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16 January 2025 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Supplied
Jurie Blignaut
Jurie Blignaut, top achiever in the 2024 matric exams for quintile four schools in SA and finalist of the UFS 2024 Matriculant of the Year competition.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is proud to announce that the top achiever in the 2024 matric exams for quintile four schools in the country, Jurie Blignaut, will be studying towards an MBChB at the UFS from 2025.

Blignaut, a pupil of the Rustenburg High School, was one of the 14 finalists in the 2024 UFS Matriculant of the Year competition.

“Congratulations to Jurie on this wonderful achievement. We look forward to welcoming him and our cohort of 2025 first-year students to our campuses,” says Prof Anthea Rhoda, acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS. 

Boasting 11 distinctions and an average of 96,5%, Blignaut is not only an exceptional academic achiever but also participates in several cultural activities. He was the winner of the Kovsie Alumni Trust’s special award for personal cultural achievement in the final round of the competition. This head boy of his school is an excellent public speaker and musician. 

Blignaut’s highest achievement in public speaking was his national second place in last year’s ATKV public speaking competition in the section for Afrikaans home language. He plays the cello and has performed solo with the Pretoria Symphony Orchestra, was part of the school choir and band, and participated in the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival. 

“On behalf of the university management, I would also like to congratulate Dr Mantlhake Maboya, MEC for Education in the Free State, and her executive team on the Free State being the top-achieving province in South Africa,” says Prof Rhoda. 

Other finalists in the 2024 UFS Matriculant of the Year competition who excelled during the matric exams include Susan Bender from Voortrekker High School – top achiever in the Free State province – and Chris Goosen from Grey College Secondary School, who is also one of the top achievers in the Free State. 

News Archive

UFS appoints a Vice-Rector: Operations
2011-03-20

Prof. Nicholas Morgan

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) has approved the appointment of Prof. Nicholas Morgan as Vice-Rector: Operations, at its meeting on Friday, 11 March 2011. He has been appointed in the position of Prof. Niel Viljoen, who is retiring on 31 March 2011.

Prof. Morgan formerly served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Technology, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, Interim Vice-Chancellor at Walter Sisulu University and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Transkei.
 
Prof. Morgan is a former Fulbright Fellow and holds a Master of Science degree from Cornell University in New York, an M.B.A. from Stellenbosch University and a B.Com in accounting and business economics from the University of the Western Cape.
 
He has held positions at various universities and served as a member of various international professional associations, including the American Industrial Relations Research Association, the Industrial Relations Research Association of South Africa, the South African Institute for Management Sciences and the American Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.
 
He has been published in numerous publications, and served on the editorial boards of the SA Journal of Business Management between 1993 and 1995 and the Journal of Human Resources Management between 1999 and 2009.
 
In addition, Prof. Morgan has also developed and presented numerous training programmes and workshops for NGOs, parastatals and unions in the private and public sector.
 
He has lectured courses in Industrial Relations, Strategic Management, Quantitative Management techniques and Marketing from first-year to postgraduate level at the University of the Western Cape, University of Cape Town and Cornell University.
 
Prof. Morgan will take up the position on 1 April 2011.
 

Media Release
18 March 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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