One of the bits of feedback I’ve received is the need for continuing (and continuous) communication about the challenges facing the UT (and the entire Dutch higher education sector), the immediate impact on us, what sorts of changes we can anticipate, and what for sort institution we will be when we emerge from this change process.
We’re therefore introducing this blog, where I share the actualities with you on a regular basis: explain what we’re working on, which dilemmas we’re facing, and the steps we’re taking to address them. By using a blog, we can address complex issues in a more informal, conversational way, which makes it easier to explain challenges and uncertainties openly — helping us all stay connected and engaged without the constraints of formal communication.
Recently, I was inspired by the 2024 Martin Luther King lecture given by the renowned public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson, director of the Equal Justice Initiative. I’m keeping his message in mind as we roll up our sleeves and get to work to reinvent the UT. There’s a whole lot to be done, as I explained in my interview with RTV Oost last week (in Dutch, see https://nos.nl/r/570550). The constraints are becoming clearer - we will have 10-15% less budget, and that means we must shrink commensurately. But there also remain many unknowns, and we have to be adaptive in our responses, without damaging the essence of our institutional values.
Stevenson’s words resonate deeply as we work together to adapt UT to new realities, aiming to stay true to our values even as we evolve. The urgency for change is clear. We must get into action - close to our community, so that we aren’t creating solutions from a distance, fully transparently, communicating the constraints we are facing and defining the directions we’re going towards, being hopeful about our capacities to get through these changes, and by having the courage to take uncomfortable decisions that will make us stronger and more resilient as an academic community. And finally, we have to do it compassionately - this affects people.
This will not be an easy journey, but we’re all in it together. I look forward to sharing each step with you, and I’m hopeful for the future we’ll create together.
Vinod Subramaniam, president of the Executive Board
Comments or questions? Please feel free to send an email.
