Pauline van der Meer Mohr

At today’s kick-off meeting of the steering committee for our centenary celebrations, we decided to launch a student competition to suggest the theme or Leitmotiv of “Erasmus 100″. Watch the notice boards and start thinking creatively!

Looking forward to the Dies Natalis with eager anticipation? Even though there will be no Dies Natalis Stockings filled with goodies, this year’s programme promises to be a real treat. I am looking forward to hearing our own professors Rolf Zwaan, Marise Born and Henk van der Molen, and of course honorary doctor professor Geoff [...]

Last Monday I had a Skype-session with Ronald van Raak ( Member of Parliament, SP). In this session I handed out the first issue of the Erasmus Alumi Magazine.  Here you can find the video coverage of this digital encounter and here you can read the magazine digitally.

Whereas researchers always have to distinguish between professional comments based on research and opinions based on personal views, administrators, like politicians, are free to express their personal views, even though we would prefer our policies to be evidence-based. So when I voice my personal preferences for sustainable alternatives to unsustainable ones, this should be read [...]

“Erasmus 2013, at home in the world” is the title of our strategy for 2013, which was developed in 2008. Halfway through the planning period, the Executive Board conducted a mid term review of the strategy. What is working well, what should be revised, what has succeeded, what has failed, and where do we need to [...]

Professor Leo de Haan gave his inaugural address on the occasion of the dies natalis of ISS yesterday. I am always astonished to see how well connected ISS is, and how many prominent friends attend its ceremonies. This is a real testimonial to the work of several colleagues who have built the reputation of the [...]

I had the pleasure of introducing Niklas Zennstrom today, founder and CEO of Skype, serial entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. Mr Zennstrom was invited by HOPE to share his story in what was marketed as an “inspirational lecture”. For a full house of students, entrepreneurs and faculty from Rotterdam, Delft and elsewhere, Niklas Zennstrom rose to [...]

‘Twas a fine day indeed, September 6th. If you couldn’t be there, I invite you to check out the images and video coverage elsewhere on this site. Highlights included of course Neelie Kroes’s warm and very personal opening speech, the IT festival preceding the opening, and the overwhelming number of guests. We were solidly booked. Erasmus University generated quite [...]

I read an interesting article in THE (Times Higher Education) about charitable contributions. The argument, stemming from a long tradition in the US, was that university executives should be obliged to bring in philantropic income equal to three times their salaries every year. The example set by university administrators is argued to be crucial to [...]

Having been back for a couple of weeks now, I have noticed how different  a university campus looks in summertime. The pace is more relaxed, meetings have been reduced to a bare minimum and there is more time for reading, writing and reflexion. I can even sneak in a few minutes to play the piano in the [...]