Foreword Chair of the Executive Board
The year 2023 was a special one for Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). It was an anniversary year in which the university celebrated its 110th anniversary in impressive fashion, but also a year marked by social issues that left their mark on campus, such as climate and energy issues and the war between Israel and Hamas. In addition, we were hit by a terrible shooting incident at our medical faculty this year.
The impact of various social developments was tangible on the EUR campus and locations. As a university with a strong social nature, we welcome and respect a wide range of principles and opinions that sometimes touch upon ideology and sometimes on origin but which can almost always be traced back to the social engagement and enthusiasm of our students and staff. We respect and cherish this engagement and, as Executive Board, we have a daily awareness of the diversity and variety within our university community. This requires not only open-mindedness but also ensuring that valuable dialogue is facilitated and encouraged on campus.
One example was the urgent focus from part of the community to speak out as EUR on ties with the fossil fuel industry. Two peaceful demonstrations took place at the beginning of the year. Partly in response to these events, the Executive Board took the initiative to organise a series of EUR Climate Dialogues to gather input for new standards for sustainability at EUR. Hundreds of students and staff participated in these sustainability dialogues. The outcomes of these discussions make a valuable contribution to EUR's sustainability strategy with regard to our education and research and our operational management. Through our strategy, we show that we are taking fundamental responsibility for sustainable development.
Starting in the summer, we also focused on another topic that is very important to us: social safety within EUR. A series of 14 theatre performances, known as Mindlab, prompted useful discussions in the various departments. A painful reminder that our attention and intentions could not prevent things from going seriously wrong came in the form of the shooting incident in an Erasmus MC teaching building on 28 September 2023. The EUR community was deeply shocked by the events. The special meetings organised to support each other and give space for emotions, and the EUR aid structures put in place provided support. This incident highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance between accessibility of our education and ensuring the safety of the entire community.
Another subject on which we had to seek a balance was the value of academic freedom in times of conflict. This became a topic of conversation due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas and its severe consequences locally and for affected communities in the Netherlands. These effects were also clearly felt on campus, leading to demonstrations, walk-ins and meetings in the faculties. All interaction between different groups remained respectful.
The year 2023 also saw positive moments to celebrate together such as EUR’s 110th anniversary. We celebrated the festivities to mark this anniversary together with colleagues, students, alumni and the people of Rotterdam. The campus was buzzing with activities for students and staff. Eureka Week, the Opening of the Academic Year and many other events commemorated our anniversary. During the Dies Natalis, we awarded an honorary doctorate to alumnus and Nobel Prize winner Guido Imbens.
For students who started in the COVID period, 2023 was the first year to mark a full return to physical studies on campus. The welfare and well-being of our students is important to EUR. The student living room therefore became a permanent fixture on campus. This relaxation area invariably attracts many visitors and is also regularly used as a space for workshops and lectures on current topics such as stress and health.
Our university's various strategic initiatives evolved into the second phase of the EUR strategy that will be redefined in 2024. The first steps for this redefinition were taken in 2023. It is palpable that the entire EUR community is committed to our mission of making positive societal impact a success. Administratively, this is reflected in the decision to appoint a Strategic Dean of Impact & Engagement who will further coordinate and intensify EUR's impact ambitions.
Developments within our strategic collaborations also continue. UNIC, the European University initiative, of which EUR is the coordinator, was selected this summer for the second phase of this major EU initiative and expanded to include two new universities (Lodz and Malmö). This was celebrated with a large gathering in Rotterdam. UNIC is a strategic transnational network for students and staff, which is expected to receive increasing teaching and research resources in the future.
At regional level, steps have been taken towards further consolidating cooperation within the Convergence with Erasmus MC and TU Delft on transdisciplinary and transformational education and research. Work continued with Leiden University and TU Delft within the LDE partnership and Medical Delta on the shared goals. In cooperation with the municipality of Rotterdam, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Willem de Kooning Academy and Codarts, work continued on the plans for the Culture Campus in Rotterdam South and the establishment of a new Rotterdam University of the Arts. In this context, a substantial grant was also secured within the new EU programme New European Bauhaus.
A number of directives and orders handed down by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science directly influenced the direction of EUR. Last year, for instance, the Balanced Internationalisation Act (Wet Internationalisering in Balans) went into consultation. As part of the developments surrounding this law, EUR is tightening its plans in relation to internationalisation and international students. In doing so, we continue to strive for a good balance between supply and accessibility for all students, retaining the benefits of internationalisation for education and research, our international partnerships and strong international reputation.
Finally, on behalf of the Executive Board, I would like to express my appreciation for the achievements of all EUR staff, not least our EUR scholars who once again won several prestigious awards and scholarships in 2023, which you can read more about later in this annual report. Their work once again expressed what we as EUR stand for: high-quality education and research with societal impact for current and future generations. I look forward with much confidence to the coming year in which we will together continue the good developments started and thereby provide our students with a valuable foundation, motivation and ambition to make their own positive contribution to the world around them.
On behalf of the Executive Board,
Ed Brinksma, Chair of the Executive Board, Erasmus University Rotterdam
