As of 1 February 2018, the Executive Board has appointed Susanne Wichman as the new Secretary of the University of Twente.
Susanne Wichman has been working for the University of Twente since 2008. As the Director of the Centre for Educational Support, Susanne focused on the repositioning of the Educational Affairs Office (BOZ), the implementation of the educational support systems Osiris, Blackboard and Syllabus, the repositioning of Educational Services (CELT) and the introduction of the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) for incumbent staff.
Since 2013, Susanne Wichman has been project manager at the Strategy & Policy service department. In this role she coordinated the institutional quality assurance audit that the University of Twente passed successfully in the 2013-2014 academic year. Since the institutional quality assurance audit, Susanne has taken on the role of programme leader for educational quality assurance at institute level. Susanne is also involved in programmes and tracks such as the further development of University College Twente and the university’s Honours Programmes. She is also chair of the Long-Term Housing Strategy Programme team and was responsible for the realization of the Long-term Housing Strategy itself. Other activities include membership of the Ambassador Network for the promotion of women to top positions. She was also executive advisor for the Student Union for over a year.
Prior to her career at the University of Twente, Susanne held various positions at Saxion University of Applied Sciences. She contributed to the Business Information programme as a Lecturer in management information systems and language proficiency and as a Coordinator of internships. Later she was a Student Counsellor and thereafter Head of the Information, Students and Educational Support department.
In her new role as Secretary Susanne Wichman will focus on stimulating collaboration, transparent decision-making and the university’s developing force, with the aim of increasing the university’s agility and versatility. The new Secretary monitors the integral management of the University of Twente and the interactions between the Executive Board, faculties and support departments. The new Secretary is not the university’s Managing Director supervising all the Directors of the support departments.
Victor van der Chijs is delighted about Susanne Wichman’s appointment: “The recommendations during the appointment procedure were unanimous. For the University of Twente, it is essential to act quickly and decisively in responding to societal developments on a regional, national and international level. This will be a new point of focus for the Secretary, aimed at maximizing the University’s societal impact. This includes working to further cooperation, transparency, speed in decision-making and monitoring the implementation of decisions. We are convinced that Susanne’s performance as the university’s Secretary will be outstanding thanks to her expertise, experience and vision.
Susanne Wichman herself has this to say about her appointment: “For me, working for the University of Twente means first and foremost being able to actively contribute to the programme and the academic development of our students. They are the future. For almost 10 years I have enjoyed being surrounded by inspirational and committed students and colleagues and I am thrilled that my work has always been meaningful and aimed at the further development of the university. As a Secretary, I will have even more opportunity to act as a connecting link in the diverse and versatile University of Twente community. I am excited about using my enthusiasm and experience in cooperating with colleagues and students to increase the university’s effectiveness.”
The Executive Board congratulates Susanne on her appointment and wishes her every success in her position as Secretary.
Contact person: Bertyl Lankhaar, spokesperson of the Executive Board, tel.: +31 (0)53 489 2210
