“There are trends in politics just like in fashion, and this year’s autumn look is drab and grey”, said Letschert towards the end of her speech, which she notably delivered in Dutch – a departure from the tradition of holding these academic ceremonies exclusively in English. Letschert has said it before: she fears for the future of Maastricht University if drastic measures are taken to curb internationalisation and the use of English in Dutch higher education. Approximately 60 per cent of UM students and 50 per cent of its staff come from other countries.
Letschert advocated for a tailored approach: “Once again, equality is being confused with equity. There is no one-size-fits-all internationalisation policy that suits all universities in the Netherlands. Any measures at UM should be tailored to our particular setup.”
Budget cuts
The government has also announced budget cuts in higher education, which are another major concern. While the exact details are not yet known, funding may be slashed by as much as 1 billion euros. The opening of the academic year at Theater aan het Vrijthof began with a video message from Universities of the Netherlands, which was shown at universities across the country, calling for the government to stop the budget cuts. “The negative impact of cutting funding for research and education won’t become apparent immediately”, warned Letschert. The government seems oblivious to this, she says. “They are too focused on the present.”
Impact
Fortunately, Letschert said, “we do look ahead. We have ambitions in so many areas.” She was referring, among other things, to the Einstein Telescope. In his keynote speech, Han Dols, head of Business Development at CERN (of particle accelerator fame) in Geneva, explained how this major project is not only of interest to physicists and astronomers.
“CERN is about fundamental science, but its innovations extend far beyond”, said Dols. He described how CERN collaborates with external partners, striving to balance developing its own technology with solving real-world problems. “For example, there’s a project where economists are applying a physics model to financial market data to detect fraud. And we’re working with a major energy provider to speed up the transmission of electricity from offshore wind farms to the mainland.”
Dols gave the floor to Gideon Koekoek, associate professor of Theoretical Physics, who delivered an entertaining and highly accessible explanation of how the Einstein Telescope works.
UnLimited Students
After the speeches, the annual Edward Hustinx Prize for outstanding research and the Student Prize were awarded. The latter went to UnliMited Students, an organisation founded by and for students with disabilities. An October 2023 survey on disability support showed that the initiative is highly appreciated by its target group.
“All my life I’ve had to justify myself and explain why I can’t do certain things. It’s exhausting. Here, I can take a break from all that”, Maud Langen told Observant at the time. The third-year Arts and Culture student lives with chronic pain and fatigue caused by a connective tissue disorder.