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13 September 2024

The composition of the UFS Council is stipulated in the UFS Statute, which was published in the Government Gazette on 10 March 2023. The Convocation has to elect two (2) external Convocation members (who are neither employees nor students of the UFS) to the Council, as required by the Statute of the UFS. The elected members will serve on the Council for a period of four years.

The Convocation comprises all persons who obtained a formal qualification from the UFS, as well as all permanent and retired academic staff members.

Members of the Convocation are invited to submit written nominations by using the Nomination Form attached hereto.

Every nomination form must be signed by 2 (two) members of the Convocation and must contain the written acceptance of the nomination by the nominee under his/her signature, as well as an abridged CV and a motivation of ± 200 words.

All nominations must reach the office of the Registrar no later than 4 October  2024.

If more than two persons are nominated, an election will be held as stipulated in the Interim Institutional Rules. More information regarding this process will follow at that stage. 

Nominations are to be submitted to:
     e-mail: registrar@ufs.ac.za

or hand-delivered to:
     Mr NN Ntsababa
     Room 51 
     1st Floor
     Main Building
     UFS Bloemfontein Campus

For any enquiries, please contact Mr NN Ntsababa at registrar@ufs.ac.za or +27 51 401 3796.

Kindly take note that late or incomplete nominations will not be accepted or considered.

Each nomination must be submitted separately.

News Archive

SARChI Chair on disease resistance and quality in field crops awarded in UFS Department of Plant Science
2016-02-01

Description: SARChI Chair  Tags: SARChI Chair

Prof Labuschagne

A South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) chair has been awarded in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS). The chair will be headed by Prof Maryke Labuschagne, and will focus on crop quality breeding and disease resistance in field crops.

The disease resistance research by the chair will be headed by Prof Zakkie Pretorius. The disease resistance breeding will be a continuation of the internationally-acclaimed wheat rust research that Prof Pretorius has been conducting during his career.

The quality breeding will focus on crop protein quantity and quality as well as on iron, zinc, and beta carotene biofortification of staple crops such as wheat, maize, and cassava.

Prof Labuschagne believes that food security is one of the key factors for stability and prosperity on the continent. Her research and that of her students focuses on the genetic improvement of food security crops in Africa, including such staples as maize and cassava. “These crops are genetically improved for yield, drought tolerance, disease, and insect resistance, as well nutritional value,” she said.

Last year, one of  Prof Labuschagne’s PhD students, Bright Peprah, received an award for $473 000 from the competitive Program for Emerging Agricultural Research Leaders (PEARL) of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for his project on improving the beta-carotene content in cassava.

Prof Labuschagne also received the prestigious ‘Continental Lifetime Achiever Award’ from Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government Programme (MIW) last year for her commitment and continuous contributions to food security. She is an NRF-rated researcher, and author or co-author of over 160 articles in accredited journals.

Research Chairs have been designed by the Department of Science and Technology, together with the National Research Foundation, to attract and retain excellence in research and innovation at South African public universities. 

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