Prof. Dr. S. Hulscher (CTW) chair

Women have many qualities that need to be put to use. The UT can profit from using these talents as optimally as possible. Mine is a personal interest, too: if more women fill more senior positions, we will be able to divide the tasks more efficiently. Fortunately everybody sees the importance of participation of women in committees nowadays, but since there are so few women, I have a very busy schedule at the moment.

Prof. Dr. R. V. Subramaniam (TNW)

I passionately believe that we as an institution should have an active and inclusive policy that spots, nurtures, and rewards talent irrespective of gender, color, nationality, or any other differentiating characteristic. As a foreigner in this country, I speak from personal experience. Women are underrepresented in science, and in particular in what in the Netherlands is

classified as the “beta” disciplines; the Ambassadors network affords me the opportunity to help influence the process to achieve our institutional goals towards broader representation within the University.

Prof. C. Millar (lid van Landelijk Netwerk Vrouwelijke Hoogleraren, emeritus bij MB)

I passionately believe in equal treatment of everyone, and in all contexts, hence also in universities: it hurts when one sees people discriminated against, deliberately or maybe even more so, if it happens by accident.

Often women, minorities, those who do not shout loud enough, lobby hard enough, or do not have the right information miss out on promotion due to ignorance, habit, or culture on either side: for instance candidates are not prepared well enough and/or do not understand the ins and outs of the ‘rules’, P&O, deans and BACs approach selection in their old routine ways without realising what damage these are doing in today’s environment.

I am delighted to have been asked to be a member of the Ambassadeursnetwerk as I believe our experience and seniority helps and enables us to encourage, to judge, to make credible recommendations, to initiate real change in the attitude and behaviour of the Board, Deans, P&O, and candidates themselves - all resulting in fairer selection processes and a fairer representation of women in senior positions within the university

Dr. M. Boon (GW)

When in 2004 I initiated the FFNT (Female Faculty Network Twente), I did not expect at all that gender issues were still hampering women’s careers - I assumed that this was an issue of my mothers generation that had been solved in our modern age. My reasons for FFNT were much more optimistic, as was expressed in the FFNT mission statement:, namely empowering women in developing their own strength in their academic career by inspiring and helping one another by means of a network. However, from hearing personal experiences of female faculty who have a longer experience within the scientific community, and the data of female careers that were monitored at the University of Twente, it appears that there are indeed problems.

As these problems are complicated and multi-levelled, there are no clear and easy solutions. The ambassadors network aims at creative and constructive approaches which slowly but steadily will have their effects.

Prof. Dr. Ir. M. Wouters (MB)

I believe that recruitment, selection, promotion and such should be based on quality. I think that gender, nationality or other discriminatory characteristics are not considered in a negative way consciously, but unconsciously and unintentionally this does happen. The ambassadors’ network can help the UT in positioning itself as a place where talented, motivated people want to study and work. I consider diversity a worthwhile cause

Drs Susanne Wichman (directeur servicecentrum S&O)

It is important that women are properly represented both in academic (management) positions and in other management positions. In my view, diversity promotes the desired UT organisation culture, in which - in addition to entrepreneurship - commitment and collaboration have been designated as key values.

In the ambassadors network I am very pleased to represent the non-academic staff. I am convinced that our university urgently needs talent in all jobs to maintain its position as a university, and promote itself effectively.

Prof. Dr. M.C. Elwenspoek (Faculty EWI)

I have many female friends in Sweden who are electrical engineers, work in technology and in other fields which in The Netherlands are mainly populated by men. Therefore I do not believe that there are serious differences in the intellectual capabilities between women and men. So there must be a cultural cause that prevents women chose engineering. The Netherlands needs a lot more engineers that we are currently training, so we have to attract women for these occupations. To contribute to a change in the culture I decided to join the Ambassador¹s Network, to support women so that they get a better chance to enter academic careers.