The starting date of the programme, to be taught in Dutch, is pencilled in for September 2028. Sjoerd Claessens, vice-dean for education at the Faculty of Law, briefly outlined the plan at both the most recent Faculty Council meeting and a University Council committee meeting. Although the Executive Board (as well as the deans of all faculties) has given the green light to move forward with the development and is prepared to help fund the start-up phase, there are still many obstacles ahead. For example, the national Macro-Efficiency Committee will need to determine whether there is sufficient demand for the programme – are too many similar ones already on offer in the Netherlands? – and its graduates. Claessens is convinced of the latter. According to him, current law graduates are not a perfect fit for what municipalities need: people trained to think across disciplines, capable of engaging with “wicked problems” that call for more than just a legal perspective. While the Faculty of Law is taking the lead, the School of Business and Economics (SBE) and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS) will also be involved.
Both councils suggested offering the degree as a master’s instead. But, as Claessens explained, the whole point is to provide students with a broad foundation. A graduate of the regular Dutch Law bachelor’s degree will start a master’s with a ‘monodisciplinary’ perspective. By contrast, this new programme aims to immerse students in multidisciplinary thinking from day one.
There were also concerns about ‘ownership’: how will you make sure that all faculties take ownership, so one doesn’t end up doing all the work while the others sit back? Rector Pamela Habibović responded that firm agreements will be made: “If you decide to set up an interfaculty programme, it has to function as one. Global Studies shows it can be done, even if there’s always room for improvement.”
University Council member and law professor Raymond Luja (academic staff representative) also wondered whether the new programme might draw prospective students away from the existing Dutch Law bachelor’s degree. Currently, this isn’t seen as a concern. Donna Yates, an academic staff representative, also from the Faculty of Law, inquired about staffing at SBE and FaSoS: as both faculties are largely international, do they have enough Dutch-speaking staff to teach in the new programme? Claessens replied that new hires might well be needed.
Maarten van Wesel, a non-academic staff representative on the University Council, questioned whether 17-year-olds are interested in becoming municipal public servants. Claessens’s hope is that UM, with help from its marketing department, will be able to highlight the programme’s career prospects and relevance.
Finally, there is the matter of location. The Executive Board wants a say in where the new programme will be based, with Venlo and Heerlen being considered as serious options.