On 1 October 2024, our beloved University of the Free State (UFS) Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Francis William Petersen – who has been with us since 1 April 2017 – will start his next challenge as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Pretoria (UP).
We are crying with one eye at this loss and celebrating with the other at this truly amazing opportunity.
He leaves us at a time when the 26 public universities with 1.2 million students are still grappling with, among other matters, how we create an inclusive academic excellence ecosystem; develop a social justice approach to higher education where universities propel democratic engagement; advocate for academic freedom, which nurtures the success of the higher education system through assessments of different perspectives; conceptualise ethical frameworks that will guide societal engagement and governance; promote public ownership of higher education institutions, where the public recognise their role as beneficiaries and stakeholders in the accomplishments of universities and advocate for the financial sustainability of universities and the development of long-term sustainable models of student funding.
Prof Petersen is a highly effective, profoundly efficient and experienced leader with a demonstrable track record. He has touched us all in a very meaningful manner. By working with him, I have learnt so much.
Like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, he has taught me to “fight for the things you care about but do it in such a way that will lead others to join you.” And that leadership is not about a title or designation but impact, influence and inspiration.
More than anything else, he is an amazing, good-quality human being.
Being a good person does not depend on your status in life, form of faith, gender, race, political views or culture. It depends on how you treat and make others feel.
The UFS’s cornerstone was laid on 19 December 1907 by Sir Hamilton Gould-Adams and was officially opened on 16 October 1909. It has grown to seven faculties with more than 3,000 staff, of whom 1,200 are academic staff. We currently have approximately 41,900 students spread across three campuses.
In 2003 the university brought into its fold two more campuses – the Qwaqwa Campus, which is situated in the picturesque eastern Free State, and the South Campus, nestled in the hills overlooking the vibrant city of Bloemfontein.
What sets the institution apart is its holistic student support initiatives, enabling it to achieve some of the highest success rates in the country. The outcome of the World University Rankings is in line with the university’s Vision 130, of which academic excellence, quality and impact are the key principles.
Remaining steady in its ranking indicates that the UFS is aligned with key quality indicators expected by students, academics and the leadership industry.
I have personally known Prof Petersen for many years and was elated at the opportunity to work with him again just before Covid as the eighth chancellor of the 120-year-old University of the Free State where he and I, with the unequivocal support of the Council, Rectorate and Academia, made a perfect tango in continuing to “inspire confidence and transform lives”, spending quality time to meaningfully reflect, bond and grow.
It was quite progressive and futuristic to have the Chairman of Council, Morena David Nokwe, President of Convocation, Dr Pieter du Toit, Vice-Chancellor and the Chancellor as business people first and foremost as institutions of higher learning continue to struggle to provide a healthy pipeline of graduates that are ready for the world of work, let alone providing the skills that are required now and in the future by the economy.
There is a direct correlation between the size of the endowment of the university and academic performance. The five institutions with the largest endowments at the end of 2021 were Harvard University ($53-billion), Yale University ($42-billion), the University of Texas System ($40-billion), Stanford University ($38-billion) and Princeton University ($37-billion).
The best universities in the world have a long track record of educating students and preparing alumni for influential and competitive careers. These nationally recognised universities conduct groundbreaking research while educating future leaders in business, healthcare and government.
In South Africa, the University of Pretoria tops the list of South African institutions with the largest funds, followed by the University of South Africa and Stellenbosch University. Most universities have endowment funds which comprise money or other financial assets from charitable donations.
Prof Petersen started his career in the private sector as Executive Vice President & General Manager: Research and Development (as well as serving as Interim CEO) at Mintek from 2002-2005. And he was Executive Head: Strategy at Anglo American Platinum Limited from 2005-2008.
In the institutions of higher learning, he has experience in most aspects of academic management at the departmental, faculty and institutional levels, having started as a Senior Researcher (1989), Technical Officer (1990-1991) in the Department of Metallurgical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch in 1989; Professor and Associate Director (1995), Head of Department (1998), Acting-Dean (2000-2001) and Visiting Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Cape Technikon; Extra-ordinary professor in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Stellenbosch 2005-2008; Dean: Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment, University of Cape Town 2008-2014 and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Town in 2014 until he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of UFS.
He serves as a non-executive director on numerous boards of companies, among others, Pragma Holdings from 2009 till present; Unlimited Group from 2008 till present; Royal Bafokeng Platinum from 2010-2014 and Mindev (a commercial minerals company) from 2002-2005.
He is also a member of numerous government and professional entities including the International Panel on Business Sustainability for Anglogold Ashanti in 2012-2014; Advisory Board of the Platinum Development Fund, Anglo Platinum in 2009-2012; National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) in 2004-2014; Council of the Academy of Science of South Africa in 2006-2010 and 2012-2014; Board of the Precious Metal and Diamond Regulator in 2006-2012; Board of the National Research Foundation, 2005-2008; Zenzele Technology Demonstration Centre in 2004-2005; Board of the National Science and Technology Forum as an executive in 2003-2005; Board of the South African Research & Innovation Management Association in 2003-2005; IPET Patrons Education Trust as Trustee in 2002-2006; Council of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy 2002-2007; Council of the South African Institution of Chemical Engineers in 2002-2007; Engineering Council of South Africa 2001-2009; Board of Directors of Mintek (also served on the sub-committee of Finance) in 1996-2000 and as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Mintek 2013-2014.
Prof Petersen is Chairman of the Board, Trustees of the Seedcamp (Venture Capital) Trust from 2005 till present; Board of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research since 2009 and the Investment Committee of the Innovation Fund from 2005 -2010.
He served on the Presidential Commission investigating the treatment of mercury waste at the Thor Chemical plant in Cato Ridge from 1995-2000.
He is a recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, among others, the Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Award for research excellence in 1993; the inaugural Researcher of the Year Award at the Cape Technikon (now the Cape Peninsula University of Technology) in 1999; visiting professor for six months at Mintek performing a multi-client industrial project in 1998; a C2 category researcher by the National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa, enjoying international recognition as an established researcher in 2000; a study visit on technology transfer to Singapore for two weeks funded by the NRF in 1998; various ministerial visits to overseas countries, including Belarus, Japan, Germany, Ukraine and Australia, accompanying the Minister of Science & Technology as technical expert in 2002-2004; represented the Engineering Council of South Africa at the International Engineering Meeting on the Washington, Dublin and Sydney Accords in New Zealand in 2003; appointed to the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) which advises the Minister of Science & Technology in 2004-2014; leading a NACI delegation to an OECD Workshop and CTSP meetings on Internationalisation of Research; Development to Brussels, Belgium, in 2005; represented South Africa at an OECD Workshop on Innovation in Paris in 2010 and appointed on the Board of World Design Capital 2014, and subsequently to Chairman of the Board, Cape Town, in 2012.
Prof Petersen is an engineer from the University of Stellenbosch, having graduated with a B.Eng (Chem. Eng) in December 1988, M.Eng (Metal. Eng) with the title of his thesis, “Inhibition of mass transfer by fine particles and organic compounds” in December 1991 and awarded a PhD (Eng) with the title of his thesis, “Interaction between solutes, adsorbents and slurries” in December 1995.
We will miss him a lot in the full knowledge that he will continue making an indelible mark that impacts not only the financial position but the general well-being of the students and staff of the university. DM
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A tribute to Prof Francis Petersen as he takes the reins at the University of Pretoria
We will miss him a lot in the full knowledge that he will continue making an indelible mark that impacts not only the financial position but the general wellbeing of the students and staff of the university.
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