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UFS celebrates research excellence with new NRF ratings

15 May 2025 | Story Precious Shamase | Photo Teboho Mositi

The University of the Free State Qwaqwa Campus is celebrating a significant boost to its academic and research standing with the recent achievement of National Research Foundation (NRF) ratings by several esteemed academics. These ratings not only recognise the individual accomplishments and impact of these researchers but also underscore the campus' commitment to Vision 130 and the university's overarching strategy for academic and research excellence.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation, Prof Vasu Reddy, explained the ratings, saying, “Ratings embody high ideals and recognition of scientific merit and impact in a knowledge-intensive economy, aligned with the UFS’ aspirations.”

Prof Jared McDonald, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of The Humanities, Dr Calvin Mudzingiri, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, and Prof Richard Ocaya from the Department of Physics have all been awarded C2 ratings, signifying that they are established researchers with considerable international recognition for the quality and impact of their research outputs. This level of recognition highlights their consistent contribution to their respective fields and positions them as key players within the global research landscape.

Building on this impressive achievement, Prof Aliza le Roux, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, has attained a C1 rating, indicating that she is a leading international researcher recognised for the high quality and impact of her recent research outputs. This prestigious rating stresses Prof Le Roux's significant contributions and her standing as a prominent figure in her area of expertise.

Adding to the growing cadre of research talent on the Qwaqwa Campus, Dr Nthatisi Nyembe, Lecturer in the Department of Zoology and Entomology, and Dr Victor Gwande – Senior Lecturer in the Department of History – have both received Y1 ratings. Dr Regret Sunge, Lecturer in the Department of Economics and Finance within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, has received the NRF Y2 rating for the period 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2030. This rating is awarded to promising young researchers who have demonstrated the potential to establish themselves as researchers with strong international recognition within five years after obtaining their doctorates. These Y1 ratings signal a bright future for research on the campus, highlighting the emergence of a new generation of impactful scholars.

NRF ratings are a crucial benchmark within the South African academic and research sector. They provide a peer-review assessment of the quality and impact of researchers' work, lending credibility and prestige to both the individual and their institution. For academics, a strong NRF rating can enhance their research collaborations, funding opportunities, and overall academic standing. For the institution, a growing number of rated researchers reflects a vibrant research environment and contributes to its reputation as a leading centre of knowledge production.

These achievements align directly with the UFS' Vision 130, which aims to elevate the university's academic and research profile, fostering a culture of innovation and impactful scholarship. The success of these Qwaqwa Campus academics demonstrates the tangible progress being made towards realising this vision and strengthening the university's strategic goals in academic and research excellence.

The UFS is committed to nurturing and supporting its academics in their research endeavours. Initiatives such as the Future Professoriate Programme and the Emerging Scholars Advancement Programme (ESAP) play a vital role in providing mentorship, resources, and opportunities for academics to develop their research careers and achieve their full potential. The recent NRF ratings are a testament to the effectiveness of these support structures and the dedication of the academics on the Qwaqwa Campus.

The University of the Free State proudly celebrates the accomplishments of Prof McDonald, Dr Mudzingiri, Prof Ocaya, Prof Le Roux, Dr Nyembe, Dr Gwande, and Regret Sunge. Their success is a source of inspiration for the entire university community and reaffirms the Qwaqwa Campus' growing prominence as a hub of impactful research.

In his congratulatory remarks, Prof Reddy said: “Our colleagues’ ratings confirm their dedicated and sterling work in advancing research and innovation. It is commendable to also see academic leaders in professional support being beacons to inspire others.”

He further commented: “We value your hard work and determination. Congratulations, you make us proud as a university. You inspire us all to follow you and we support you in reaching our research-intensive goals. We are confident that your ratings will inspire you, personally and professionally – as well as other colleagues – to grow further. Your efforts will help us as we move to new heights,” Prof Reddy concluded.

News Archive

Faculty of Law establishes unique panel of advisors

2005-11-11

Photo: Stephen Collett

Some of the panel members who attended the Collegium Iurisprudentium of the Faculty of Law at the UFS were from the left His Honorable Judge of Appeal Lex Mpati (Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Appeal), His Honorable Judge of Appeal Joos Hefer (former Chief Justice of South Africa), His Honorable Judge of Appeal Frits Brand (Supreme Court of Appeal) and Mrs Alet Ellis (lecturer at the UFS Faculty of Law).

At the back from left were Prof Johan Henning (Dean: Faculty of Law at the UFS), His Honorable Judge Faan Hancke (High Court of the Free State and chairperson of the UFS Council) and Adv Jannie Lubbe Sc.

The Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) has established a panel of advisors comprising of all the honorary and extraordinary professors of the faculty.

“The faculty has been known for its excellent practice-orientated training as well as the involvement of law practitioners in the training of LL B-students,” said Prof Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the UFS.

“The faculty was greatly dependent on the services of advocate lecturers, full-time members of the Bar and Side Bar who lectured on a part-time basis at the faculty. For this reason lecturing in the faculty was mainly done after-hours to part-time students,” said Prof Henning.

With the shift in emphasis to full-time lecturing and the appointment of full-time lecturers, especially because of the increasing student numbers, the full-time LL B-programme and the increasing pressure on students for quality research inputs, a greater need for meaningful contributions of judges and senior law practitioners to the faculty was experienced.

“To comply with this urgent need, three honorary professors and nine extraordinary professors were appointed. This group of experts deliver an indispensable contribution to the practice orientation of the faculty by means of formal lectures, public inaugural lectures and guest lectures, direct lectures to graduate and post-graduate students, participation in research projects and the constant evaluation of lecturers, modules and the content of modules and learning material. The international exposure of students and lecturers is also promoted by their contribution,” said Prof Henning.
“A need to have the involvement of this special class of professors structured in a more organised way was identified and a decision was made to establish an advisory panel called Collegium Iurisprudentium. It is a privilege to us that all the honorary and extraordinary professors accepted the invitation,” said Prof Henning.

The panel will provide the faculty with continuous, distinguished, practice- orientated capability and capacity as well as international expertise, not only for direct inputs to students but also to advise lecturers about the curriculum, the compilation of the content of the LL B and M module, learning material and others, as well as to strengthen the research capacity of the faculty.

“The panel will also deliver a decisive contribution to the faculty’s preparation for the constitutional audit of the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council for Higher Education (CHE) that will take place in October 2006,” said Prof Henning.

The Collegium Iurisprudentium, which has been formally constituted, comprises of:

Appeal Court Judge J J F Hefer,
Appeal Court Judge L Mpati
Appeal Court Judge F D J Brand
Appeal Court Judge I G Farlam
Prof B A K Rider
Judge S P B Hancke
Judge A Kruger
Judge D H van Zyl
Adv S J Naudé
Adv J Lubbe Sc
Prof M M Katz
Prof R J Cook
Mr S van de Merwe
Mr W van der Westhuizen
Mr D C M Gihwala

Media release
Issued by:Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
11 November 2005

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