Women are still underrepresented in terms of occupying senior leadership roles and becoming part of decision-making in business, politics, and communities. These disparities between men and women within the corporate world persist.

To address these shortcomings, the Central University of Technology has acknowledged the gaps and taken various steps to develop female leaders for the future.

CUT continues to invest in developing women to promote gender equality and develop and empower women for leadership positions.

Some of the programmes implemented include the Stars of Academia and Research (SoAR) fellowship programme for postgraduate studies, a CUT’s “grow-your-own-timber” strategy that was launched in 2010 envisioned to increase the critical mass of young outstanding black female academics, particularly in scarce and critical skills within the university’s academic and research community.

About three years ago, the university further introduced the Next Generation Women in Leadership (nGenWiL) programme to develop and mould future leaders. Through this programme, the university aims to establish a pool of high-performing women employees and offer development and support to enable them to gain the skills, experience, and qualifications needed to compete equally for leadership roles as they become vacant.

In February this year, the university appointed its first woman Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Pamela Dube, who believes that Women should be celebrated unapologetically.

Photo: Prof. Pamela Dube, Vice-Chancellor and Principal.

In her Women’s Day message, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Pamela Dube, said that Women’s Month allows us to reflect on our gains and challenges on our CUT transformation journey. “This is an opportunity for us as CUT to renew our commitment to the development and empowerment of all our women, staff and students and provide them with the requisite support to thrive and succeed in their endeavours. We pride ourselves in the growing numbers of our women students in Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) subjects and women staff members qualifying with PhDs. Still, most importantly, we must move forward together towards equitable and inclusive opportunities and achievements.”

She further stated that from August until the end of the November 16 Days of Activism for no Violence Against Women and Children, “we will share profiles of some of the wonderful, inspiring achievements of our CUT women staff and students, who continue to make us proud through their academic achievements, research and innovation, and co-curriculum activities, including community engagement.”

Meet CUT Alumna, a remarkable commercial beef cattle farmer

Photo: Dr Liesel Ann Foster at her PhD graduation. She was part of CUT’s Stars of Academe and Research (SoAR) fellowship programme for postgraduate studies.

Dr Liesel Ann Foster was one of the beneficiaries of CUT’s Stars of Academe and Research (SoAR) fellowship programme for postgraduate studies, a CUT’s“grow-your-own-timber” strategy that led to a stream of highly qualified talent into the university’s academic and research community. Launched in 2010, the programme was envisioned to contribute to socio-economic development in the region.

It also aimed to increase the critical mass of young, outstanding black female academics, particularly in scarce and critical skills; encourage outstanding candidates to pursue academic careers in various areas of scientific research, teaching and technological development and SET; create, support, promote, and sustain excellence in scientific and technological teaching and research and promote academic careers for young black women.

Dr Foster was born and bred on the Quaggafontein farm, a small town of Zastron in the Free State. Growing up, she was always in touch with nature. She enjoyed being outdoors doing horse activities, gardening or assisting her father with his daily farming activities. This was unknowingly the beginning of her successful career in farming.

Her interest in farming became official when she registered at the Glen Agricultural College in Bloemfontein, where she enrolled for her certificate and learnt more about managing cattle and sheep farming enterprises.

She started farming independently in 2003 and has been a successful commercial beef cattle farmer ever since. The numerous awards she has received bear testimony to this. She was a finalist in the Agricultural Research Council’s Beef Cattle Improvement Herd of the Year competition for the Free State region in 2005 and 2006, as well as from 2008 to 2010. In 2009, she obtained third place in the Free State Department of Agriculture’s Female Farmer of the Year competition for producers who supply beef to national markets.

SA Stud Book awarded her a Gold Award in the Elite Beef Farmer of the Year competition in 2012 and 2013 and a Silver Award in 2014 and 2015. As she is actively involved in the agricultural sector, she has first-hand experience of the financial challenges experienced by farmers. In 2011, CUT launched the Stars of Academia and Research (SoAR) fellowship programme for postgraduate studies, which presented Dr Liesel Foster with the opportunity to enrol for a DTech Degree in Agriculture. She decided to use this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to investigate further the methods of increasing the profitability of beef cow/calf production systems in the Free State.

In 2007, she obtained a BTech Degree (cum laude) in Agriculture at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). Afterwards, she received an MTech Degree in Agriculture in 2010 and later a PhD.

Her research topic focused on “The profitability and production of a beef herd on transitional Cymbopogon-Themeda veld receiving three different levels of lick supplementation” investigate the effects of three different levels of lick supplementation on the production and profitability of a beef herd kept extensively on the mixed veld.

Photo: In her PhD research, Dr Foster investigated the effects of three different levels of lick supplementation on a beef herd’s production and profitability, which was kept extensively on the mixed veld. Photo Credit: Countryside Magazine.

Did you know?

• Dr Foster is the youngest of four children,
• She is a mother of two young sons,
• She loves horses and previously participated in endurance rides,
• She attended Glen Agricultural College and Potchefstroom Agricultural College before joining CUT.
• She farms with Drakensberger cattle, a South African breed reared for milk and meat.
• She owns the Quaggafontein Drakensberger Stud as well as Dohne-meat-master-cross sheep.