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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

International ties for OSM

2013-08-21

Prof Nicol Viljoen in the historic Teatr Zdrojowy in Walbrzych, Poland
20 August 2013

Profs Nicol and Martina Viljoen from the Odeion School of Music (OSM) recently undertook a very successful trip to Europe where Prof Nicol Viljoen rendered two solo piano recitals in Poland. They also delivered a joint paper at a congress in Budapest.

The first of the two recitals were held in Crakow at the famed Zespol Panstwowych School of Music. At this event, Prof Viljoen essentially recited Chopin Mazurkas and was invited to repeat this performance in Poland in the future.

The second piano recital was in the historicTeatr Zdrojowy im. Henryka Wieniawskiego in Walbrzych. This concert included Preludes, Mazurkas, as well as the Ballad in G minor by Chopin. After the Mazurkas, the audience rewarded Prof Viljoen with a standing ovasion – and again at the end of the concert. As a result of this, the chief organiser of the event, Jerzy Kosek, who is also the conductor of the Filharmonia Sudecka, invited Prof Viljoen to perform as soloist with his orchestra next year.

Kosek also invited Conducting students at the OSM to work with the Filharmonia under his leadership on an exchange basis. He indicated that he would like to strengthen the ties with the University of the Free State and the Odeion School of Music. Two members of the Filharmonia Sudecka are currently doctoral students in Performing Arts at the OSM, namely Karol Legierski (concertmaster) and Marianne Cilliers (first violin), while the co-concertmaster, Dorota Graca, is in the process of registering for doctoral studies at the OSM.

The paper delivered by Profs Viljoen in Budapest, formed part of the interdisciplinary congress, ‘The Arts in Society,’ where more than twenty countries were represented. Their paper dealt with the post-apartheid oeuvre of the South African composer, Hans Huyssen. Charla Schutte, another doctoral student at the OSM, delivered a paper on an interpretation of indoctrination songs on the basis of an analytical model by the philosopher Johann Visagie.

During the trip, Prof Martina Viljoen also had a productive meeting with the executive manager of Common Ground Publishers, an academic publisher based in the USA, with a view to publish work from the OSM.

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