The man who taught UT to grow

Celebrating 100 years of Jan Kreiken's legacy

The Gallery Grand Café buzzed with an unusual energy on November 28th. Students in their twenties chatted with executives in their sixties. A woman in her eighties studied old photographs mounted near the entrance, pointing and laughing with friends. The former lecture hall had transformed into something between reunion and symposium—all to honour a man most current students have never heard of, but whose decisions shape their university experience still today.

One hundred years ago, Prof Dr Jan Kreiken was born in Rotterdam. By the time he died in 2001, he had founded Twente’s first Industrial Engineering & Management programme, served as Rector Magnificus during a critical turning point, and left a legacy that now lives in thousands of graduates making an impact worldwide.

But this isn't a story about a man. It's a story about a question he insisted we answer: What kind of future will we make?

Vakken hebben geen toekomst. Mensen wel.

Last Friday, Kreiken's daughter Ymke stood in The Gallery Grand Café—once a lecture hall where her father taught—watching generations of alumni reconnect.

"Beautiful to see how multiple generations stand on each other's shoulders," she reflected. "Each generation passing knowledge and insight to the next."

That image—standing on shoulders—captures exactly what her father believed. In her opening speech, UT Vice President Machteld Roos quoted one of Kreiken's most powerful statements:

"Subjects have no future. But people do. It doesn't matter whether a graduate becomes the director of an inspection service or pursues a completely different path. What matters is the individual and their ability to find their place in society."

In 1968, when Kreiken founded what would become IEM, this was revolutionary thinking. Most universities organised themselves around academic disciplines. Kreiken organised around what people needed to learn to make an impact in a changing world: technical depth, strategic thinking, and—most radically—the human skills to actually lead change.

A Bridge Between Then and Now

The day began with Emeritus Professor Koos Krabbendam, colleague and friend of Jan Kreiken, providing something invaluable: a personal window into the early days of the THT. He described a time shaped by pioneering spirit and Kreiken's characteristic clarity and courage.

Krabbendam explained how Kreiken was already a leading strategist in Dutch industry before joining Twente—at Sitos, introducing innovations like King Corn (revolutionising Dutch bread marketing), and serving on major boards including Ahold, where he championed the separation of production and distribution. He could be called the 'Father of marketing in the Netherlands.'

His reflections built a bridge between what UT was, what it has become, and what it continues to strive for—a place where vision meets action, and where people matter more than programs.

Four Windows Into Today's Challenges

The symposium then explored four domains where Kreiken's graduates lead: aerospace, innovation, purchasing, and healthcare.

Assistant Professor Dennis Prak and alumnus Boet Kreiken (TBK '84)—Jan's son and former Vice President at KLM—explored aviation's sustainability challenge: how do we serve 8 billion passengers by 2044 while containing environmental impact?

Dr. Rainer Harms led a conversation with Pauline Arts (BA '12, now Ministry of Defence) and Karin Löwik (IEM '12, Marketing Director at Vivera) about innovation in public and private sectors, wrestling with Kreiken's famous quote: "The future cannot be predicted, we have to make it ourselves."

Giels Brouwer (TBK '12), founder of SciSports and Akela Hub, told how a master's thesis transformed football scouting worldwide. With Dr. Vincent Delke (BA '17), he demonstrated how purchasing drives innovation—not just cost control.

Prof. Erwin Hans closed with a truth every engineer hates: "Mathematics can optimise systems, but only people make optimisation real." He highlighted Nienke Hamster, whose master's thesis on emergency department scheduling gained national media attention the same week—and who served as the event's master of ceremony.

"In één woord: GEWELDIG"

Boet Kreiken initiated this centennial celebration, hoping to honour his father in a way Jan himself would have appreciated.

His verdict? "In één woord: GEWELDIG" (In one word: AMAZING).

"The quotes, retrospective and future perspective, good speakers (and fortunately also women!), informal lunch, the square being established with photos, beautiful compilation at the entrance. An idea and promise completely fulfilled as discussed in spring 2024!"

The day concluded with the announcement of the Jan Kreiken Memorial—a redesigned study plaza at Ravelijn opening later this year, creating a physical space embodying his belief in bringing people together for learning and growth.

The symposium was organised by Study Association Stress (Cleo Ballon, Lex de Jager, Camiel de Jager, and Nienke Hamster) in collaboration with the UT Alumni Office and faculty—a partnership Kreiken would have loved, bridging students, alumni, and institution.