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Growing partnership with HSMW in Germany brings new perspectives on internationalisation

19 February 2025 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Prof Hagenmeier and Prof Jacobs — Prof Lynette Jacobs and Dr Cornelius Hagenmeier, one of her hosts at the Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW). Prof Jacobs, a visiting professor at this institution, had the opportunity to visit the HSMW on a guest scholarship grant from the State of Saxony.

Since its foundation in 1867, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW) has had internationality as a trademark. In its early decades, more than half of its students came from abroad to study at this institution in Saxony, Germany. Today, the university is working with more than 100 partners worldwide, including the University of the Free State (UFS).

In September last year, the UFS signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), outlining the intention to collaborate on the exchange of academic staff and researchers for teaching, lectures, and research, as well as for the sharing of expertise. Additionally, the institutions are also looking at student exchange opportunities, conducting joint research projects, hosting symposia, seminars, and conferences together, and exchanging academic information and materials.

Internationalisation as a cross-cutting process

Recently, Prof Lynette Jacobs, the interim Director of the Office for International Affairs at the UFS, visited the institution as a visiting professor at the HSMW, after receiving a guest professorship grant from the Free State of Saxony in Germany.

This opportunity not only provided her with the chance to gain insight into the HSMW and build an understanding of the possibilities for collaboration between the two institutions but also allowed her to directly contribute to their strategy development. She worked on a research project with her hosts, Prof Ramona Kusche, Dean of Studies, Global Communications in Business and Culture, and Dr Cornelius Hagenmeier, Head of Internationalisation. “We responded to the question of the extent to which the HSMW has achieved the goals of its 2018 internationalisation strategy,” she says.

In this study, they found that the HSMW is known for its attractive study programmes, forward-thinking content, interactive approaches, and its innovativeness and agility. This is reflected in the views of staff and students who participated in the interviews and the survey. It also became clear that the HSMW’s internationalisation strategy intentionally draws on the character and strengths of the university, which has enabling structures and appropriate governance frameworks for internationalisation. She says this research provided her with an opportunity to reflect on the UFS’ institutional strategic plans for internationalisation and how to strengthen the strategy and its implementation.

Internationalisation strategies in a different context

“The engagement with the HSMW provided me with an important additional perspective for the internationalisation strategy revision process at the UFS,” she states, adding that spending time at the HSMW gave her a unique understanding of the development and implementation of internationalisation strategies in a different context.

Besides reviewing the HSMW’s 2018 internationalisation strategy, Prof Jacobs has also collaborated on other research projects. She co-authored both a Routledge book chapter and a manuscript of a scientific article by Prof Kusche, Dr Hagenmeier, and others. As a result of the contacts she made during her visiting professorship, she is also now involved in the guest-editing of a special issue of the journal Internationalisation of Higher Education – Policy and Practice with the theme Institutional Internationalisation Strategies in a Rapidly Changing Global Environment.

Prof Jacobs delivered a number of guest lectures during her stay in Saxony, for instance, ‘Different ways of knowing, being and relating’ (to master’s students) and ‘South African culture, Ubuntu and Pan-Africanism’ (to undergraduate students). She furthermore engaged in various dialogue sessions and workshops with lecturers and researchers at the HSMW, focusing on the integration of international and intercultural dimensions in curricula or in their research. She participated in discussions with some young female academics on science and career development and contributed to an international workshop on Institutional Internationalisation Strategies in a Rapidly Changing Global Environment, where initial research findings were presented that will inform the strategy's upcoming revision.

The young but growing partnership between the UFS and the HSMW promises benefits for both institutions. Two complementary face-to-face internationalisation colloquium sessions are scheduled for 2025: the first during the HSMW International Week in June, and the second on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus in September. This will further deepen the collaboration, building a shared understanding of integrated internationalisation, contributing to scholarship of internationalisation, and enriching the academic and cultural exchange between the universities. Collaboration in terms of mentorship programmes between the two universities is on the cards, while specific departments at the UFS (e.g. the Department of Social Work and the Department of Facilities) have already started their collaboration in 2024.

For more information about partnerships, contact the Office for International Affairs at partnerships@ufs.ac.za.

News Archive

Higher than expected prevalence of dementia in South African urban black population

2010-09-22

Prof. Malan Heyns and Mr Rikus van der Poel

Pilot research done by University of the Free State (UFS) indicates that the prevalence of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is only one of the causes, is considerably higher than initially estimated. Clinical tests are now underway to confirm these preliminary findings.

To date it has been incorrectly assumed that dementia is less prevalent among urban black communities. This assumption is strongly disputed by the findings of the current study, which indicates a preliminary prevalence rate of approximately 6% for adults aged 65 years and older in this population group. Previous estimates for Southern Africa have been set at around 2,1%.

The research by the Unit for Professional Training and Services in the Behavioural Sciences (UNIBS) at the UFS and Alzheimer’s South Africa is part of the International 10/66 Dementia Research Group’s (10/66 DRG) initiative to establish the prevalence of dementia worldwide.

Mr Rikus van der Poel, coordinator of the local study, and Prof. Malan Heyns, Principal Investigator, say worldwide 66% of people with dementia live in low and middle income countries. It is expected that it will rise to more than 70% by 2040, and the socio-economic impact of dementia will increase accordingly within this period. 21 September marks World Alzheimer’s Day, and this year the focus is on the global economic impact of dementia. Currently, the world wide cost of dementia exceeds 1% of the total global GDP. If the global cost associated with dementia care was a company, it would be larger than Exxon-Mobil or Wal-Mart.

The researchers also say that of great concern is the fact that South Africa’s public healthcare system is essentially geared toward addressing primary healthcare needs, such as HIV/Aids and tuberculosis. The adult prevalence rate of HIV was 18,1% in 2007. According to UNAIDS figures more than 5,7 million people in South Africa are living with HIV/Aids, with an estimated annual mortality of 300 000. In many instances the deceased are young parents, with the result that the burden of childcare falls back on the elderly, and in many cases elderly grandparents suffering from dementia are left without children to take care of them. “These are but a few reasons that highlight the need for advocacy and awareness regarding dementia and care giving in a growing and increasingly urbanized population,” they say.

Low and middle income countries often lack epidemiological data to provide representative estimates of the regional prevalence of dementia. In general, epidemiological studies are challenging and expensive, especially in multi-cultural environments where the application of research protocols relies heavily on accurate language translations and successfully negotiated community access. Despite these challenges, the local researchers are keen to support advocacy and have joined the international effort to establish the prevalence of dementia through the 10/66 DRG.

The 10/66 DRG is a collective of researchers carrying out population-based research into dementia, non-communicable diseases and ageing in low and middle income countries. 10/66 refers to the two-thirds (66%) of people with dementia living in low and middle income countries, and the 10% or less of population-based research that has been carried out in those regions.

Since its inception in 1998, the 10/66 DRG has conducted population based surveys in 14 catchment areas in ten low and middle income countries, with a specific focus on the prevalence and impact of dementia. South Africa is one of seven LAMICs (low and medium income countries) where new studies have been conducted recently, the others being Puerto Rico, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, China and India.

Mr Van der Poel says participating researchers endeavour to conduct cross-sectional, comprehensive, one-phase surveys of all residents aged 65 and older within a geographically defined area. All centres share the same core minimum dataset with cross-culturally validated assessments (dementia diagnosis and subtypes, mental disorders, physical health, anthropometry, demographics, extensive non-communicable risk factor questionnaires, disability/functioning, health service utilization and caregiver strain).

The local pilot study, funded by Alzheimer’s South Africa, was rolled out through an existing community partnership, the Mangaung University of the Free State Community Partnership Programme (MUCPP).

According to Mr Van der Poel and Prof. Heyns, valuable insights have been gained into the myriad factors at play in establishing an epidemiological research project. The local community has responded positively and the pilot phase in and of itself has managed to promote awareness of the condition. The study has also managed to identify traditional and culture-specific views of dementia and dementia care. In addition, existing community-based networks are being strengthened, since part of the protocol will include the training and development of family caregivers within the local community in Mangaung.

“Like most developing economies, the South African population will experience continued urbanization during the next two decades, along with increased life expectancy. Community-based and residential care facilities for dementia are few and far between and government spending will in all probability continue to address the high demands associated with primary healthcare needs. These are only some of the reasons why epidemiological and related research is an important tool for assisting lobbyists, advocates and policymakers in promoting better care for those affected by dementia.”

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za
21 September 2010

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