspect of the event, Prof Gobodo-Madikizela said that, "in establishing the series of public dialogue events, our vision is to create a bridge between scholarly research and the community at large, on the one hand, and a visual conscience of society, on the other." The UFS is collaborating with the IJR on this research project, which is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The endeavour is led by Prof Gobodo-Madikizela, who also serves as Board Member of the IJR.

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