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UFS celebrates student excellence at 2024 EDSA Prestige Awards ceremony

23 October 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Kaleidoscope

EDSA Awards - 2024 — At the 2024 EDSA Prestige Awards (from left): Temba Hlasho, Executive Director of Student Affairs; Siphilangenkosi Dlamini, Student of the Year; and Prof Anthea Rhoda, acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal.

The 2024 Executive Director of Student Affairs (EDSA) Prestige Awards, hosted by the University of the Free State (UFS) on 12 October on South Campus, was a celebration of student excellence, leadership and holistic development. The third annual event recognised exceptional achievements across academia, sport, community engagement and innovative activities, aligning with the university’s broader Vision 130 strategy, which emphasises excellence, innovation and social impact.

Prof Anthea Rhoda, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UFS, highlighted how the awards reflect the university’s commitment to nurturing well-rounded students who are capable of excelling on the global stage. She emphasised that categories like ‘Most Innovative Fundraising Activity,’ ‘Best Undergraduate’ and ‘Best Sportsman’ embody the values of Vision 130.

“The awards encourage students to strive for excellence in several areas of their student experience, similarly to how UFS aspires to achieve excellence in various spheres where it is a role player,” she said.

The decision to host the ceremony on South Campus marked a significant step towards inclusivity across all UFS campuses. Prof Rhoda noted that this choice reiterated UFS’s identity as “one university with three campuses”. She expressed optimism for the future of South Campus, calling it a hub for academic and student activities, and signalling its potential to host even larger events in the future.

Through its Division of Student Affairs, UFS plays a pivotal role in supporting students in both academic and extracurricular pursuits. According to Prof Rhoda, the university has formulated a strategic framework that emphasises student success, well-being and development. She highlighted that students are given ample opportunities to excel, whether through academic support systems or through initiatives like entrepreneurial programmes and sports infrastructure. This well-rounded support system equips UFS students with the tools to compete globally, both academically and in extracurricular endeavours.

Among the many students honoured was Mthi Mthimkhulu, a first-year who is studying towards a Bachelor of Arts degree specialising in Language Practice. The rising 400-metre sprint star participated at the South African Under-23 Championships in Pretoria earlier this year, finishing with a time of 46 seconds, as well as in the African Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon, logging a time of 46.50.

On the night of the EDSA Prestige Awards, Mthimkhulu walked away with three gongs: the Club Sports Star of the Year, Kovsie National Sports Representative of the Year, and Sportsman of the Year.

The big winner on the night was Siphilangenkosi Dlamini, who took home the Student of the Year award. Dlamini, a student and research assistant at the Centre for Teaching and Learning, is also the Provincial Chairperson of the BRICS Student Commission in the Free State. Along with being named Student of the Year, he also took home a cash prize of R1 500.

“Winning the Student of the Year award is an incredible honour, both personally and professionally,” Dlamini said. “It represents the culmination of years of dedication to leadership, academic excellence and social impact.”

His leadership extends beyond UFS, with initiatives focused on decolonising education and youth entrepreneurship. Dlamini also leads the Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN) project, which empowers African youth to reclaim their narratives by writing in their own languages. This initiative, which now includes 10 South African languages, exemplifies his dedication to fostering innovation and cultural pride among African youth.

The 2024 EDSA Prestige Awards not only celebrated excellence but also reinforced UFS's dedication to creating a vibrant student life that enhances leadership, personal growth and community engagement, in line with Vision 130.

Click to view document Click here for the list of all the categories and the winners.

News Archive

UFS launches history book

2007-02-02


Attending the launch of the UFS history book were, from the left: Prof Stef Coetzee, Prof Francois Retief, Prof Wynand Mouton, Mr Pieter Cox (Chairperson on Sasol) and Prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS). Profs Coetzee, Retief and Mouton are former rectors of the UFS.
UFS launches history book The University of the Free State (UFS) today launched its history book titled, From Grey to Gold, on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein. “The history of the UFS is one of faith, hope, struggle and determination. The book tells a fascinating story that stretches over a 100 years. It is divided into five main phases, which tells about the growth of the UFS from a poor Free State community to a mature university. Interesting stories about student days, sport, rag and hostel activities are included in each phase,” Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor said during the launch of the book. “One cannot know where you are going if you don’t know where you are coming from. You have a clearer idea of the issues facing an institution if you know the history. A book like this one is also an important source of reference for staff on the campus,” said Prof Fourie. The first research for the book was done from 1999-2003 by Prof Leo Barnard from the Department of History and a team of researchers. They also compiled the first manuscript. During the last three years, Prof Fourie was closely involved with the writing of the final phase and finishing off the history book project. “It was an honour to be so closely involved with the story of the UFS because now I have a better understanding of the institution, its people, its culture and its way of thinking. For any rector of a university, such an understanding of its institution is a requirement,” Prof Fourie said. The book is partly sponsored by Sasol. During the launch of the book, Mr Pieter Cox, Chairperson of Sasol said the company and the UFS have been partners for 57 years. “Both Sasol and the UFS are striving for excellence – Sasol for excellence in technology and the UFS for excellence in education,” said Mr Cox. “It was an easy decision when the UFS approached Sasol for financial support of the history book. Its a formidable piece of work, something Prof Fourie and the UFS can be proud of,” said Mr Cox. The book consists of more than 500 pages with hundreds of photos and a wide range of supplements of office-bearers, awards and achievements (including national and sporting colours). A timeline framework, putting the history of the UFS in context with the history of the Free State, South Africa and of the world, is also included. Besides the supplements, the history book also tells the story of amongst others the establishment of the UFS; the role of its founding fathers; black pioneers of transformation; the establishment and development of academic departments and faculties; student numbers; pioneers and trends in research; academic entrepreneurs; campus issues and campus politics; interesting facts and stories about student life (rag, intervarsity and cheerleaders, sport and the Springboks, hostel traditions); the admission of black students and anguish about race; language and culture; the development of the Main Campus; the Tickey and the Banana and much more. Emphasis is placed on a very high level of quality. “It is not every day that the university becomes hundred years old and the institution will be measured by the quality of the book. We cannot say the UFS is a university of excellence if the book does not reflect that,” Ms Edma Pelzer, Director: Physical Resources and Special Projects said. Ms Pelzer managed the project as part of the last mentioned part of her portfolio. The search for photographs was an important aspect of the book and it was a big task to find photographs and write captions. It took almost a year to translate and prepare the English edition and almost ten months to ensure the accuracy thereof, especially to correctly translate the typical Free State and UFS terminology and naturally to complete the English manuscript’s layout and proofreading. In the mean time the cover pages were designed and in September 2006 the manuscript went into the final print process. The Afrikaans title is: Van Sink tot Sandsteen tot Graniet. The cost of the book is R380 per copy. Those who already ordered the book will soon receive their copy. Orders can be placed by contacting Mr Dawid Kriel at UFS Marketing on 051 401 3409 or on the UFS web site at www.ufs.ac.za. The book is also available at Van Schaik Book Store on the Thakaneng Bridge, UFS Main Campus and at Fascination Books in Mimosa Mall, Bloemfontein. Media release Issued by: Lacea Loader Media Representative Tel: (051) 401-2584 Cell: 083 645 2454 E-mail: loaderl@mail.uovs.ac.za 2 February 2007

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