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28 May 2025 | Story Lilitha Dingwayo | Photo Lunga Luthuli
Lunga Luthuli
From left to right: Larshan Naicker, Deputy Director: Teaching and Learning, UFS Library and Information Services; Jeannet Molopyane, Director: UFS Library and Information Services; Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation; Keitumetse Eister, University Librarian: Central University of Technology; and Dr Monde Madiba, Deputy Director: Collection Development and Management, UFS Library and Information Services

In a celebration of academic excellence, the University of the Free State (UFS) hosted its first multidisciplinary Library and Information Services Honours and Undergraduate Research Conference (LISHURC) on the Bloemfontein Campus on 23 May 2025. The event offered undergraduate and honours students a unique opportunity to present their research in a professional academic setting.

As a collaborative initiative between faculties and Library and Information Services, the conference served to intellectually stimulate young scholars while promoting scholarly engagement among both students and lecturers. 

Distinguished UFS leaders, including Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation, and Prof Matseliso Mokhele-Makgalwa, Vice-Dean Research Engagement and Internationalisation in the Faculty of Education, were in attendance as guest speakers.

Prof Reddy highlighted the university’s commitment to ensuring that student research reaches a global audience through open-access platforms such as KovsieScholar. 

“I encourage you to embrace this opportunity not only as a moment of recognition, but as a stepping stone toward future research, postgraduate studies, and professional impact,” he said.  

Prof Mokhele-Makgalwa commended the university’s inter-faculty collaboration, led by Library and Information Services, in creating a platform that nurtures academic inquiry. Reflecting on the growth of the initiative since its inception in 2019, she acknowledged its success in 2025 as a milestone.  

“We must also consider the broader purpose - preparing our students not only as researchers but as global citizens, leaders, and innovators,” she said, adding that critical thinking, problem-solving, and strong communication skills are essential in today’s academic and professional landscape. 

Among the student presenters was Langelihle Malaza, an honours student in Information Systems from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, who shared his insights into his group’s project: 

“Our group focused on designing a centralised digital platform - a website that would serve as a hub for both educational resources and communication for users involved in the Information Technology Service Learning (ITSL) programme.”  

The team also acknowledged the instrumental support of Dr Rouxan Fouche, lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics, for his valuable guidance on both content and presentation. 

Attendees praised the event for its inspiring atmosphere and academic depth.  

“I am always interested in learning what other students are researching. When I saw this event, I knew I had to attend - and it exceeded my expectations,” said Jabulile Maseko, a master’s student in Zoology.

This event exemplifies the UFS’s commitment to cultivating research excellence and aligns with the institution's Vision 130 – a roadmap to producing globally relevant graduates who are ready to make a difference. 

News Archive

Messages and mail – what people say about Kovsies
2014-10-02

 
Letters from Kovsie students, parents, the community and even visitors to our university from across the globe regularly pour into our mailboxes and onto our social media pages.

To give you a glimpse of what they say about our institution, here are a few examples:

•    If you continue with this innovative thinking then the UFS will soon become the Ivy League institution of South Africa. – Chris Abels, United Kingdom

•    My daughter loves Kovsies. She has really come out of her shell as a result of the wonderful environment created by Kovsie leaders. She is flourishing and has for the second year in a row achieved the distinction of being a top academic student. Once again, thank you for your kind assistance which clearly indicates to me that Kovsies treat their students like family and not merely a number. – Grant Combrink, Port Elizabeth

•    The state of the University of Free State inspired me to go back to school and do my law degree. The cleanliness and the mood of the institution was inspirational and not only to me but also to a few of my colleagues. – Joseph Peter Kgomo, a journalist with the public broadcaster

•    I arrived in Bloemfontein to begin a one year appointment as a Fulbright Scholar. I have remarked to friends and colleagues in America that we can learn a great deal about hospitality towards our foreign visitors by embodying the altruism demonstrated throughout your campus. Thank you for the opportunity to become a Kovsie. – Professor Brenda C Eppley, Professor at Area Community College in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

•    I would like to congratulate you on the job well done regarding transformation and integration thereof. Indeed, the UFS that I am in is not the UOVS that I was in. – Tefo Masoetsa

•    I attended the Oprah Winfrey graduation ceremony in 2009 and when Dr Desmond Tutu received his honorary Doctorate. On both occasions one felt something big and miraculous was happening and many in the audience were moved. You are doing something down there in the Free State that really deserves attention! – Joy Summers, Producer: Carte Blanche

•    There will be much more hurt before our country is healed, but it will be the Kovsie doctors, psychiatrists and teachers applying the plasters and it will be the Kovsie architects, quantity surveyors, jurists and farmers building and regulating a new country. – Marzanne Lombard, proud former member of Soetdoring and Welwitschia Residences

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