ABSTRACT
Reverend B.R. Rudi Buys was the dean of Student Affairs at the UFS from 2010 to 2014, where he led efforts to integrate previously all-white residence halls and change cultural traditions to be more inclusive and respectful. An ordained minister in the Dutch Reformed Church, his notion of leadership is strongly influenced and informed by his spiritual beliefs and ethical commitments. Like his father, who was also a minister in the Church, Reverend Buys is part of a liberal religious tradition inspired by the life and work of Reverend Beyers Naudé, a courageous and outspoken critic of apartheid. In fact, Reverend Buys was ordained into the ministry with the same gown that was once worn by him. Reverend Buys was born in Clocolan in the eastern Free State of South Africa, but grew up in northern and southern Namibia.
