Rector Gerard Mols considers closing the language center of our university for economic reasons. His argumentation appears to be that (1) learning Dutch is unnecessary for integration and (2) students and employees can learn Dutch or any other language elsewhere. Hereby I express my deep concerns about this view. I urge Gerard Mols, representative of the executive board, to refrain from the idea of closing the language center:
What does integration even mean when you leave out language? Language is among the richest cultural treasures. I have not seen anybody who was really interested in the people of a foreign country without wanting to learn their language – at least the basics. I see language as the key to a country’s culture. My answer to your statements is: Knowledge of Dutch is not only necessary for integration – it is even a measure of integration. Integration is much more than conversation between students; it concerns the whole quality of life in the country you live in. Exchange students want to say “thank you” in Dutch in the supermarket. Non-Dutch employees, including myself, like to participate in meetings held in Dutch. Ask foreign students who studied in Dutch. I have seen many people shaking their heads while reading the title page of the last Observant.
The service of a language center is a standard for universities worldwide. How poor is Maastricht University if its language center must be closed? I see that it is difficult for our university to compete with highly subsidized education centers elsewhere. However, my experience is that our language center outperforms others through excellent quality of education. The current pricing seems very reasonable to me. The fact that money is typically tight for students is a different issue. Multinational integration and an international profile demand keeping our language center.