Latest news with #FrancisPetersen
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Join the fight against student hunger: Help 'missing middle' students this Mandela Month
GOING UP! Dr Bianca Frost, a lecturer in the Department of Marketing Management at the University of Pretoria ran last month's Comrades Marathon to raise funds to support the university's "missing middle" students. Image: SUPPLIED The University of Pretoria (UP) is calling on alumni, partners and ordinary members of the public to help students facing hunger and financial hardship by lending a hand to the UP Giving Month. The fundraising initiative, launched last week and running throughout July, aims to 'feed minds and fund futures' by supporting students who are at risk of falling behind or dropping out due to a lack of basic necessities or tuition funding. Although the campaign runs alongside and dovetails with Mandela Month – a time for giving and helping fight poverty and inequality in South Africa and around the world – the UP Giving Month has a 'specific and urgent' focus. A significant number of university students experience food insecurity, with studies estimating rates of between 11% and 38%. In addition, thousands of 'missing middle' students fall through the cracks of the higher education system in South Africa as they are deemed ineligible for government funding through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), but their families still cannot afford university fees and other day-to-day expenses, the university said in a statement. The campaign supports two student-focused causes: the UP's Student Nutrition and Progress Programme (SNAPP), which tackles hunger on campus and the Vice-Chancellor and Principal's Scholarship Fund, which provides essential funding to 'missing middle' students. As part of this year's campaign, UP is collaborating with the Vodacom Bulls and Bulls Daisies to harness the collective energy of its students, staff and alumni and the Bulls' passionate fan base to help struggling students. 'Every day, I see the determination of our students as they strive for a better future – more often than not in the face of hunger and financial hardship. This UP Giving Month is our chance, as the UP community and the wider South African and global society, to stand with them,' said Professor Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UP. 'With proper nutrition and financial support, students are better equipped to concentrate, stay motivated and succeed academically. Your contribution makes a meaningful, lasting difference.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Edgar Rathbone, Chief Executive Officer of the Vodacom Bulls, said the team was proud to collaborate with one of South Africa's leading universities in such a campaign. 'We are proud to join hands with the University of Pretoria in this important initiative. As a team deeply rooted in our community, we understand that hunger and financial hardship can stand in the way of a student's potential. UP Giving Month gives us all a chance to make a real difference, helping to nourish minds and support futures. Together, we can ensure that no student has to choose between their education and their next meal.' This year's Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18 will be celebrated under the theme 'It's still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity', and is devoted to tackling poverty, fighting inequality and building a society based on justice. 'Whether you choose to give financially or donate food, your support sends a powerful message to students in need: 'You are not alone'. Together, we can create infinite impact by changing the lives of these students, a change that will ripple throughout our country, continent, and world,' said Petersen. The university's Vice-Chancellor and Principal's Scholarship Fund is a perennial campaign for helping 'missing middle' students. As part of the campaign last month, marketing lecturer Dr Bianca Frost helped collect R11 100 by running the Comrades Marathon, surpassing her BackaBuddy target of R9 000 by 123%, according to information from the crowdfunding platform. For more information and to give, visit
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Science
- IOL News
Blade banks on working group on US funding cuts
SCIENCE, Technology and Innovation (STI) Minister Blade Nzimande has announced a 12-member working group to advise him on the implications and impact of the recent withdrawal of funding by the US government from key research and development programmes in South Africa. The group consists of some of the country's prominent names in the sector including Universities' South Africa chairperson Prof Francis Petersen, Stellenbosch University Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Professor Sibusiso Moyo, South African Medical Research Council chief executive Professor Ntobeko Ntusi and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) chief executive Dr Thulani Dlamini. They will help analyse the impact and implications of the US withdrawal of funds to South African public research and innovation; analyse the current geo-political risks related to STI and how South Africa should position itself to deal with the current situation; and propose policy and strategic responses to enhance the long-term security and sustainability of the STI system and the role of the department.
