Pauline van der Meer Mohr

Just before closing down for the holiday season we are celebrating the inauguration of Smartport’s Advisory council this evening. After a long (and sometimes tedious) history, Smartport became a reality in December 2010 as a partnership between EUR, the city council of Rotterdam, the Harbour and Deltalinq. In the past year, many people have put in a lot of effort to operationalise this unique concept. In education (via bachelors and masters, executive education and masterclasses) as well as research. Relations have been forged with international partners such as the Shanghai International Shipping Institute and the Port of Mumbai. I am very pleased that all relevant maritime players in and around Rotterdam now join forces in the Advisory council of Smartport. This raises the bar as well as our commitment to turn Smartport into a success. A special word of thanks to Tijn Folmer for his energy in turning the dream of many into a reality.

As the holiday season is drawing near, I am making up the balance sheet of the year. Looking back on what has been achieved, I think we can be satisfied that tremendous progress has been made which can best be summed up as the foundation for the next generation. The campus looks desolate but will be better than before. The groundwork has been done to improve study success in the years to come. The foundation has been prepared for a long term strategic alliance with Leiden and Delft. I am extraordinarily grateful to all our colleagues who have worked with energy and commitment to contribute to the success of the university, and I look forward to continuing this path in 2012. In particular I would like to mention the Deans, without whose support the executive board would have a miserable life. All good wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.

Of all the BV2013 projects (for outsiders: this is the pan-university support services improvement programme) one of the most critical is the selection and implementation of a new SIS – student information system. Currently, the Erasmus university operates on a combined EIS/Osiris platform, which will be replaced in the coming years. The BV 2013 team has developed the underlying ‘architecture’, in other words the behavioural rules of the game that will define success. These principles are important points of departure for the selection of the required functionality. Principles such as : we will standardise where possible, and we will customise where necessary. It sounds simple, but may be far-reaching in its implication. We use these architecture principles as selection criteria in the tender documents for the new provider. Why am I writing this? Because I am very happy to see that we are not rushing out to buy just any information system off the shelf; nor are we going out of our way to customise standard solutions to force-fit them into an unruly architecture. I think the BV 2013 team is getting it just right: first they have formulated the underlying principles (architecture), then they focus on the ‘business processes’ and only thereafter do they invite tender offers. My compliments to Dominique Campman and the team for taking this approach. I really hope the new system will bring what we so dearly need: intelligence delivered hassle-free.

A smooth transition between university and the labour market does not only add to the ‘value proposition’ that universities offer to their students, it is also essential to achieve a higher position in the international rankings. Looking at the FT rankings of business schools, for example, it is interesting to note the criteria determining the ranking outcome of schools and their programmes. For post-experience MBA programmes, growth in the candidate’s salary before and after the programme is one such criterion. The quality of career services is an indicator for success in the labour market, which is why RSM invests heavily in their career services offering. But also in other parts of our university, we are seeing more and more initiatives to help students land a good first job after graduation. Erasmus School of Law collaborates closely with law firms to ensure that the curriculum matches labour market demand. Firms are keenly interested in ‘creaming’ the best students. Today, I had a brief conversation with the founder of ‘Studelta’, an organisation that offers students in their final year a short term contract to gain work experience. A very helpful and much needed addition to the ever expanding menu of career services. With unemployment levels expected to soar in 2012, private enterprise initiatives such as Studelta will be invaluable to ensure that the pain of the crisis does not hit students too much.

Last night, I had the great pleasure to be invited to a performance of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Together with a small group of people who occasionally advise the theater on issues regarding fund raising or relationship management, we were privileged to hear an introduction to the performance by the director, Theu Boermans. He started off by saying that not only are we witnessing a world financial crisis, but also a ‘crisis of love’, and that his interpretation of this classic play was an attempt to remedy that latter crisis. I thought that was a lovely new perspective to the more prosaic contributions we normally hear. I can thoroughly recommend the performance. It was magical and unforgettable.

Erasmus proudly presents…. the smartest woman in The Netherlands (according to Viva magazine): Elke Geraerts, FSW psychologist and member of KNAW’s “Jonge Academie”. Elke has also been selected to represent a group of young Dutch thought leaders known as ‘young shapers’ to join the 2012 World Economic Forum in Davos. I am extraordinarily proud to have such a top talent in our midst. Not only is Elke clearly a very talented researcher, she is able to translate her research into practical insights which speak to the imagination of world leaders, captains of industry and other influencials. To achieve all of that at such a tender age is quite an accomplishment. Elke, thank you for your energy, dedication and commitment and you can count on the Executive Board to support your endeavours wherever we can.

I don’t usually blog about the financial crisis, because there are many experts on the subject out there adding their perspective to the public debate, and I always think one should not blabber on about things one does not know enough about. What fascinates me is the tension that seems to be building up around the notion of ‘end game’. Today, 5 CEO’s of Dutch multinationals have sent a letter to the press, united in their sense of urgency around the crisis. When we read the papers, we learn that the clock is ticking, we have 7 more days before the Big Bang, the W word (war) has been uttered several times now, etc etc. It reminds me of Chicken Little, running around hollering that the sky is falling. I find the power struggle in Europe very interesting. In its wake, we have seen the demise of a few dysfunctional governments (good news), a beginning of budget discipline, and a few hitherto undiscussables on the table, such as stronger European coordination and less subsidiarity. Time is of the essence here. It seems to me that mrs Merkel is playing this card extremely skillfully.

Rotterdam! On Saturday, after days of anxiety about funding issues, we finally pitched to the executive board of the European Universities Student Games (EUSA) in Cordoba, Spain. Against some heavy competition from Poland, we came out cheerfully as hosts of the 2nd games in 2014 to crown our centennial celebrations. 4000 student sporters will compete in 10 different sports, using facilities across the city, including the brand new rowing course that will open next year. Our student village on campus will be lively, with musicians from Noth Sea Jazz and large screen coverage of the world soccer championships. All of this in the summer months, after the final exams of the year. A great achievement of many, notably Menso de Maar and his team of Erasmus sport, but also active supporters including everyone at the municipality of Rotterdam. A special word of thanks to Alderman Antoinette Laan who secured the last batch of funding on Friday afternoon, and to VWS Minister Edith Schippers for using her discretionary power to materially support this initiative.

It is well known that France is embarrassed by its performance in the world academic league tables (there are only 5 French universities in the THE top 200, versus 12 Dutch universities). The Sarkozy government’s response is interesting. It is offering six or seven endowments of one billion euros to new comprehensive universities, with the aim of creating a new French “Ivy League” of top institutions. A number of universities have already decided to unite, according to a recent Times Higher Education report. Clusters of universities are rapidly emerging around the Paris, Bordeaux and Strassbourg regions. This way, France is creating Russell group-style centres of excellence and is effectively abondoning the level playing field among universities. The expectation in France is that this will cause a shake-out in the higher education landscape, with some universities closing down, some specialising and others becoming community colleges.

Erasmus Magazine has surveyed students and staff to gauge support for the alliance between Erasmus, Delft and Leiden. Not surprisingly, 57% of respondents expressed little or no interest in a merger, whereas the other 43% indicated some degree of interest in and support for the alliance, ranging from ‘interesting thought’ to ‘what are you waiting for’. First of all, it is encouraging that over 200 people took the trouble to respond, and add personal recommendations as well. This provides us with valuable input and feedback. Secondly, I fully understand the point of view that the risks of mergers should be considered very carefully before embarking on far-reaching adventures. I also understand and share the pride in our brand name. Anyone with a basic understanding of branding issues knows that it takes time to build a brand, and brand value is easily destroyed. So if we park the issue of mergers and branding for now, what remains is an encouraging response of positively inclined colleagues and students, who see the potential benefits in collaborating more closely with others. This is consistent with the outcome of several workshops that have taken place in the past two months. Next week, there will be an engagement session with the University Council where the initial results of the workshops will be reviewed and discussed. Obviously, the University Council will be involved more closely in the decision making process in Q1 2012, when we expect to submit a joint strategy document to the Ministry of Education. Sometimes it feels as though we spend more time relaxing the sceptics than chasing the dream. The survey results provide plenty of openings for focusing on the latter.