“The university should once again be an institution where calm prevails, with time for reflection”, Harald Merckelbach, professor of Psychology and Law, told Observant when he became dean four years ago. The interview took place in February 2020; just one month later, everyone was in lockdown due to Covid-19. No, he laughs now, calm never quite returned.
Disinformation
In the same 2020 interview, he voiced his concerns about the debate on the internationalisation of Dutch higher education. These concerns have only grown. The new government aims to reduce the influx of international students and give the Dutch language a more prominent place in higher education. Critics of the increased use of English at universities in the Netherlands have repeatedly cited FPN as an example of how not to do things. “Armed with disinformation, they claim we teach exclusively in English, which is not true; our bachelor’s programme has a Dutch-taught track. They also claim that future clinical psychologists won’t be able to speak with their clients in Dutch because they’re taught in English. This is incorrect – the programme is available in Dutch as well. But these stories keep circulating. It seems a lot of politicians are impervious to factual corrections.”
Merckelbach is particularly critical of academic supporters of these politicians, such as UM philosopher René Gabriëls and Lotte Jensen, professor of Dutch Cultural and Literary History at Radboud University Nijmegen. “I think it’s their role to explain this isn’t a black-and-white issue, but they don’t. Worse still, they join in the grandstanding.”
Common language
Merckelbach emphasises that research has repeatedly shown “that education benefits from a highly diverse student body. The term ‘international classroom’ is not just a buzzword. The concept of ‘doux commerce’, which suggests that commerce and networking civilise people and make us less likely to turn on each other, dates back to the Renaissance. And networking requires a common language – English. But this doesn’t mean we have an English monoculture. Just look at the Tunas [student music groups playing Spanish and Portuguese music], where different cultures come together.”
Academic freedom
Opponents of internationalisation refuse to acknowledge its benefits, says Merckelbach. “I’m disappointed in them. I sometimes find their reasoning dubious or just plain petty, like when Lotte Jensen tweeted that UM students aren’t eager to learn because they wouldn’t want Dutch to be a compulsory subject. That’s completely unfair to the students; most are genuinely interested. Her disdain bothers me.” He sees this kind of “grandstanding” as a threat to how things are done at FPN. “They want to dictate how I teach my students, infringing on my academic freedom.”
Budget cuts
Although the opposition to internationalisation concerns him the most (“If the government does decide to take radical action, it’ll change the whole mentality and atmosphere of the university”), it wasn’t the only challenge he faced in the past four years. Teaching had to be adapted during Covid – “[Vice-Dean of Education] Petra Hurks put an incredible amount of time and effort into this” – and the faculty faced significant budget cuts. “We had deficits, not due to mismanagement, but because we’re funded as though we’re a sociology department, despite having expensive infrastructure with MRI scanners, an EEG machine and labs. Our then director Pascal Stevens came up with the idea of setting up working groups within the faculty to find ways to cut costs together. It worked – we are now financially healthy – but we’ve had to tighten our belts. No one could purchase new furniture or computers, for example.”
And new cuts are looming. If the new government’s plans go ahead, the entire higher education sector will need to reduce spending by 1 billion euros. What this would mean for UM is still unclear. It’ll be a stressful time, admits Merckelbach, but he’s “cautiously optimistic. Our minister of Education has always emphasised the importance of research in society. Let’s hope he sticks to his word.”
Calm
On one front, at least, calm has been achieved. “Under Carolien Martijn’s leadership, we’ve made great strides when it comes to Recognition and Rewards. It’s now much clearer how an academic career is structured and that it can take different forms. Everyone knows where they stand, which has greatly improved the atmosphere.”
He has also noticed changes compared to his first term as dean, from 2005 to 2009. “Back then, we were just emerging from the pioneering phase. Much was still taking shape. There were conflicts between professors and departments. That’s no longer the case. The faculty now has a clear identity; people feel more like part of a collective.”
Blasé
“We’ll see”, he said back in 2020 when asked if he planned to serve one or two terms. He ended up serving just one. Why? “I actually think it’s good to bring in a fresh perspective. Staying in a leadership position for too long can make you arrogant; it has a negative impact on your character. I greatly admire people like [Chair of the Dutch Research Council] Marcel Levi, who has continued to work as an internal medicine physician alongside his administrative role, but this combination isn’t feasible for most of us mere mortals. I think it’s important for deans to stay connected to education and research, but the longer you stay in administration, the harder it gets. Besides, there will always be recurring problems, and you risk becoming blasé about them. I’m also not under the illusion that I’m the only one who can solve them.”
So, what’s next for Merckelbach? “I’ve never really been one for career planning, but I do have a few book ideas. I’d like to write about symptom validity – whether a patient is exaggerating their symptoms. And I’m interested in the intersection between psychology and art. What defines ‘good’ art? How do we find meaning in art? What about people who can’t picture things in their minds?”