Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

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

Judge Ian van der Merwe unanimously re-elected as Chairperson of the UFS Council

2012-11-29

Judge Ian van der Merwe
Photo: Rian Horn
29 November 2012

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) unanimously re-elected Judge Ian van der Merwe as its Chairperson for the next three years at its last meeting for this year on Friday, 16 November 2012.

Judge Van der Merwe is a Judge of the Free State High Court. He is an alumnus of the UFS and has been a member of the Council since 9 March 2007.

In accepting his appointment, Judge Van der Merwe said that he was honoured and humbled to lead a Council of this calibre for a second term. “The Council is setting a good example of what good governance at a higher education institution should look like. Meetings are conducted in good spirit and decisions made in the best interest of the university,” he said.

“Having sat on councils of many universities before, I can say with great surety that, on balance of expertise and backgrounds, the UFS has one of the most effective councils in the country and, to have a Chairperson of Judge Van der Merwe’s stature, is a privilege. His leadership and guidance is greatly appreciated,” said Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector.

Mr Edward Kieswetter, Group CEO and Executive Director of Alexander Forbes and Deputy Chairperson of the UFS Council, and Mr Jonathan Crowther (former editor of Volksblad) have been re-elected for a further term of four years in the category: "Appointed by the Council".

External Council members were given a tour of the Bloemfontein Campus after the meeting, followed by an induction session for new council members.

New Council members who joined this year are:

Derek Foster, in the category appointed by the Council
Ruben Gouws, elected by the non-academic staff
Lorraine Kriek, elected by the Alumni
Themba Mmabi, representative of the Minister of Higher
Education and Training
Sabelo Khumalo, SRC President, Qwaqwa Campus
William Clayton, SRC President, Bloemfontein Campus
Suraya Jawodeen, representative of the Minister of Higher
Education and Training
Mr Dan Mosia, representative of the Minister of Higher Education and Training

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept