Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Women shaping academia: UFS EMS Faculty honours leadership and resilience

21 August 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Tshepo Tsotetsi

EMS Womens Function — From the left: Prof Brownhilder Neneh, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences; Prof Hester C. Klopper, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS; Simone Williams, Faculty Manager; and Dr Celeste Campher, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, at the Women’s Function held on the Bloemfontein Campus on 18 August.

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences recently hosted a Women’s Function on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus – an event that paid tribute to women’s leadership in academia during Women’s Month. The gathering, held on 18 August 2025, was marked by a historic conversation with Prof Hester C. Klopper, UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal, who earlier this year became the first woman to lead the university in its 121-year history.

The function brought together women academics and professional staff in an atmosphere of connection and reflection to converse on breaking barriers, building futures, and empowering women in higher education. In conversation with colleagues, Prof Klopper shared her personal journey in higher education, her leadership philosophy, and the values that have guided her career. The occasion created a meaningful platform for colleagues to reflect on the role of women in shaping the future of the faculty and the university.

Breaking barriers, building futures

Prof Klopper described her appointment as both humbling and historic: “It is an extraordinary honour to be entrusted with this responsibility. This milestone is not just a personal achievement, but also a reflection of the progress we have made as a university and as a society in recognising and valuing diversity in leadership. I stand on the shoulders of many trailblazers who paved the way, and I hope my appointment inspires women to believe that there are no limits to what they can achieve.”

She shared pivotal moments across her career journey – from transitioning into academia to international leadership experiences that shaped her vision. “You become aware of a growing, burning desire to plough back what you have learned; to pay forward in some way after receiving so many opportunities for growth, so much exposure to great role models, and such incredible learning experiences,” she said.

Acknowledging the challenges women still face in higher education, Prof Klopper reflected: “Academia has traditionally been male-dominated. In order to overcome stereotyping and bias, I drew on the values instilled by my parents – hard work, believing in yourself, non-discrimination, fairness, and care. These have been incredibly valuable in my journey.” She also highlighted the importance of supportive partnerships when balancing professional and family responsibilities.

Prof Brownhilder Neneh, Vice-Dean: Research, Engagement and Internationalisation in the Faculty, said these reflections captured the very purpose of the gathering. “With Prof Klopper serving as the first female Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, it was important to create a platform for her to inspire and empower women academics,” she said. “By sharing her career journey and insights, she demonstrated how barriers can be overcome in higher education leadership.”

She added that the conversation reinforced an important message: “Women, too, can achieve whatever they aspire to become. Prof Klopper reminded us that one must be clear about the message they want to communicate, know what they stand for, and remain consistent, authentic and honest. She emphasised the importance of always considering what you bring to the table – your expertise and knowledge – which ultimately opens doors. She also reminded us that women need to create their own values and live them, be intentional, and show up. There is no single recipe – each person must find their own rhythm and pursue it deliberately.”

Prof Klopper echoed with a message of encouragement to young women: “Have the courage to embrace your own authentic leadership style. Do not allow others to define who you are – believe in your own abilities. Knowledge without action is incomplete. Lead with heart, take intellectual risks, and remember that talent exists everywhere, but you have the power to create opportunity.”

Prof Neneh added that the event was not only a celebration but also a call to action: “Women play a vital role in enriching the academic project by bringing diverse experiences, perspectives, and leadership approaches. I hope colleagues left encouraged to pursue their aspirations with confidence and inspired to embrace mentorship, sponsorship, and solidarity among women academics.”

News Archive

Address by the first Inaugural President of the Central SRC

2005-08-03

The UFS Central SRC

Address by the first Inaugural President of the Central SRC of the University of the Free State, Mr Tello Motloung on Wednesday 3 August 2003

The Chairperson of the UFS Council, Judge Faan Hancke,
The Vice-chancellor and Rector of the UFS, Prof Frederick Fourie
The Vice-Rector Student Affairs of the UFS, Dr Ezekiel Moraka
The Presidents of the main campus SRC and the Vista campus SRC
Colleagues in the Central SRC, campus SRCs, students and fellow South Africans

Please receive my heartfelt revolutionary greetings

Vice-chancellor and rector what I bring here with me assisted by facts, is just the work of my imagination. Like a love letter addressed to a sweetheart miles away, even though you do not know how she feels, what she wants to hear, and do not even know what she looks like.

I value speech as just an honest intimation, that’s why I got into a habit of establishing a dialogue with people, looking at each other’s face, and persuading one another of what we are saying.

Vice-chancellor, today marks an important milestone in the history of the existence of the UFS. Today reflects the confidence and trust that students of the UFS have placed in us. They are confident that the Central SRC has both the will and the capacity to take our university forward as we confront the challenge of transformation.

Students are confident that they are correct to trust the Central SRC as the principal agent of change in our university that is genuinely committed to the objective of building a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic university. We need to frankly ask ourselves, as CSRC members, whether are we up to all these challenges?

All Central SRC members have to understand this fully, internalize it, and ensure that everything we do, does not betray the confidence and trust of students, or disappoint their expectations. I say this knowing that all Central SRC members have committed themselves to serve the students of the UFS, black and white, and no one among us (CSRC) needs any special lectures about this central commitment.

The UFS should be an omnibus, welcoming everybody on board. But we should be a bus with a clear direction. We will certainly lose our way if we, as an institution, don’t have a clear road map spelling out where we are heading to.

There should be clear guidelines on the role of students in the transformation process. Students should also be viewed as role players in transformation along with the University management, and not just opposing forces. There is no right time, other than this one, to move away from the politics of opposition to politics of transformation.

However, we need the support of management to do so. The University should value the role and contribution of student leaders, hear our legitimate claims and consider them as part of political and policy decision making.

Vice-chancellor and Rector, it remains our task to ensure that the UFS is transformed into an institution that is seen to be playing a vigilant role in developing students academically, intellectually, socially, culturally, politically and otherwise. The process of transformation is not ending tonight, it is just beginning tonight.

Judge Hancke, Prof Fourie, Dr Moraka, fellow students and fellow South Africans, I lead students at this university with a sense of pride and duty, and I know very well that I lead men and women, students who are all determined that we reach our destination safely and on time.

A navy divided within its ranks will be destroyed and vanquished by the enemy, but the navy united in purpose and action, loyalty and commitment will not sink but sail on to victory.

It is befitting to mention that every drop of my blood is telling me that the UFS is my home. I firstly became a student here, I became the SRC treasurer in my first year here, I became the deputy president here, and I became the first president of the Central SRC of the UFS.

Therefore you should never doubt my commitment towards the transformation of this university. To paraphrase what was said by students at another institution, “If there is no UFS in heaven, then I am not going.”

Let me conclude by thanking my ancestors for teaching me that even if I wined and dined with kings and queens, I am not a king myself, so I should not turn my back on people who made me what I am today.

Most importantly, I would like to thank the Almighty God and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for giving me time and power to lead this university.

It will be theoretically irresponsible if I ended my speech without indicating that “Only a Kovsie knows the feeling”.

I thank you.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept