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UFS Council appoints Prof Anthea Rhoda as acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal as from 1 October 2024

20 August 2024 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Kaleidoscope studios

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed Prof Anthea Rhoda, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic, as acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal as from 1 October 2024 until the position has been filled.

Prof Rhoda’s acting appointment comes after the resignation of Prof Francis Petersen as Vice-Chancellor and Principal, which will come into effect on 30 September 2024. He will assume the position of Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria on 1 October 2024.

The decision to appoint Prof Rhoda as acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal was made at the special Council meeting on 19 August 2024, following consultation with the Senate and the Institutional Forum on 15 August 2024.

“On behalf of the UFS Council, I would like to thank Prof Rhoda for availing herself for this role. She has extensive experience in the higher education sector and will be able to lead the university during this interim time. The Council looks forward to working with her and the university’s executive management,” says Mr David Noko, Chairperson of the UFS Council.

Before her appointment at the UFS, Prof Rhoda was Dean of the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences (CHS) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She holds a professorship in the Department of Physiotherapy at UWC and has completed a BSc and a PhD in Physiotherapy at UWC. She also completed a BSc Honours in Physiotherapy (Neurology) and an MSc in Medical Sciences (Rehabilitation) at Stellenbosch University.

As an NRF C1-rated researcher, Prof Rhoda is an established leader and scholar. Her research activities have been supported by grants awarded by both the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the National Research Foundation (NRF). She conducts research in faculty development and interprofessional education. Her research output includes publications in international and local journals and books, as well as presentations and conferences both locally and abroad.

Prof Rhoda’s interest in building capacity in African scholars has seen her supervise a number of PhD and master’s students from across the African continent. She is an associate editor for the African Journal of Health Professions Education and completed her term as Chair of the South African Committee of Health Sciences Deans. Prof Rhoda completed a number of fellowships, including the Sub-Saharan Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) fellowship programme for health professionals, as well as a Strategic Management Programme at the Saïd Business School of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Click to view document Click here for the schedule for the appointment of the UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal.

News Archive

New head for Student Academic Services

2009-03-05

The University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed Mr Frank Madimetja Nkoana, pictured, as the new Director of Student Academic Services (SAS).

Mr Nkoana has a wealth of experience having worked for 24 years in the field of academic administration, 14 of which have been in leadership and senior management positions, at various institutions of higher learning.

In this post he will supervise applications, admissions, financial aid and registrations through to graduations.

The Director: Student Academic Services has a pivotal role to play in developing and supporting the University’s educational agenda.

“I consider my appointment to the Division as the correct one at the right time and a blessing to the UFS in view of my experience and training in the field of academic administration,” he said.

He believes it is only through effective and efficient academic support services that the institution can achieve excellence in its academic endeavour in tandem with its vision of being “an excellent, equitable and innovative University”.

“I must see to it that SAS, as both a sector and a process, is sufficiently and appropriately supported and maintained through an effective administrative structure that is manned by skilled and well-trained personnel, adding thereto continuous development and job enhancement – thus creating a conducive environment for efficiency and effective service delivery to students, staff and the wider community,” he said.

However, he is also mindful of the challenges facing him and the Division. He considers as his main challenge, among others, the creation of a Division that is functionally able and has as its goal the achievement and provision of effective academic administrative support to the core university business.

“Our operations should be in line with new developments in academic administrative systems to enable the UFS to achieve academic excellence and global competitiveness,” said Mr Nkoana.

“We must be able to establish and strengthen a high level of ethos of service delivery and develop good human relations between the staff and the students.”

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
05 March 2009

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