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06 January 2025 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied
Prof Solomon Werta
Prof Solomon Werta, UFS alumnus and Vice-President: Administration and Development at Dire Dawa University, continues to inspire as one of Ethiopia's youngest leaders in higher education.

Throughout the progression of his career, the UFS alumnus, Prof Solomon Werta – Vice-President: Administration and Development at the Dire Dawa University (DDU) – has been the ‘youngest’ to occupy positions of leadership in several instances. 

In fact, the DDU appointed Prof Werta as Vice-President: Research and Community Service in 2020, making him the youngest vice-president of any public university in Ethiopia. According to Prof Werta, when it comes to senior management roles in universities and government, the norm is that the positions are held by middle-aged, mature leaders. However, after a unanimous vote by senate members at the university, he assumed that role at the age of 31. “Holding such a senior position at that age makes me a role model not only for a generation of young people, but for those at the University of the Free State who may be following my career,” Prof Werta stated. 

What the role entailed 

As Vice-President: Research and Community Service, he was responsible for driving research, innovation, technology transfer, community engagement, and growth within the institution and the community at large. As such, some of his highlights within this role include establishing a university community radio station to serve both the university and the Dire Dawa community, establishing new university journals such as the Harla journal, and establishing a nationally accredited institutional review board, among others. 

He occupied this role until November 2023 when he was promoted to his current role as Vice-President: Administration and Development at the DDU. Prof Werta credits this most recent promotion to the dedication and hard work he put into his previous role, as well as the knowledge and experience he acquired during his time at the UFS. 

In recognition of his work as a researcher within the Department of Physics at the DDU, Prof Werta was also promoted to Associate Professor in Physics. As a result, he indicates that he can be regarded as the youngest associate professor of physics in Ethiopia. Therefore, he continues to contribute to his institution and beyond on these accounts. 

What the future holds 

Prof Werta indicated that he plans on continuing to make strides as his career progresses, particularly in his role as Vice-President: Administration and Development. “I’d like to focus on increasing the university’s internal revenue, particularly through urban farming and other businesses using our academics,” said Prof Werta. In addition, he would also like to work on changing the university’s internal business practices, particularly the automation and digitalisation of the university system and the implementation of a contemporary university property management system, among others. 

News Archive

UFS hosts simulation workshop
2012-12-03

Photo: Renè-Jean van der Berg
3 December 2012

The University of the Free State’s School of Nursing, in partnership with the Drexel University’s College of Nursing & Health Profession in Philadelphia in the USA, are hosting a simulation workshop at the Bloemfontein Campus from Monday 26 November – Friday 30 November 2012. The presenters include Prof. Leland Rockstraw, Dr Linda Wilson, Ms Carol Okupniak and Mr John Cornele. These knowledgeable simulation experts run a successful simulation facility for  health-care profession students. Prof. Leland Rockstraw and Dr Linda Wilson have recently published a book on simulation; Ms Carol Okupniak writes a regular column in a journal, Clinical Simulation in Nursing and Mr John Cornele is well known in the USA for presenting exciting workshops on medical moulage. Moulage refers to “medical make-up”

Drexel University has offered this very popular workshop in simulation repeatedly since August 2010 at the Philadelphia Campus. This week’s workshop is the 1st international event and the first simulation training in South Africa. Funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies made it possible for the School of Nursing at the University of the Free State to host the workshop. Participants are educators from different health-care professions from higher educational institutions from most of the provinces in South Africa and from Botswana. The workshop will cover a comprehensive theoretical background of simulation in health professions, best practices and provide an opportunity for hands-on experience in human patient simulation (HPS) and standardized patient (SP). This will be a first for South Africa. Participants will gain insight in learning strategies to promote a clinically safe learning environment and promote adult experiential learning behaviours. 

During this workshop, participants will make use of the new high-fidelity technology in the Authentic Learning facility at the UFS’ School of Nursing.

According to Prof. Yvonne Botma from the UFS School of Nursing, this workshop will equip the health-care profession’s educators with skills to assist their students in linking theory and practice. Simulation will enable students in health care to provide safe patient care with confidence.
 

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