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UFS Thought-Leader series sparks national dialogue on employability and sustainability in higher education

18 June 2025 | Story Onthatile Tikoe | Photo Kaleidoscope Studios

Prof Hester C. Klopper, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, will facilitate the UFS Thought-Leader Series discussion titled Reimagining Higher Education for Employability and Sustainability.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is proud to announce the next instalment of its prestigious Thought-Leader Series, titled Reimagining Higher Education for Employability and Sustainability. This highly anticipated event – held in collaboration with the Free State Arts Festival - will take place on Thursday, 17 July 2025, from 12:00 to 14:00 at the Albert Wessels Auditorium, UFS Bloemfontein Campus. Attendance is free and open to the public.

Now in its seventh year, the UFS Thought-Leader Series has established itself as a dynamic platform for robust public dialogue on pressing local and global issues. The series brings together influential voices from academia, industry, and civil society, reflecting the university’s continued commitment to thought leadership, public engagement, and transformative impact.

Rethinking the purpose of Higher Education

This year’s theme comes at a critical time. South Africa faces escalating youth unemployment, rapid technological change, and the complexities of a shifting global economy. Against this backdrop, questions around the purpose of higher education and its alignment with employability and sustainability have become increasingly urgent.

The panel will explore how universities can better integrate their teaching, research, and community engagement to address the real-world needs of graduates and society at large.

Prof Hester C. Klopper, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, will serve as the facilitator. With her extensive leadership experience and academic expertise, she is well-positioned to guide what promises to be an insightful and forward-thinking conversation.

Meet the panellists

The session will feature an esteemed panel of thought leaders from the higher education landscape:

Dr Max Price

Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Dr Max Price brings deep insights into leadership during transformative moments in South African higher education. A medical doctor and Rhodes Scholar, he holds postgraduate qualifications in public health. His recent memoir, Statues and Storms: Leading through change, reflects on steering a university through turbulent times and fostering dialogue on contested transformation issues.

Dr Phethiwe Matutu

As CEO of Universities South Africa (USAf), Dr Phethiwe Matutu leads national initiatives shaping the future of higher education. A mathematician by training, she has held strategic leadership roles at the National Research Foundation and the Department of Science and Technology. Her work is rooted in advancing equity, innovation, and access within the post-school education system.

Prof Paul E Green

Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning at Sol Plaatje University, Prof Paul E Green is a specialist in systems thinking and higher education quality. Holding a PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, he has served in senior academic positions across several institutions. His research centres on integrating education, innovation, and community impact to meet contemporary challenges.

Prof Pamela Dube

Prof Pamela Dube is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Central University of Technology (CUT) - the first woman to be appointed to this role in the Free State. A distinguished academic and visionary leader with extensive global experience, she has served in senior positions across several universities and national institutions. Her work spans a wide range of fields, including student development, postcolonial studies, gender equity, and the evolving interface between technology and humanity. Known for her commitment to inclusive transformative education, Prof Dube has received numerous awards and international recognition for her contributions to higher education and leadership.

Event Details

Venue: Albert Wessels Auditorium, UFS Bloemfontein Campus

Date: Thursday, 17 July 2025

Time: 12:00–14:00 (90 minutes)

Click here to RSVP before 15 July 2025

News Archive

Prof Tim Murithi calls for Africa to design new global order

2016-06-02

From left: Prof Heidi Hudson, Head of Centre for Africa
Studies (CAS); Prof Tim Murithi, Extraordinary Professor
at CAS; Prof Lucius Botes, Dean of the Faculty of
the Humanities; and Prof Prakash Naidoo, Principal of
Qwaqwa Campus.
Photo: Stephen Collet

“What do Africans have to say about the remaking of the global order?” was the opening question of Prof Tim Murithi’s lecture which was hosted by the Centre for Africa Studies (CAS) of the University of the Free State (UFS) to celebrate Africa Day on 25 May 2016.

The annual Africa Day Memorial Lecture, entitled: Africa and the Remaking of the Global Order, doubled as Prof Murithi’s inaugural lecture. He is CAS’s newly-appointed Extraordinary Professor, as well as the Head of the Justice and Reconciliation in Africa Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town. He made a compelling argument for the need for Africa to exert an active influence on international narratives of peace, governance, justice, and reconciliation.

“If we are waiting for American leadership to get us out of the quagmire of a situation we are in, we will be waiting for a long time,” said Prof Murithi.

The Head of the Centre, Prof Heidi Hudson, concurred with Prof Murithi’s suggestion of devising African solutions for African problems. She quoted Audre Lorde’s well-known assertion that “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”

Remembering 1963
Over five decades ago, on 25 May 1963, the Organisation of African Unity was formed, and was renamed the African Union in 2002. Africa Day marks this pivotal point in the continent’s history. On this day, we reflect on the continent’s journey into democracy, peace, stability and socio-economic development. It is also an opportunity to celebrate African identity and heritage.

Continent-building dialogues
The UFS Sasol Library celebrated Africa Day with a book launch. Facets of Power. Politics, Profits and People in the Making of Zimbabwe's Blood Diamonds by Tinashe Nyamunda is a reflection of some of the challenges that Zimbabwe continues to face. It details the disadvantaged position which the country finds itself in due to greed, maladministration, and corruption, despite possessing large deposits of minerals.

In celebration of Africa Month, CAS has held a series of lectures by esteemed scholars from across the globe. Earlier in the month, Prof Henning Melber presented lectures on Namibia’s independence and the African middle class. Kevin Bloom and Richard Poplak unpacked the issues surrounding Africa’s continental shift, while Prof Joleen Steyn Kotze focused on the possible fall of the African National Congress.

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