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Prof Liezel Lues elected President of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration

30 October 2025 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied

Prof Liezel Lues, Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Management at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been elected as the President of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA).

The election took place on 14 October 2025 in Mexico City during the IASIA Board of Management meeting, where Prof Lues received an overwhelming 22 out of 25 votes. Describing her appointment as the pinnacle of her public service career, she reflected.

“It is a moment where hard work, dedication, and unwavering focus have truly converged, and I am deeply grateful to all those who have supported my growth and opened doors along the way.”

Prof Lues, whose term will run until 2028, was nominated by former IASIA President Dr Najat Zarrouk and endorsed by Prof Ing. Juraj Nemec, Chairperson of the International Commission on Accreditation of Public Administration (ICAPA).

Leading global collaboration in public administration

As IASIA President, Prof Lues will provide leadership and strategic direction for the association's affairs, overseeing 127 international organisations across 56 countries. Her responsibilities include appointing - subject to the approval of the incoming Board of Management - seven Vice-Presidents representing each global region: Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia.

In addition to these duties, she will be travelling extensively to strengthen global partnerships and advance IASIA’s mission of promoting excellence in public administration education and practice.

A vision for a forward-looking IASIA

Prof Lues shared that her motivation to accept this leadership role stems from a desire to contribute strategically to global collaboration and research - particularly in empowering women in academia and public service.

“As a woman in academia and leadership, I was motivated by the need to model representation and inspire others to step into leadership spaces traditionally dominated by men,’’ she explained.

Looking ahead, she envisions steering IASIA towards a more agile, forward-looking institution. Her priorities for the next three years include:

Promoting and maintaining a collegial and collaborative organisational culture;
Embracing digital transformation and innovation;
Fostering cross-disciplinary, impactful research; and
Investing in sustainable institutional development and rehabilitation strategies.

Drawing from her extensive experience - first in government and later in academia - Prof Lues expressed confidence in her ability to lead the association into a new era.

“I am confident that my vision will build on the association's previous successes and elevate it to new horizons in the coming terms,” she said.

News Archive

An incident-free recess for the UFS

2010-07-19

The improved security measures at the University of the Free State (UFS) have resulted in an incident-free recess on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the annual Volksblad Arts Festival.

The UFS provided accommodation for international spectators visiting the country for the World Cup and recently also hosted the hugely popular Volksblad Arts Festival without any security glitches.

These successes could be attributed to the hard work of staff members from various divisions at the UFS to ensure that the security was improved.

“The main question we had to deal with was: should our Main Campus be fenced off? This matter had been under discussion for quite some time. In order to ensure the feasibility thereof, a second impact study was done by a consulting engineer,” said Prof. Niel Viljoen, Vice-Rector: Operations at the UFS.

“This study has shown that, given the nature of activities on the campus and the access configuration, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to effectively control access to the campus, especially as far as visitors were concerned. Any type of access control measure would result in delays at the gates, which could have a major impact on the traffic flow, delays, costs and emissions.”

“It is important that our staff and students feel safe on the Main Campus, whether they are walking on campus or working in their offices. In that way we can ensure an environment that is conducive to staff and students to work and study,” he said.

Various measures are being implemented to make the campuses safer. These include, among others:

The installation of alarms in buildings on the Main Campus. The project for the South Campus has been completed and the installation of a new alarm system on the Qwaqwa Campus will start soon.
Staff and students will be required to wear identification cards once the new identification system has been put in place. These cards will allow access to all buildings.
Fences around the Main Campus are being repaired and the areas around these fences are being cleaned. This project should be completed by August 2010.
Lights will be installed in badly lit areas on the Main Campus. The first phase of this project includes the area between the Mooimeisiesfontein, Welwitschia and Vergeet-my-nie residences. This project will also be completed by August 2010.
The walkways on the Main Campus will be patrolled more frequently and effectively.
Contracted security workers will be utilised more effectively.
The monitoring of security cameras on the Main Campus on a 24/7 basis. “For this purpose the security room of our Protection Services is in the process of being upgraded,” said Prof. Viljoen.

The possibility of placing security cameras and panic buttons in parking areas and walkways is investigated.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za
16 July 2010

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