Is the university still sufficiently prepared for the future, or does it need to be reinvented? We challenge our students and researchers to look ever further beyond the boundaries of their own disciplines and to search intensively for new technologies and creative applications. But are we getting there fast enough? And are we going far enough? After all, it seems that there are ever more societal challenges for which we still do not have adequate answers. Might a more radical approach be needed? The guest speaker at the packed opening of the Academic Year of the University of Twente, the architect Rem Koolhaas, shared his observations and ideas, discussed the phenomenon of globalization and advised us: don’t go west, look east!
The programme was opened by Victor van der Chijs, President of the University of Twente’s Executive Board. Van der Chijs announced that the University of Twente will form a partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute. Europe's largest non-profit organization for applied research will establish its first presence in the Netherlands on our campus. Van der Chijs also announced that Dave Blank will take on a new role at the University of Twente. Blank will become our Chief Scientific Ambassador and his tasks will include strengthening the international profile of the university’s research.
Award ceremony
As is customary, several prizes were presented during the opening of the academic year. The best graduates from the five faculties of the University of Twente of the previous academic year were presented with a certificate, a cheque and a bouquet of flowers from the Rector Magnificus, Ed Brinksma. Then it was the turn of Erwin Hans, the winner of the Central Education Award, to enjoy the limelight. Hans was named the best lecturer at the university, an accolade that he can lay claim to for the whole academic year. Finally, the rector presented Maaike Koenrades, a researcher at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, with the TGS Research Honours PhD Award for Twente’s Promotion of Top Talent.
Rem Koolhaas
Dutch universities are not forging enough few international partnerships. And Dutch students mainly go to study in English-speaking countries. We should be learning to speak Chinese, because it is a language on the rise, just as the Chinese economy is on the rise. Unfortunately, Europe is divided on many important issues, such as security and big data, argues Koolhaas. The next generation is rather full of itself. His advice to the University of Twente: focus on Germany and its periphery. Don’t go west, look east! Find a solution for asylum policy; do not build a wall, come up with innovative solutions. Embrace the countryside: today’s farmers are innovators working with technology. Do not focus only on cities: science is happening here!
Douwe Bob
The hall fell silent for the musical intermezzi provided by Douwe Bob with his guitar, with his poignant and sometimes humorous lyrics. Ever since his debut, Douwe Bob has been doing fantastically well, with performances at Pinkpop, sold-out club tours and a lot of airplay on the radio.
Anne Buningh
As chair of the Student Union, Anne Buningh outlined her vision of the University of Students.
Today’s students have grown up in prosperity and in fact anyone who wants to study can do so these days. The sky is the limit. The expectations that students set themselves are high, because if we do not succeed, these days we only have ourselves to blame. This awakens the feeling that we can never quite achieve enough, however, and we are afraid of failure, and afraid of responsibilities. The University of Twente gives us the opportunity to discover our own responsibilities: I call it the University of activism. Rethinking the university by students? Give us more responsibilities. We can coach teachers, or allow us choose the new Rector Magnificus. In fact, I might just apply for the job myself!
