EA Magazine English by Erasmus University Rotterdam

May 2013

Ten years later Advice for entrepreneurs Intensive care for babies

erasmus alumni magazine

Entrepreneur with rose-tinted glasses A day in the life of Clarissa Sarah Slingerland

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It is 2013

‘Crucially needed higher education’ It is Erasmus University Rotterdam’s birthday. A hundred years ago, its predecessor, the Nederlandsche HandelsHoogeschool, was founded. The Handels-Hoogeschool differed from existing universities in that it took a much more practical approach. This can be seen in a report from 1914 by an unknown dignitary. And – when they are not comparing football teams, they are comparing universities – the main thrust of the text is that the Rotterdam education is much better than the Amsterdam one. ‘Majestic Amsterdam even has a university that reveals the secrets of Sanskrit to scholars. That’s where you go to learn a lot of dubious knowledge about insignificant writers throughout the centuries. In Rotterdam it has been realised that a salesman has the right to a practical higher education’. The port and trade were undergoing great change at that time and there was consequently great demand for staff with a thorough grounding in

economics. This is what motivated the famous Rotterdam entrepreneurs J.A. Ruys, C.A.P. van Stolk and W.C. Mees to establish the HandelsHogeschool. This private initiative led to economics being taught for the first time as a separate branch of science in the Netherlands. The same report says, ‘Rotterdam has now taken the first step towards what is truly necessary, crucially needed higher education. Not

learning a dusty old dead language, which for most people is more or less useless in later life. In Rotterdam one takes a fresh approach and teaches students what they will require in their later lives.’

The ‘founding fathers’ of the EUR, from left to right: J.A. Ruys, C.A.P. van Stolk and W.C. Mees (photo: EUR historic photo archive) Text Mieke Fiers, with thanks to Sjoerd Wielenga

A copy of the report can be found on the website of the Rotterdam Kunstclub: www.dekunstclub. nl/Rotterdammers/gebouwen/ handelshoge.htm

Centenery EUR will celebrate its centenary in academic year 2013-2014. The kick-off is on 2 September 2013. Various events are also planned for Alumni. For the most up-to-date information, see: www.eur.nl/100

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Foreword May 2013

Dear Alumnus,

Pauline van der Meer Mohr, Chairman of the Executive Board of Erasmus University Rotterdam

Yours sincerely, Pauline van der Meer Mohr, Chairman of the Executive Board of Erasmus University Rotterdam

Colophon The Erasmus Alumni Magazine/ EA is published by the Marketing & Communication department of Erasmus University Rotterdam. EA is sent free of charge to EUR alumni who are registered in the Erasmus Alumni Database (EAD). You can register via alumni@ smc.eur.nl. If you have moved please inform the alumni office alumni@smc.eur.nl. The EA has a circulation of 33,000. A Dutch and English pdf is available on www.eur.nl/alumni.

Your alma mater will turn a hundred this year. With only a handful of lecturers and students, the Nederlandsche Handels-Hoogeschool began 100 years ago as the private initiative of a trio of Rotterdam entrepreneurs. Its name was changed in 1939 to Nederlandse Economische Hogeschool (NEH), and it merged with the Rotterdam Medical Faculty in 1973, thus becoming Erasmus University Rotterdam. Of course we are going to celebrate this, with students and lecturers, with the city and with our partners. Our alumni are also invited to join the celebrations, for example, on 8 June 2013, when the alumni associations and the Erasmus Trust Fund will hold the Alumni Centenary Day. We will celebrate the EUR’s centenary in academic year 2013-2014. This will be a good opportunity to look back at the EUR’s impact over the last century. You will be able to read all about this in a special edition of the alumni magazine, which will appear in September. Talking of impact, your student days are a perfect example of a time that shapes you as the person you are today. In this edition you can read about EUR alumni and what they have been up to since graduating. Photographer Ronald van den Heerik (an alumnus himself), took portraits of students some ten years ago, and has now traced them again. And we spend a day in the life of ‘Miss Publicity’, Clarissa Slingerland. The University is developing on all fronts. We are rapidly trying to improve the study success rates of our students with the help of activating teaching methods. The new Erasmus University College will grace the centre of Rotterdam from September, which is also when the new heart of the Woudestein campus will open. Its contours are becoming more visible, and I can assure you it will be stunning. Our alliance with the universities of Delft and Leiden is also taking shape. In short, there is a lot to do. We take great pleasure in and are committed to creating a university that can develop in tandem with, and where possible anticipate, the needs of our times. This is what we did in the past, this is what we do now, and this is what we will continue to do over the next hundred years.

Edition Volume 3, EA 6 May 2013 The next edition of EA will be published in September 2013 Editorial Address EUR, SM&C dept PO Box 1738 3000 DR Rotterdam alumni@smc.eur.nl www.eur.nl/alumni

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Managing Editor Carien van der Wal, Alumni & Corporate Relations Officer Editors Wieneke Gunneweg, Editor-in-Chief Mieke Fiers, Desk Editor Contributors Ronald van den Heerik, Eveline van de Lagemaat, René van Leeuwen, José Luijpen, Geert Maarse, Pauline van der Meer

Mohr, Tim de Mey, Dennis Mijnheer, Sanne van der Most, Sheila Sitalsing, Hans van den Tillaart, Ada van Vliet, Sjoerd Wielenga, Levien Willemse, EUR faculties including Erasmus MC, IHS and ISS Advertisements Carien van der Wal, Armin Firouzi Wahdaty Printing Van Deventer, ‘s-Gravenzande

Design Unit 20: Yoe San Liem and Maud van Velthoven Editorial Advisory Board (RAC) The RAC comprises representatives of the EUR’s faculties and alumni associations and has an advisory role with regard to the production of EA. Cover Levien Willemse

Contents 06 Back to college 08 Erasmus news 11 From Rotterdam to Mongolia 12 A day in the life of Clarissa Slingerland 18 Sharing knowledge 19 Column: Sheila Sitalsing 20 Focus on research 22 Science news 24 In the news in 1989â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1990 27 Why Rotterdam? 28 Ten years later 32 Alumni affairs 37 Column

39 Family portrait

18 erasmusalumni. magazine

Back to college

Lucien Hordijk: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;My dissertation was a real hurdle; applying for jobs afterwards was ten times worseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

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‘I was actually all set to get to work’ Lucien Hordijk (24) has just finished his Master’s degree in sociology. But there are no jobs, and his ambitions have proved to lie elsewhere. So he’s taking an extra programme programme. ‘I need to get experience fast.’ text René van Leeuwen photo Ronald van den Heerik

Why did you choose to do a postgraduate degree in newspaper journalism [Postacademische Dagblad Opleiding Journalistiek; PDOJ]? ‘For a number of reasons. I did a Master’s in Urban Sociology before this, also at the EUR. So I was actually all set to get to work. If all had gone as the information guides say, I would now be a something like a policy adviser at a ministry or municipality.’ But that didn’t happen. ‘No. Thank goodness, I can now say, because I actually enjoy journalism much more. The job market for graduates is a

‘Everyone works their socks off: an editorial meeting in the morning and then you need to put your skates on’ disaster due to the crisis. My dissertation was a real hurdle, and it took a lot of blood, sweat and tears; applying for jobs afterwards was ten times worse. You suddenly find yourself competing with a thousand others for the few available places on a traineeship. It’s hopeless.’ What went wrong with your dissertation? ‘It was Murphy’s law in spades. It proved much more difficult to turn my topic into a good dissertation than I had hoped. I ended up stuck for a few months. Once I finally had the story down on paper – it was about hackers and the hacker culture – I was told the style I had written it in was too journalistic.’ Fancy studying again? Different EUR faculties and institutes offer postgraduate programmes. See, for example, www. erasmusacademie.nl and www.erasmusmc.nl/ onderwijs.

What do you mean, too journalistic? ‘I had made a fantastic story out of it. The introduction had actually become a journalistic long read, which wasn’t what my supervisor – who by the way was a huge help – was looking for of course. It was the writing on the wall, as regards my ambitions as a journalist. At the end of my degree I realised that the theoretical, the academic, didn’t appeal to me. It needs to be more practical for me.’

And then suddenly you were a graduate. ‘Yes, that’s right. I graduated in May 2012. I did all sorts of things for a few months. I first tried to find work at the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper, but they were looking for people with experience in journalism, and I hardly had any at all. They won’t even take you on as an intern then. And suddenly all your money’s gone. Then you quickly end up with all the local idiots who pay you two tenners for a story. But I wasn’t too proud to do that. Any experience is welcome, after all, but I did realise that I needed to learn and get experience much faster. Which is why I opted for the PDOJ.’ Are you enjoying the programme? ‘Definitely. It’s not cheap, but you do get your money’s worth. Everyone doing the PDOJ works their socks off and wants to give it their all.’ Can you manage it all, the combination of work, study and private life? ‘It’s hard work, but it’s also great fun. We produce our own PDOJ newspaper during the week. In an ideal situation you are out and about all day generating stories. An editorial meeting in the morning and then you need to put your skates on. Then it’s a case of working four evenings a week to earn a few bucks, and trying to get some rest whenever possible.’ Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time? ‘As an investigative journalist at a big newspaper: that appeals to me most. I’d like to write about the economy. Or politics. A good investigation, a real scoop and turning it into a great story.’

Author René van Leeuwen graduated from the EUR last autumn in Sociology of Work, Organization and Management. Photographer Ronald van den Heerik studied Philosophy at the EUR between 1979 and 1983.

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Erasmus news

The student days of...Mohammed Benzakour

‘I was an outsider’ They are now in the spotlight, but what were they like in the lecture hall? EA takes a look at the student days of famous EUR alumni. This time: writer Mohammed Benzakour. Mohammed Benzakour still remembers Ringeling’s Law, from his very first lecture from the professor of the same name. ‘There were two parts to his law: 1. Read the newspaper, and 2. Do not believe it. These words have always helped me; as a journalist and as a commentator. You must always remain sceptical.’

wrote a letter and then he had his own programme. At a time when no one was listening, somewhere between two and three in the morning, but even so.’ Benzakour graduated in 1996. His supervisor at the time, Renk Roborgh, still remembers him well. Not his dissertation

Spread the word Under the motto ‘Let Erasmus do the talking!’ an animation of none other than Desiderius Erasmus calls on alumni to surprise your old student friends with a short film. Type in your own text on the site talkingerasmus.nl and send it to your old student friends. They will receive an animated film of Erasmus speaking your words. With the campaign, the University hopes to reach as many alumni as possible for the coming Centenary.

‘He thought “that’s what I want” and then he just arranged it’Study friend Maarten Horbach on Mohammed Benzakour Benzakour studied Sociology and Public Administration at the Faculty of Social Sciences. He was in his own words ‘somewhat withdrawn’. He lived at home and did not participate in the typical student life. No student association. No partying. ‘I was an outsider’. His study friend Maarten Horbach remembers him being critical of society, ‘but that was quite normal then’. In one of his first publications, says Horbach, Benzakour condemned ‘briefcases’, the career students. He produced a poetry journal, ‘De schijn voorbij’, Horback remembers. ‘And he had a programme on Radio Rijmond. Typical Mohammed: he thought, “that’s what I want” and then he just arranged it. He

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‘that took rather a lot of effort’, but the many discussions between the two in Roborgh’s office. ‘They were about his and my backgrounds – I spent part of my childhood on the Antilles. There was a sort of recognition between us. I can also remember his graduation ceremony – he brought his whole family. The contact between student and lecturer is normally very functional, but that wasn’t the case with us. They were very deep discussions. Very special.’ Mohammed Benzakour’s book Yemma was published in early April. In it he writes about his sick mother who gets lost in the Dutch healthcare jungle.

100 years of EUR On 8 November 2013 at 3.30 p.m. it will be exactly 100 years ago that the Nederlandsche Handels-Hoogeschool opened – the genesis of Erasmus University Rotterdam. This anniversary will be celebrated in style in academic year 2013-2014 with various activities, also for alumni. www.eur.nl/100

Erasmus news

EA calls...

Huibert Pols Huibert Pols, Professor of Internal Medicine, will become Rector Magnificus of the Erasmus University Rotterdam on 8 November 2013. EA phoned him. Is it a challenge or an honour? ‘It is a big honour to take on this challenge. I am a typical scientist but will now get to know the arts and social sciences’. Will that be the biggest challenge? ‘I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think internationalization is important, in the teaching too. Regarding research, my main focus is talent development, providing a boost.’ You yourself are an EUR alumnus. Did you ever think as a student that you would become Rector Magnificus? ‘Never! I studied medicine mainly because I wanted to the best job in the world: that of doctor. I thoroughly enjoyed doing that for 25 years. When the challenge of managing the faculties came along, I took it on, and am now pleased to take the step to become Rector Magnificus.’

CAMPUS IN DEVELOPMENT - No, this is not member of the Executive Board of the EUR Bart Straatman’s new car. He did use this electric sports car on 12 March 2013, however, to officially open the new car park on Campus Woudestein. Users of this half-underground car park emerge to find themselves in the green heart of the campus. The new student pavilion will also be here. The new car park is a milestone in the development of the campus (photo: Michelle Muus)

First-year students must earn all 60 ECTS credit points From September 2013, new students at Erasmus University Rotterdam will have to earn all 60 ECTS credit points in their first year or they will have to leave.

Alliance with Leiden and Delft The alliance between the universities of Leiden, Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam (LDE) is progressing well. During a meeting on 8 April 2013, a number of plans were presented for LDE research centres. The three universities want to join forces in the fields of research and teaching.

Students will be allowed to compensate for fails in one course unit with passes in other course units. They will have fewer retake opportunities, and be taught using activating teaching methods. The whole package, including the binding study advice, is called Nominaal=Normaal [Official=Normal; N=N]. This year all faculties began an N=N pilot project, with the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences in its second year already. Students there generally appear to be studying faster. The Executive Board therefore wants to introduce it throughout the University from September. The University Council has agreed, under certain conditions. A few faculties are still unsure. The boards of the different faculties will vote on the changes in June.

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Erasmus news

‘The corridors still have the same dusty concrete smell as when I was an 18-year-old student here’ On 8 January 2013, Chairman of the Executive Board Pauline van der Meer Mohr reminisced about her student days at Woudestein to parents attending a specially organized information evening on choosing a degree programme.

Short news

Dual programme in Economics From September 2013 the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) will be offering a four-year, English-taught dual programme in Economics and Econometrics. The two programmes overlap somewhat, which makes it possible to combine them. The programme will be intensive: students will be able to earn 66 rather than 60 ECTS credit points per year. Like the Master of Science & Master of Law Programme (Economics and Law in six years), the dual programme at the EUR is unique in the Netherlands.

New deans

The former library on the Nieuwe Markt in Rotterdam is being renovated for the EUC. This artist’s impression shows what it will look like when it is finished.

Erasmus University College under construction The Erasmus University College (EUC) will begin on 1 September 2013. Preparations are in full swing for this prestigious Bachelor’s programme.

Maarten Frens has been appointed Dean of the EUC. This brain researcher is part of a group that has spent the last two years developing the programme. The EUC will focus on excellent and international students. Many students have already registered, and the first selection interviews are being held. Students are selected on the basis of their marks and motivation. The lectures will be held in the historical building on the Nieuwe Markt in Rotterdam,

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which until recently housed the Onderwijsmuseum. The building from 1923, formerly the municipal library, is still undergoing extensive renovations. The students (about 120 next year) will live in The Student Hotel on the Oostzeedijk. The programme has higher tuition fees (€ 3,500 for European students, €15,000 for students from outside Europe), but one in five of the students will qualify for a grant. www.eur.nleuc

The EUR has three new deans. Suzan Stoter became Dean of the Erasmus School of Law on 1 February. An EUR alumna, Stoter is the first female EUR dean. Jack Vromen has been Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences since 1 January, and Jaap Verweij became Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences on 1 April.

First aid via the PC In the educational computer game ABCDE Game from the Erasmus MC, young doctors learn how to act in a real-life situation. The game gives a virtual picture of life at the A&E department, and has been used at Erasmus MC since October 2012. It won the eLearning Smarter Learning Award 2013 on 16 April 2013. More information: www.abcdesim.nl

From Rotterdam to Mongolia

Snow games with the blind Ada van Vliet, a graduate of Health Policy and Management left for Mongolia in 2006. She does voluntary work there to improve the healthcare system. Wednesday I have a meeting with the hospital director in Nalaikh, a district with more than 30,000 inhabitants. We talk about improving the basic healthcare system with the help of local volunteers. We set up a good volunteer network between 2007 and 2010, but it more or less fell apart when someone else took over. Many volunteers became demotivated and left. It was my task to turn the tide. I immediately planned a number of meetings with everyone involved. I came to work in Mongolia for the VSO international development charity. You are paid a local salary, not much therefore, but you can make a difference. I have not regretted it for a second, and after my VSO placement ended I stayed on at my own expense. We were not well off at home, but I was given opportunities. I want to do the same for others with this work.

Thursday Cry for help from the Mongolian National Federation of the Blind (MNFB). They help the blind in many ways, such as training people how to use a white cane. I have worked part time for them since 2010, helping the management make the projects more sustainable once they are implemented. The cry for help is about a project plan in English for an organization that provides the MNFB with financial support. Very few people in Mongolia speak English as yet. It was only introduced as a second language alongside Mongolian in 2010. I can make myself understood in Mongolian with the help of my hands and feet. The project manager did her best, but a last meeting and a correction round were necessary. So it’s off to Ulaanbaatar for me by ‘bus’, a steel carcass without heating. Two hours there and two hours back to return home totally shattered. But the plan has been submitted.

Friday Once again to the MNFB in Ulaanbaatar, this time for a regular meeting about the annual plan and my role here. The result is a varied list: an action plan for the elderly, a programme for mothers of blind children, a strategy for the women’s committee, a model for a small business fund and seeking

possibilities to continue without new financial input. In the afternoon it’s off to the Mongolian National Association for Wheelchair Users (MNAWU), for which I have also worked part time since 2010, with the same aim: the annual plan. This organization was really weak: no office, hardly any members and a handful of people who worked their socks off to represent the interests of wheelchair users. They now have 2,000 members, their own centre and offices in five provinces. Many wheelchair users have found paid work, and we want to increase this. With the introduction of the very first wheelchair bus in Mongolia – which is now on its way from the Netherlands – even more wheelchair users will be able to go to school or work.

Saturday No rest for the wicked. Instead it’s sport with a hundred members of the blind federation. At a temperature of -15: biting cold, although the sun is lovely. Have you ever tried running with a blind person who is faster than you whilst trying to ensure that she does not hurt herself? Well I have now. And we had great fun in the snow. We not only ran but also sumo wrestled, had a tug-of-war and built snowmen. And only a hotchpotch lunch, luckily with lots of hot milk, tea and fantastic company. The Mongolians are such warm people. I now have plenty of friends, and they’re always asking me to come for a meal.

Tuesday Back to the hospital in Nalaikh. The young doctors in Nalaikh have done a lot of voluntary work themselves in the last two years, and even better: they really want to work with me to blow new life into the local volunteer structure and take the social healthcare system to a higher level. Ada van Vliet (1952) is an alumna of iBMG (2006). After she graduated she left for Mongolia to work for the VSO development organization. She now lives there and works as a volunteer.

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A day in the life of Clarissa Slingerland

Alumna Clarissa Slingerland

Born entrepreneur with rose-tinted glasses 12

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The name of her company, MissPublicity, suits her to a T. Business Administration graduate Clarissa Sarah Slingerland has been getting her clients in the news for ten years already. EA spent a day with her. ‘I’ve never written a business plan.’ text Geert Maarse photo Levien Willemse

Clarissa Slingerland as a student

Clarissa Sarah Slingerland 1978 Born in Sassenheim 1995 Commerce at the Haarlem Business School ‘99–2000 Business Administration at the EUR 2003 Set up MissPublicity marketing and PR firm 2012 Opened office in Antwerp 2013 Takeover of WE PR, Naarden

It all started with Tatjana Simic. The fashion company where Clarissa Slingerland was doing a placement when she was 18 had put up posters of the blond actrice from the Flodder TV series throughout the country. Provocative, of course, and a bit vulgar. We are talking about 1996, the year in which Bill Clinton was elected to his second term, the year in which singers Linda, Roos and Jessica topped the Dutch charts with their song ‘Ademnood’. The Tatjana Simic campaign was going well, but only became a real success after a publicity stunt involving the theft of the posters from bus shelters. A few photographers were called, a press report was written and the media circus began. It was not her idea, says Clarissa Slingerland in her own office more than 16 years later, but she realised then how much publicity you can generate like this. Not by putting an advertisement next to the news but by ensuring that you are part of that news. Slingerland is the founder and owner of MissPublicity, the PR company that over the last ten years has become the flagship for free publicity in Rotterdam. Her clients include Gallo, innocent and Ben & Jerry’s, and she opened an office in Antwerp last year. She marketed De Witte Aap in Rotterdam as the ‘best bar in the world’, and made it to Japanese television with the RFID implant chip for members of the Baya Beachclub.

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A day in the life of Clarissa Slingerland

She lives with Wilfred, with whom she has been together for as long as she has owned MissPublicity. She was nominated for the Distinguished Alumni Award of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) in 2012.

Pink The first thing you notice about the MissPublicity office is the colour. Wherever you look – the intrays on the desks, the stones in the fishbowl, the SMEG fridge – everything is pink. It’s not girly

and successful owner of a PR firm with pink branding: from fluffy to professional bitch. But Clarissa Slingerland – 1.67 metres tall, red heels, anthracite-grey dress – is neither. She is a huge networker but not in a slick way. She really does mean it when she talks about the ‘fantastic brands’ that she represents. She takes genuine pleasure in offering you a pink cake with your coffee. And when a joke is made she casually lays a hand on my arm. Stroopwafels (caramel waffle sandwich) She grew up in Sassenheim, on the edge of

‘I am fully aware that you sometimes need to take a different route, as long as I end up where I want to be’ but bold (she says herself). For the experts: colour code PMS 218. ‘I graduated under Cees van Riel. A real corporate identity guru. He said you have to do something to stand out. Have a clear message. So that’s what I ‘ve done.’ Not all of the desks are manned (or should I say womaned?), but everyone treats me to a smile or offers me a hand to shake. Have I already had coffee? Will I join them for lunch? Some of the staff members are already out visiting clients. Two women are busy preparing the ‘Pushkin takeround promotion’. Later in the day they leave in the bright-pink company convertible for Sanoma and Audax, the companies that publish the majority of Dutch magazines. They will visit their contacts at magazines such as Elle and Grazia with a new flavour: Whipped Cream. Their pink promotional bags contain a bottle of vodka, a can of whipped cream and a press report: ‘Dessert flavours new drinks trend’. This is a branch where it is all about contacts: if you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. Forty per cent of the work is on a subscription basis, contracts for which clients pay a fixed fee per month (from 375 to a few thousand). But the contact with journalists is equally important. You could expect anything of the young

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the Dutch bulb fields. Her father had a bulb packaging company and her mother taught at a teacher training college and ran the local playgroup with other mothers. Slingerland’s first business transactions were at the age of seven when she and her sister went round the houses washing cars and collecting old newspapers. She sold stroopwafels during the local flower procession. Her motto was ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’. So when she wanted to do horseriding as well as gymnastics her father said that was fine but she would have to weed the garden in return. ‘It was really hammered into me that you need to find your own way in life. If I want to do something on the international arena I have to come up with a way to do this myself. If I want to know what it is like to take over a company, I have to do it myself. No matter what my plans were, my parents never asked whether it was a good idea’.

Skadi Slingerland is the youngest of three girls. After she finished school she started a higher professional education course in Commerce in Haarlem. She first lived at home with her parents but soon moved into her own room. In

Rotterdam, because the fashion company where she did her placement in her second year was in Oud-Beijerland. After she finished her Commerce course she was allowed to start in the second year of Business Administration (now RSM) at Erasmus University. She was ambitious but not a swot (‘I thought sevens would get me where I wanted to be as well’). She worked: one day a week at the fashion company and on a Sunday as a waitress at De Tuin restaurant, at Kralingse Plas. She also went out a lot and rowed for the Skadi rowing club (‘I still see the girls’). She did not join a student association such as Laurentius or SSR-R. ‘My boyfriend, Wilfred, was a member of Virgiel in Delft, so I realised that it could be useful and great fun. But I was 21, just that bit older than the other students around me. Then it all seems a bit silly: you standing with your back to the bar and someone pouring water down your neck. Or there you are snogging someone, which you do a lot at that age, and that isn’t right either’. She does not like enforced rules, she smiles. She can still remember that she nearly couldn’t go on an exchange to the United States, something she desperately wanted to do, because too many people had applied. ‘I didn’t stop looking until I finally found a way. Via the Faculty of Law. That’s typical of me, I think, as a person and as a businessperson. I have very clear goals. I am fully aware that you sometimes need to take a different route, as long as I end up where I want to be’.

Herring party Slingerland has a lunch appointment with the new general manager of Bilderberg Parkhotel. Also a woman. They greet each other warmly. Slingerland asks how a mutual acquaintance is. When they sit down in the almost deserted hotel bar they discuss a herring party and talk about the ABN Amro tennis tournament. With freshly squeezed orange juice, tea and Italian rolls on the table they discuss the ninetieth anniversary of the hotel and the upcoming society receptions. One

Two of Slingerland’s colleagues. In the – pink of course – promotional bags is a bottle of vodka, a can of whipped cream and a press report: ‘Dessert flavours new drinks trend’.

Everything in Slingerland’s office is pink. Bold pink, in her words

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Off in the pink company car to the editorial offices.

Nowadays Slingerland mainly tries to focus on the big picture. Most of her clients are managed by her staff.

Slingerland in discussion with the general manager of Bilderberg Parkhotel about the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ninetieth anniversary and the upcoming society receptions.

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A day in the life of Clarissa Slingerland

of the questions that comes up is the best way to reach the columns in the AD/Rotterdams Dagblad newspaper (‘Bubbels’) and Quote magazine (‘QCam’). ‘I think that I have a great instinct for the opportunities that come my way’, says Slingerland later on the way back. ‘I like some depth in my relationships with colleagues, journalists and clients. I’ve never written a business plan. I definitely believe in the power of a clear strategy, but I also like to do business on the basis of my intuition. That has not just given me MissPublicity but the decision to go it alone at all’.

both professionally and privately. When she was only 21, in the summer before she started at Erasmus University, she single-handedly ran a small hotel in Eastbourne in England. Within a few months she had blown new life into the struggling bed & breakfast belonging to her uncle by handing out flyers to taxi drivers, networking with local restaurants and making a deal with the local racetrack. A few years later she came into contact with Verse Geesten, the events company belonging to Camiel Vlasman and others. She organized Sunday evening parties for the over 25s, which

‘If I want to know what it is like to take over a company, I have to do it myself’ Delegating She started on her own from her home on the Admiraliteitskade. Her offices now take up the right wing of the classical Hulstkamp Building (Noordereiland) and she has a staff of almost 10 women. She explains how nowadays she mainly tries to focus on the big picture. Most of her clients are managed by her staff. She has had to learn to delegate. ‘I’d think, why don’t I just call that journalist’. Every now and then someone comes in to show her a printing proof or a quotation. She is also busy preparing the ‘Snertloop’ running event today as well as discussing a business trip to the South-African Amarula factory (‘really looking forward to it’) and waving goodbye to the Pushkin women. When I ask her staff what it’s like working for her, they praise her for her work ethic and network. She is inspirational someone says. She has that typical Rotterdam drive, says another. There is also some cautious criticism: it would be nice if she took a bit more time to reflect on our successes.

Sunday evening parties Slingerland loves the hotel and catering industry,

were extremely successful but not mentioned in a single magazine. Slingerland thought she could change this, and within a few months there were stories in Playboy and FHM.

‘The Chivas’ When she graduated Slingerland had three clients: Verse Geesten, the fashion company in Oud-Beijerland and Vuarnet, a French sunglasses brand. Within a year this was supplemented with some big brands, including whisky brand Chivas Regal. For Chivas Regal she and a group of others set up the monthly Chivas Party, intended to make the brand appeal to a younger audience. It was held at a secret location each month and only a limited group of ‘hip young people’ were told a day in advance where it was. The result: everyone wanted to know where ‘the Chivas’ was (‘name dropping’! ‘brand awareness’!). She now represents more than fifty hotel and catering businesses and ‘hospitality concepts’ and is chair of the board that advises Rotterdam Marketing on its nightlife. She goes out a lot, still. Not to three parties in one night any more, as she did as a student, but ‘sometimes until four or five in the morning’.

Dangerous game Yes things are going well. In recent years her turnover increased by 30 per cent, ‘with healthy margins’. But the crisis has also reached the media world. There are 150,000 public relations officers and account managers in the Netherlands and only 15,000 journalists. The advertisement market has ground to a halt. Whereas a few years ago they could just send in a ready-made article about ‘the five hippest summer drinks’, free content is not always enough nowadays. Magazines want to see money. Slingerland explains that she is trying out new things in order to keep growing. The office in Belgium is going to be permanently staffed from this year by ‘an entrepreneurial Fleming’. And she has just completed the takeover of a PR company in Naarden. So there are plenty of opportunities. But there is also criticism of the sector. She walks out of her office and returns with a framed, full-page newspaper spread. The headline: ‘Dangerous game’. ‘This was in de Volkskrant newspaper. A complaint about PR people who don’t take their work seriously. Interns who call journalists every day with stupid questions: Have you received this press report? Are you going to do anything with it? We never do that. I work in a profession that doesn’t do anything essential, not like a doctor. But I do want to do it as well as possible. We have a service mentality and we know what we are talking about. But you do have to scratch each other’s backs. Good relationships are essential, especially with journalists. That is what you invest in’.

Geert Maarse studied Business Administration (2006) and General Cultural Sciences (2008) and did a Master’s degree in Media and Journalism (2009) at the EUR. Levien Willemse studied Social History at the EUR between 1981 and 1989.

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Alumni share knowledge

Goodbye employee, hello competitor

There are some 760,000 freelancers in the Netherlands and their numbers are growing. EA asks three enterprising EUR alumni the question: How do you prevent employees taking your clients with them when they set up their own business?

text Dennis Mijnheer illustration Hans van de Tillaart

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Steven Corijn (Business Administration alumnus)

Ronald Bethlehem (Business Administration alumnus)

is director and owner of CompanyCure, a consultancy business specializing in company takeovers: ‘Particularly in sectors such as consultancy, where the switching costs are low for clients, I think it is impossible to prevent them from switching to a former employee. But as a businessperson you can limit that risk first by having everything shipshape in terms of quality, price, service and your relationship with the client. The client then has no reason to go elsewhere. A restraint of trade clause also provides protection if it is part of the employment contract. In the long term it is advisable, however, to maintain a good relationship with the employee who has left. This could be by using him or her for freelance work. The focus is then on helping each other.’

is director and owner of Symbioseat-Work, a recruitment and secondment company: ‘Entrepreneurs, particularly in the business services branch, should consider this beforehand because afterwards is too late. My experience is that a restraint of trade clause rarely works, but that a non-solicitation clause can often be upheld in court. You can agree beforehand, for example, that the commercial employee will not be allowed to approach his clients from the last two years once his contract has ended. And if he does not stick to this it is easy to specify the damage – as long as the clients are well-documented. It is then quite likely that the judge will agree. Of course it is better to keep your commercial people on board by making them feel sufficiently valued and paying them a decent salary. But if

Column Time

they really do want to go it alone, you should be able to discuss the matter and find a creative way of continuing to work together.’

Lucas de Jong (Business Administration alumnus) had a permanent contract with Pentascope consultancy, but became an independent consultant at Synthetron two years ago: ‘I had a commercial job at my former employer, and after I was made redundant due to economic reasons I signed a settlement that stated that I could not approach certain clients for a year. I do understand the employer’s fear, but I had built up a good relationship with many clients having

‘I had built up a good relationship with many clients’ worked with them for years. They may want to continue to work with you if you decide to go freelance. A nonsolicitation clause is mainly short-term thinking to cover any risks, but in the long term it is more important that you and the employee remain on speaking terms. If people are disgruntled when they leave, I can imagine that they will contact clients behind their former employer’s back. But if their departure is dealt with correctly these ex-employees, who may have put their heart and soul into the business for years on end, will stay in touch with their ex-employer. You then do not go through life as each other’s competitors but as two parties who still want to work together in the future. For example, I now freelance with my ex-employer on some projects. Sometimes they have work for me and sometimes I have work for them’. Author Dennis Mijnheer studied Business Administration at the EUR. He graduated in Marketing Management in 2003.

‘Your search did not match any documents. Make sure all words are spelled correctly’. You have known it for years, but you only become fully aware when you search your old university’s website for your old haunt and the search engine does not know what you are talking about. Ceased to exist. The haunt is no longer. You experience a moment of doubt. As if in retrospect those years in the immense building at the end of tram line 7 with its infinite rooms through which economics students were chivvied in their hundreds at a time were all for nothing. A small group would drop out every now and then, like runners dropping out of the pack. The rest toiled on; grinders who refused to throw in the towel: Statistics 1, Statistics 2, Dornbusch-Fischer-Samuelson and the prisoner’s dilemma. It is not true, of course, that all those years were for nothing. Now and then a scrap of memory from those student days floats past. Memories of those wonderful moments when you had brilliant epiphanies, when out of the blue you saw the bigger picture, when you suddenly understood it all. These revelations generally occurred outside the lecture room, but I certainly do not want to downplay the creeping influence of what happened in those lecture halls with the folding wooden chairs. Development programming was the name of the subject that time has since forgotten. Jan Tinbergen himself was its architect. It was a blissful place of refuge away from the masses in the first years to a safe, uncomplicated department with a small class of students that was so small that we – how unique – knew each other’s names. In my memory we built economic models as big as cathedrals; the whole world fitted in them. We set t-tests loose on them and God knows what all those things were called in order to model and explain the underdevelopment of poor continents. I finished my degree with a model for hyperinflation in Brazil and structural inflation theory. Little has been heard about either since: I do not think that structuralist economics is taught any more. Brazil will soon be sending development aid to the eurozone and nowadays you can do a Master’s degree in Chinese Economy & Business at Erasmus University. Every dog has its day. Sheila Sitalsing (1968) is a freelance journalist and columnist for de Volkskrant. She studied Economics at the EUR between 1987 and 1993.

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Research in focus HEALTH RESEARCHERS The patients are often extremely premature, weighing under a pound. Or they have a serious birth defect. The very youngest and most ill come to the neonatal intensive-care unit at the Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital. Health researchers conduct patient research to improve the care provided. They are trained nurses or psychologists.

HAND HYGIENE Premature babies often contract bloodstream infections. Onno Helder studied how these numbers can be reduced. ‘Hand hygiene are the magic words’, says Helder, who was awarded his PhD on 17 April for this topic. Doctors and nurses in the unit must disinfect their hands extremely frequently, both before and after each time they treat or touch the baby. If an alarm goes off, for example, they are not allowed simply to turn it off without disinfecting their hands. Continual focus on this has drastically reduced the number of bloodstream infections. ‘Compliance with the rules has greatly increased’, says Helder, ‘but there is also a wash-out effect’. Repeated training is therefore important.

MORAL DISTRESS Is the cure worse than the disease? This question is asked frequently at the unit. ‘Newborn babies are given intensive and innovative treatment. Complications are certainly not the exception, and can have serious consequences for the motor, cognitive and social development of the child’, says health researcher Coby de Boer. In the case of serious complications, doctors and nurses are sometimes divided on the question of whether intensive treatment is still ethical. This can cause moral distress. De Boer is studying this.

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SATISFACTION Jos Latour’s research is into the experiences and satisifaction of parents whose children are admitted to intensive care. How was the communication? What, for example, has been the effect on parent satisfaction of the introduction of a case manager for the very youngest patients?

PAIN Monique van Dijk coordinates the health research in the unit. She is a psychologist and a nurse and specializes in pain and the measurement of pain in newborn babies. It is difficult to determine whether a baby is in pain. Sometimes pain actually causes them to lie very still – every movement makes it worse – or other factors may cause them to be unsettled. Van Dijk works with researchers in children’s hospitals in places such as Cape Town and Dublin in the field of measuring and combatting pain in babies with HIV.

150 YEARS OF SOPHIA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL The Sophia Children’s Hospital will be 150 years old this year. It is the oldest and largest children’s hospital in the Netherlands. See www.erasmusmc.nl/sophia150jaar

Text Mieke Fiers Photo Ronald van den Heerik

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Science news

But cars crash... Zebra crossings that are by traffic lights that work on timers are good for pedestrians: they are less likely to be involved in an accident. But the number of car crashes actually increases at these crossings. Sacha

Community initiatives studied Social innovation is alive and kicking in the public sector. This means communities that keep a library up and running or that care for ill people living nearby. Professor of Public Administration Victor Bekkers and Assistant Professor of Public Administration Dr Lars Tummers are coordinating a large study into social innovation in 11 European countries. More information: www.lipse.org

Kapoor, a researcher at the Erasmus School of Economics, analysed five years of traffic data from Toronto before reaching this conclusion.

I recognise that photo! Are there photos that we all recognize? Or do people have their own iconic photos? In the game Mijn Icoonfoto players learn about the photographic history of the Netherlands. The game was developed by EUR historian Martijn Kleppe, who was awarded a PhD on the subject of iconic photos in February. More information: www.mijnicoonfotos.nl

Unsafe homes

First-time parents are not prepared for possible dangers in the home. Three-quarters of them have not installed a stair gate despite the child already being able to crawl. Nor do they keep cleaning products in a safe place. These are the findings of research by Erasmus MC.

Winners celebrated At the annual Talent Day on 19 February 2013, Erasmus University Rotterdam celebrated excellent academics and talented students. Two academics were awarded an ERC Advanced Grant, a prestigious grant from the European Research Council worth € 2.5 million: Professor of Sociology Pearl Dykstra is going to research the social context of families, and Professor of Oncology John Foekens is studying ‘triple negative’ breast cancer, which is difficult to treat. More winners at: www.eur.nl/talentday

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Petition for a heretic EUR philosopher Bart Leeuwenburgh has started a petition: A monument for Adriaan Koerbagh. He wants to persuade the municipality of Amsterdam to name a street, square or alley after this free thinker from Amsterdam. A number of EUR philosophers are researching Koerbagh, who was a member of Spinoza’s inner circle, and his work. Leeuwenburgh published a book about Koerbagh at the start of the year: Het noodlot van een ketter (The fate of a heretic). You can sign the petition at adriaankoerbaghmonument.petities.nl

Research into bird flu resumed Flu-virus experts, including virologist Ron Fouchier from the Erasmus MC, resumed their research into the transmission of the H5N1 bird-flu virus at the start of the year. They had to stop their research a year ago due to global commotion about this dangerous virus that can be transmitted by coughs and sneezes. The World Health Organization asked them to resume their study only after they had explained its benefits to the outside world and the authorities were convinced that it was safe. They have now done this.

‘I promise not to commit fraud’ A group of 45 young EUR researchers took an oath on 30 January 2013, committing themselves to the academic integrity code of the VSNU association of universities. The ceremony was the culmination of the new Scientific Integrity course. This is compulsory for all new students on Research Master’s and PhD programmes at the Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), the research school of the Erasmus School of Economics. The EUR’s Academic Integrity workgroup will recommend in September that all academics at the University should take the oath. The workgroup collects tools to increase academic precision and integrity as well as awareness of them. The oath is one of the measures that the University is taking to counter fraud. For the code see: vsnu.nl/wetenschappelijke_integriteit.html

More information: www.erasmusmc.nl/perskamer fac-vogelgriep/

Netwerk for academic talent Erasmus University Rotterdam has set up a network for young, talented researchers called Young Erasmus. The aim is to stimulate contact and interdisciplinary collaboration between the researchers. The names of the first twelve excellent researchers were published at the beginning of March. Young Erasmus will eventually have twenty-five members, whose membership will be for five years. Researchers who qualify are young or relatively young, talented and passionate, and have broad interests and a post at the EUR.

erasmusalumni. magazine

In the news in ’89-‘90

Bart Peeters toured with

Edith van Gameren made a

David Bowie

film about ‘sex and marriage’

EA goes back in time and wonders how students who made the news in academic year 1989–1990 are doing. text and photos from now Sanne van der Most

Bart Peeters

Edith van Gameren

43, Japanese Studies

45, Social History

What were you up to in ’89–’90? ‘In 1988 and 1990 I used an Interrail ticket to follow David Bowie and his tour right across Europe. That was because at secondary school I had made friends with members of the dance group that was performing with Bowie on his Glass Spider Tour.’

What were you up to in ’89–’90? ‘Marion Blinksma and I made a historical documentary about ideas and habits relating to sex and marriage between 1500 and 1800. It was part of our dissertation.’

How do you look back at that time? ‘My degree in Japanese Studies didn’t make much of an impression. I didn’t finish it either. I never really actively participated in student life, although I did sometimes go to the RSG student association.’ What did you end up doing? ‘I became involved in merchandizing – T-shirts, caps, books – at big music events in Ahoy and de Kuip, for example. I had a managerial role and worked with artists such as Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones. In 1998 I became an apprentice at Rembrandt Lijstenmakerij, my father’s pictureframing company. I took over the business in 2000.’

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Fond memories? ‘My student days were fantastic. I was on a flexible programme, which meant I could fill my plate with great optional course units. It was all about personal development. There was no work in our sector but it didn’t keep us awake at night. We probably found it quite cool.’ Did you manage to find work anyway? ‘Definitely. After I graduated I became coordinator of cultural activities at the University of Twente. I have worked as a freelance journalist and writer since 1998. I also did teacher training in History in 2011. So I now work as a journalist and teach a bit too. I really enjoy it. Lots of freedom and lots of learning, just like when I was a student really.’

Philippe Petit was a

Diederik de Loë was the

candidate for the Erasmus List

Rotterdam Sinterklaas

Philippe Petit

Diederik de Loë

45, Business Economics and Dutch Law

47, Business Economics

What were you up to in ’89–’90? ‘I was on the University Council, and as a member of the board of the Inter-University Student Consultation I was responsible for representing student rights in the national arena. I really learnt how to lobby then. As a student I stood behind the green curtains in the old House of Representatives and explained the minister’s answers to the members of parliament. I also wrote amendments to bills that were submitted.’

What were you up to in ’89–’90? ‘Playing Sinterklaas in Rotterdam. You had to be able to ride a horse, be quite tall and active at the RSC, because that’s where the Sinterklaas always comes from. I fitted the bill exactly.’

Did you have any time for student life? ‘I have plenty of good memories and friends from that time. Just last week I ate at Stobbe with 30 members of my old Laurentius year group.’ What do you do now? ‘I started as a lawyer representing individual interests. I later set up clubs to turn individual interests into collective one. I still do that now, and am also operational director of Fabienne Hansoul Création, my wife’s lingerie company.’

How do you look back at that time? ‘With fond memories. I come from South Limburg, but my father told me to go to the big city to expand my horizons. I really became independent and self-assured in Rotterdam. I now live in Limburg again, but Rotterdam is my second home. If I’m going somewhere I always try to drive past Rotterdam to get a glimpse of the skyline.’ What do you do now? ‘I started at Sfinx, toilet bowls and the like. I also worked for a while in Germany and Italy for a similar company. I am now director of public affairs at Océ.’ Sanne van der Most studied Civil Law at the EUR. She graduated in 1999.

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ADVERTENTIE

Erasmus Academie journaal

Blog van Ad Hofstede directeur Erasmus Academie

Wat is een alumnus? Wat is een alumnus? Volgens de gangbare definitie is een alumnus een afgestudeerd, oud-student van hogeschool of universiteit. Het is de formele betekenis van het woord, een aanduiding van een toestand en als zodanig van toepassing op u, als lezer van dit blad, omdat u aan de criteria beantwoordt van afgestudeerd en oud-student van de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam. Toch blijft mijn vraag staan: Wat is een alumnus? Lees verder op: www.erasmusacademie.nl/alumni

‘We leren de deelnemers meer ontspannen om te gaan met die vele partijen en belangen. Het proces moet het werk doen.’ Prof. dr. Hans de Bruijn, kerndocent Masterclass Procesmanagement

UÊ5 september 2013 Insolad UÊ11 september 2013 Transitiemanagement UÊ12 september 2013 Praktijkleergang Zeeverzekering UÊ12 september PALA

Korting voor alumni! Ook al bent u afgestudeerd, uitgeleerd raakt u nooit. Op een groot aantal opleidingen ontvangen alumni van de EUR daarom 10% korting op onze cursusprijs. Kijk voor het volledige programma van alle opleidingen en direct inschrijven op www.erasmusacademie.nl/alumni

Gerben Hieminga, werkzaam als Senior Economist bij het Economisch Bureau van de ING en oud-deelnemer van de Mastercourse Energy Finance (2012). 1) Waarom bent u de mastercourse Energy Finance gaan volgen? “Ik ben de opleiding gaan volgen om meer te weten te komen over de werking van energiemarkten omdat dat voor mijn werk bij het ING Economisch Bureau van pas komt. Ik was niet op zoek naar een uitgebreid master-programma, maar naar een korte, intensieve cursus die goed te combineren viel met mijn werk. Ook speelde een goede prijs/ kwaliteit-verhouding een rol bij mijn beslissing.” 2) Hoe kijkt u terug op de opleiding? “Ik kijk met een positief gevoel terug op de opleiding. Met name de onderdelen die gericht zijn op toekomstige scenario’s voor de energiemarkt vond ik interessant en passend voor mijn werk. Daarnaast zijn de vakken waarin de link gelegd wordt tussen economie en techniek interessant en nuttig.”

Dr. Ronald Huisman, kerndocent van de Mastercourse Energy Finance. 1) Wat is volgens u het nut van de Mastercourse Energy Finance? “Energiemarkten zijn enorm in transitie. Energiemarkten worden meer een meer financiële markten, maar dan toch met zeer specifieke kenmerken wat gespecialiseerde kennisoverdracht noodzakelijk maakt. Zo kunnen bijvoorbeeld bestaande financieel-economische modellen maar voor een deel de werking van energiemarkten verklaren.” 2) Wat is uw ervaring met de vorige mastercourses? “De samenstelling van de groepen is zeer divers. Werknemers van banken, traditionele energiebedrijven, adviseurs en mensen van Economische zaken vinden hun weg naar de opleiding. Dit geeft aan dat het thema van de opleiding in zeer brede kring speelt. Daarnaast is het bevredigend om met nieuwsgierige en leergierige deelnemers te werken. De relatief nieuwe energiemarkt maakt velen nieuwsgierig naar specifieke en actuele kennis.”

Lees het complete tweeluik-interview op www.erasmusacademie.nl/alumni

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UÊ 13 juni 2013 Arbeidsrecht updates 2013 UÊ4 september 2013 Duurzaam Cultureel Ondernemerschap

Tweeluik-interview Mastercourse Energy Finance

Opleidings agenda

UÊ13 september 2013 Water Governance UÊ4 oktober Opfrisprogramma voor juristen | Bestuursrecht UÊ4 oktober Digitale Organisatie UÊ11 oktober Hora Est! Leren promoveren UÊ6 november Procesmanagement UÊ8 november Jeugdrechtadvocaat

‘Transities beginnen klein,vanuit een smal maar diep draagvlak. Dat vraagt tijd, geduld, tact, strategie en visie. En bovenal urgentie.’ Prof. dr. ir. Jan Rotmans, oprichter van Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT) en docent Masterclass Transitiemanagement

Why Rotterdam?

‘For those who want to feel spiritual’ Leonard Geluk is chair of the board of the ROC Midden Nederland regional training centre and ex-alderman of Rotterdam. His favourite destination in the city is the Pilgrim Fathers Church, which he has been visiting since his student days at EUR. text Eveline van de Lagemaat photo Levien Willemse

Name: Name: Leonard Geluk (43) Degree: Law Graduated: 1994 Proud of: Pilgrim Fathers Church

He regularly goes to Het Kasteel, the Sparta football club stadium, with his son. He is chair of the board of the Laurenskerk church. He goes running round the Kralingse Plas. But Leonard Geluk’s favourite destination in Rotterdam is the Pilgrim Fathers Church in Delfshaven, which he visits every

Sunday. ‘During my studies I was looking for a church where I would feel at home, and I found the Pilgrim Fathers Church. This old church (from 1417) is not just a striking building but also a special institution in the city. You won’t find a bunch of old biddies desperate to keep the world outside at bay. What you will find are scores of young people who are open to society and inspired by the theme of ‘love thy neighbour’. They are people from different backgrounds who want some spiritual nourishment.’ ‘The church is a haven of calm in a busy city. A lot of tourists come here too, mainly Americans, whose ancestors were religious exiles from England and who left for the New World via the Netherlands.’ ‘Rotterdam is a complicated city. As a former alderman I know that the many social issues make it hard work here. My current job as chair of the board of ROC Midden Nederland means I now work in Utrecht. Utrecht is a completely different city: friendly and easy-going. But Rotterdam is in my blood. It is a city of energy and activism. The Pilgrim Fathers Church is a good example of this.’

Eveline van de Lagemaat studied Social History at the EUR, specializing in communication and education.

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Double portrait

Then and now About ten years ago Ronald van den Heerik produced portraits of EUR students in words and images. He now visits them again. text and photos Ronald van den Heerik

Aruna len Vermeu 2 in 200

Aruna Vermeulen, 26, sixthyear Social History student on the Non-Western History programme. ‘I can’t seem to finish my dissertation. It’s been going at a snail’s pace for three years now. The first three years went fast, but then breakdance took over. It takes up nearly all my time now. As well as teaching at the SKVR [Stichting Kunstzinnige Vorming Rotterdam; Rotterdam Foundation for Artistic Education ed.] I also perform. And in September a group of us are opening our own breakdance school with SKVR backing. I’ve always wanted to be in charge, to be in control. Now I can do that, even without a degree. I am also going to teach at the dance academy. My dissertation will therefore have to

‘Before you know it you’ve spent half the day on your head’ wait. My mum sometimes tries to encourage me, but it doesn’t really work. My mother is Hindu and my father Dutch. After primary school I went to the Marnixgymnasium grammar school. Although I tend to aim for sixes, I managed to get

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reasonable marks in the end. My clothes are based on hip-hop style; they have been since secondary school. In those days there wasn’t much available in that style, so I had to improvise a lot. Now, if I want, I can even buy it at H&M. It’s completely globalized, which is an interesting phenomenon in itself. I live in the Provenierswijk area, which is where I grew up, a nice neighbourhood with lots of multicultural young people. Most of the children know me. They always ask me to show them a move. I don’t though. Before you know it you’ve spent half the day on your head. The feeling that I’m in control of everything and am independent:

those are important conditions for my happiness. But there are always factors that are out of your control: your health and that of your family and friends. I helped on the ‘Rotterdammers’ exhibition at the Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam. I came up with ideas and also sold 25 pairs of trainers to the museum. They are hanging on a wall there. Some of them are irreplaceable, which I regret, but I’ve still got 75 pairs. It’s difficult to find the right pair in the morning. I first choose the trainers and then the clothes that go with them. Shoes must suit what I’m going to do that day; they must suit the different roles that I play in a day.’

Aruna Vermeulen in 2013

of someone who has gone far. I was awarded the Laurens Medal last year. It feels a bit like the degree I never completed. It was for my contribution to social and cultural life in Rotterdam, because I’ve forged a link between an

‘I don’t need all those trainers to stand out from the crowd’

Aruna Vermeulen, 36 Works as Director of HipHopHuis and lives in Rotterdam. ‘Compared with 10 years ago, I am now dealing with hip-hop from another perspective. Whereas I used to dance and teach hip-hop myself, I now create possibilities for others to do so. As a performing artist, a dancer in my case, I’ve experienced what dance can mean for you, what you can learn from it. To get this across to young people you must have this experience. I now help those who work and teach here in the HipHopHuis to get this message across. You can be a role model, and consequently stimulate and inspire. I now have some 250 pairs of trainers

in my collection, but it hasn’t significantly increased in the last five years. I’ve become aware of the damage that the production process causes to the environment. I want to donate part of my collection to the Historisch Museum, also to help make people aware of the dark side of the fashion industry. I don’t need all those trainers to stand out from the crowd. I now express the values of hip-hop culture – standing out from the crowd and being original and critical – in my professional career. I never finished my dissertation and sometimes really regret it. I always tell others how important an education is and that you should finish it. As I haven’t even finished my degree I can’t really use myself as an example

underground culture and the established cultural sector. I’m really proud of that. I’ve helped create something that didn’t exist before. In ten years’ time I hope that I’ll still be making a difference, and will have become better at what I do, which is what I’ve done over the last ten years. If I look at my development up to now, I’ll probably be dealing with policy then in a position that I will create myself, at a more general level, with young people, art or culture. So far I’ve mainly felt at home in the culture of the metropolis, where the dominant idea is that society is something you create. I now find myself wanting to experience nature more often, the rural. In a rainforest you don’t have time to consider whether you can create society, you just want to survive. It could be that in ten years’ time you’ll need an aeroplane, a boat and a guide to find me in the rainforest, perhaps surrounded by a brood of little ones.’

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Double portrait

Thomas Roskam in 2002

Thomas Roskam, 22, third-year Economics student Lives in Rotterdam ‘I wanted to be a pilot until I was told I needed glasses. That put paid to that. Then I wanted to be a chef, something I still don’t rule out, because I like to cook. After my HAVO diploma, I spent a year on a high-school programme in America. Although high school is a lower level than HAVO, I still learned a lot. My father is a physics teacher and artist. He makes sculptures, paintings and vehicles. My mother was a secretary. They divorced when I was ten. She ran off with her boss. I carried on living with my dad and my two older sisters.

‘My happiness was over in a flash’ We all had to take on some more responsibilities. We weren’t religious at home, but we were taught a working mentality: that you have to work for your happiness, and that you can be happy if you have a certain level of financial security and enjoy what you do. When I left home I

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went to live with two friends, brothers, in a student flat in Rotterdam. For me that was a happy time, the best days of my life. Then, last year, the older brother suddenly committed suicide. He stabbed himself with two daggers that were hanging on the wall, and then jumped out of the window. He was studying sociology here. My happiness was over in a flash. The younger brother never returned to the flat. I still live there. I’m still in a state of shock and grief. I’m getting used to the flat but am looking for somewhere else. In my free time I play basketball with a group of friends, I play a lot of computer games and I often download films and Japanese manga series. I work as a postman three days a week on a route by the Goudsesingel, out in the fresh air.

My clothes, hair and piercing are a conscious decision. My happiness also depends on being able to be myself, also in terms of clothes and haircut. I like Lucky Len, a little shop on the Binnenweg where they sell rockabilly and psychobilly clothes and CDs. Most of the people I see on campus here are dressed in a very boring way; there’s a lot of imitation and little originality. After I’ve graduated I want to work for two years and then travel to Asia and South America. I want to go backpacking. I’m in love with my girlfriend, who still lives with her parents but spends five days a week with me. She’s studying sociology. She’s going to travel with me, but just doesn’t know it yet.’

Thomas Roskam in 2013

electricity. Something didn’t go quite right with my son Bas’s development in the womb. A number of operations have done much to repair the defect, partial paralysis of his right arm, and

‘Being a father helps me put things into perspective’ Thomas Roskam, 34 Works as a business consultant at Eneco and lives in Rotterdam. ‘I can’t remember anything about the last interview. It was a difficult time. My friend’s suicide left me emotionally drained. I married my girlfriend from then, but we never did travel to Asia and South America. I no longer felt the need to do so. We moved in together and finished our studies. We now have a four-yearold son, and my wife is pregnant with our second child. My manga collection continues to grow, and I’ve bought a snooker table that I regularly play on. It’s a full-size table consisting of five slates each weighing 160 kg. My friends had to help carry it in. They weren’t too pleased with my

purchase I can tell you. I still go to the odd psychobilly concert. They still have them at Baroeg in Rotterdam-Lombardijen. I used to walk home afterwards. It took a few hours and was a good way to sober up. Nowadays I take a taxi. After a few jobs that soon bored me because there wasn’t much substance to them, I now have challenging work as a business consultant at the Eneco energy company. The energy market is interesting and is in constant development. I find it fascinating. I’m also interested in the history of the market. Wireless electricity was invented a hundred years ago, but it didn’t take off because a party with a vested interest bought the patent. This party owned copper mines, which explains the lack of enthusiasm for wireless

physiotherapy should bring about a few last improvements. This pregnancy is going well. Being a parent has taught me a whole lot about responsibility. It doesn’t feel right to party into the small hours if you then have to get up half an hour later for the little one. My relationship with my family has also changed. Certain behaviour used to bother me, and I had the tendency to withdraw. Now I find it much easier just to accept it. I’m better at putting things into perspective, because it’s in my son’s interest to do so. In ten years’ time I’ll still be living in Rotterdam. Maybe I’ll have three children. Maybe we’ll drink coffee at the same kitchen table. I’ve no idea what work I’ll be doing, but it’ll be something I enjoy.’

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Alumni Affairs

Erasmus University Rotterdam Alumni & Corporate Relations Office Room A1-51 Burgemeester Oudlaan 50 3062 PA Rotterdam Tel. 010-4081110 Fax: 010-4089075 Alumni@smc.eur.nl www.eur.nl/alumni Alumni Advisory Board Rinske Brand, Marcella Breedeveld, Michel Dutree, Jan Hendrik Egberts, Bon de Jonge van Ellemeet, Sietze Hepkema,

Spread the word: centenary celebrations Your alma mater, the EUR, will turn a hundred in 2013. We would like to celebrate this occasion with as many alumni as possible. The Erasmus Alumni Database (EAD) currently has the details of 76,000 alumni. You can help us ensure this is up-to-date by sharing the Erasmus campaign on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and the alumni website and asking your student friends to give us their current details. See www.talkingerasmus.nl. If you have already accessed the EAD but no longer have your login details or are unsure whether we have your latest address, please contact us (alumni@smc.eur. nl, 010-4081110).

Talking erasmus

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Frans van Houten, Ila Kasem, Guus Lubsen, Derek Roos, Dominic Schrijer, Dick Verbeek, Frans Weisglas, Henk Weltevreden, Pieter Zevenbergen (chair) University Library (UL) card EUR alumni receive a discount on the UL card and pay €15 instead of €30. Request your UL card by sending an e-mail to alumni@smc.eur.nl stating your surname, initials, address, date of birth and former student number. Social Media The EUR uses LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter for its communications. Register now.

Opening of the Academic Year Official start of centenary year 2013–2014. Following the opening of the new Erasmus University College (former Onderwijsmuseum) the academic corteges will travel via the Binnenrotteplein to the Laurenskerk. Monday 2 September 2013, 3.30 to about 5.00 p.m., followed by a reception, Laurenskerk Rotterdam Opening of Woudestein Campus After two years of extensive renovations, Woudestein will open in all its contemporary glory: plazas, a pavilion, ponds, an underground car park. Thursday 5 September 2013, afternoon and evening programme

100th Dies Natalis Academic ceremony with a short retrospective, the Dies lecture and eight honorary doctorates. Music by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The reception will be followed by a buffet and soiree musicale. Friday 8 November 2013, De Doelen Concert and Congress Building Centenary: www.eur.nl/100 On 8 November 2013 at 3.30 p.m. it will be exactly 100 years ago that the Nederlandsche HandelsHoogeschool opened. The centenary of Erasmus University Rotterdam will be celebrated in style during academic year 2013–2014. We will keep you informed of preparations on www.eur. nl/100.

EUR Language and Training Centre (TTC) The TTC is the EUR’s expertise centre and partner for language tests and language and study skills training. The TTC provides language tests, language courses and study skills course for EUR students, staff and faculties. Alumni receive a discount on the TTC’s language courses. In your first year after graduation you still pay the student fee (50%), and after that you receive a 10% discount. Always wanted to learn Spanish? Or Chinese? Or are you interested in

customized training, individual lessons or in-company courses? Visit www.eur.nl/ttc. First-year alumni can register for our Job Interview Training. www.eur. nl/ttc Erasmus Sport Jon de Ruijter, director Tel. 010-4081875 info@erasmussport.nl www.erasmussport.nl. Sport for alumni in Rotterdam Participate in 50 different sports (under the supervision of experienced instructors) at the Erasmus Sports Centre on campus at an attractive rate. Erasmus Sport also has 25 student sport associations that alumni can join. www.erasmussport.nl Special alumni offer! In August we will open our new state-of-the-art fitness centre. We will consequently close for six weeks on 16 June. Special alumni offer: purchase your annual Sports Centre membership before we close and pay the one-off student fee of €109 (normal price €169). You pay €50 extra for the fitness facilities.

The new fitness centre

Studium Generale/Erasmus Culture Fedde van der Spoel Room E1-47 Tel. 010-4082693 www.eur.nl/sgec Spring guest: Nout Wellink The Zomergasten (Summer Guests) TV programme with a twist. Film clips, video clips, news flashes and YouTube films form the backdrop to a candid live interview with top economist Nout Wellink. Wellink (1943) was president of DNB, the Dutch central bank, for 14 years. He studied Law in Leiden and was awarded a PhD by Erasmus University in 1975. Free admission. Reservation recommended via reserveren@deunie.nu. 16 May, 7.30p.m., De Unie, Mauritsweg 34/35, Rotterdam

Rotterdam Lecture: Love of Rotterdam The EUR has held the annual Rotterdam Lecture since 2003, at different locations and with different professors but always with a good feel for the most current challenges faced by Rotterdam. Prof. Willem Schinkel of the Faculty of Social Sciences will give the lecture this year. Free admission 23 May, 8.00 p.m., Het Steiger, Hang 18, 3011 GG Rotterdam Denkcafé Monthly debat in Arminius about a current topic in philosophy. 19 June, 8.00 p.m., Arminius, Museumpark 3, Rotterdam

General Erasmus Alumni Association (EAV) Bon Ellemeet/ Alexandra Staab PO Box 4382 3006 AJ Rotterdam Tel. 06-19955994 (Bon Ellemeet) / 010-4149407 (Alexandra Staab) eav@ erasmusalumnivereniging.nl

Right Movie Night Monthly film screening in collaboration with the Rotterdam Faculty of Law Association with an introductory lecture from an EUR academic. 22 May, 7.30 p.m., Cinerama, Westblaak 18, Rotterdam

The Erasmus Alumni Association was established in 1926 and is the only general association of EUR alumni. It has almost 4,500 members.

Erasmus School of Economics

Matthijs van Nieuwkerk is the host

ESE Alumni Affairs Charles Hermans Room H7-19 Tel. 010-4081803 hermans@ese.eur.nl www.esealumni.nl Together with the EAV, the ESE organizes a number of annual events such as the ESE Alumni Day, on the opening day of the EFR Business Week in the spring, and the Autumn Day. You can read more about this on our website www.esealumni.nl ESE maintains relationship with alumni The ESE attaches great importance to a strong relationship with its alumni. New ESE alumni therefore receive a two-year membership of the EAV as a gift from their faculty. If you have not yet joined the EAV, you can register as a new member via www.esealumni.nl, under the heading ‘join EAV’. LinkedIn The EAV has set up an online LinkedIn alumni group where ESE alumni can contact each other and find out about events. Centenary In academic year 2013–2014 the ESE and consequently the EUR will be 100 years old. This will be celebrated in style. Pauline van der Meer Mohr will open the campus on the afternoon of Thursday 5 September. The prunuses are returning to the campus, on both sides of the new pond and the Centenary fountain.

d’EUR draaien: at the table with Matthijs This special event on Saturday 8 June in and around the auditorium is part of the University’s centenary celebrations. The aim is to enhance the relationship between the University and its alumni (and between the alumni themselves). Matthijs van Nieuwkerk from the Wereld Draait Door TV show will present a special programme entitled ‘d’EUR draaien’. This will involve plenty of topics, plenty of speakers (politicians, university governors and inspiring professors) and a mix of serious topics and fun. For information and registration: www.alumnievent8juni.nl Organization: Alumni associations and the Erasmus Trust Fund

More information about the centenary and the events to celebrate it: www.ese.eur. nl/100

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Alumni Affairs

Centenary fountain As the oldest faculty, the ESE wants make its own special contribution to the restoration of the original heart of the University. Alumni and Friends of the ESE are helping raise funds for a fountain. If you wish to contribute or would just like more information take a look at our site: www. esealumni.nl/lustrumfontein Dies Natalis The highlight of the centenary programme will be the celebration of the University’s 100th birthday (Dies Natalis) on 8 November 2013 in De Doelen, with a lecture by economist and honorary doctor Steven Levitt, known for his books Freakonomics

One of the first lectures in 1913 (Photo: EUR historic photo archive)

A Hundred Years of EUR centenary book Erasmus University celebrates its centenary in 2013. How did it all begin? And how did a university that was originally founded to teach commerce grow into a university with distinct social leanings in its teaching and research? Read all about it in the centenary book. It will be published in September and the editor is Prof. Paul van de Laar, Professor of the History of Rotterdam. The book pays particular attention to the last 40 years. Sign up for the book now at the special price of €24,95. This offer applies until 1 September 2013. You can order the book from webshop.eur.nl.

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and Superfreakonomics. More information on: www.ese.eur.nl/100 Erasmus Education Fund The Fund supports initiatives that enable underprivileged, talented young people to go through further education and thus become the leaders of the future generation. Further information at www. erasmuseducationfund.nl Alumni learning Expectations are increasing when it comes to your standard of education. It is therefore worth keeping your knowledge up to scratch at Erasmus University. For an overview of the programmes: www.esealumni.nl -> ‘Alumni activities’ -> ‘Alumni learning’ EFR Alumni Association Room HB-20 Secretaris@efralumni.nl www.efr.nl/alumni In your EFR year you laid the foundations for friendships for life. The alumni association would like to help you rekindle these friendships. Now more than ever we plan to organize activities such as receptions and lectures in order to foster a recognizable and lasting exmember culture. Ex Duplo Bestuur@exduplo.nl Ex Duplo, the alumni association for graduates of the EUR’s Master of Science (MSc) & Master of Law (LL.M.) programme, which was established in 2005, maintains a close relationship with In Duplo, the association for

students on the Master of Science & Master of Law programme. Ex Duplo aims to promote contacts between graduates of the programme and to maintain and strengthen their links with In Duplo and the EUR. Ex Duplo organizes a number of annual activities and offers its members access to an exclusive online network. For more information: www.exduplo.nl Accountancykring Association for Alumni of the postgraduate Accountancy programme Saskia van Dijk Tel. 010-4082713 svandijk@ese.eur.nl www.esaa.nl Linkedin: Accountancykring ESAA – a subgroup of Erasmus School of Accounting & Assurance (ESAA) For more than forty years already the EUR Accountancykring has welcomed alumni of the postgraduate Accountancy programme. It puts on fixed series of events twice a year, with themes relating to the programme such as the credit crisis, AFM supervision and the pension markets. Membership and the meetings are free of charge. If you participate in an event you will be awarded credits for the NBA (The Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants) mandatory continuing education programme. Bachelor Honours Class Alumni Society Nicky Hoogveld Pigeonhole H6-26

secretary@esehonours.nl www.esehonours.nl You can come into contact with other alumni and find out about our activities via www.esehonours.nl. FSR Alumni Association (Financial Study Association Rotterdam) Room H14-06 Tel. 010 - 408 18 30/ 010 - 408 13 31 alumni@fsr.nu www.fsr.nl

Erasmus Institute for Financial Planning IFP Alumni Affairs Theo Hoogwout Room H16-07 Tel. 010-4081807 hoogwout@ese.eur.nl www.erasmusifp.nl The Erasmus Institute for Financial Planning has provided the Master’s Programme in Financial Planning at the EUR since 1997. This is a one-year postMaster’s programme, and will run from September 2013 to June 2014. The lectures will be on Thursdays from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Woudestein Campus. The 19th Master’s Programme in Financial Planning (MFP) will start on Thursday 26 September 2013.

Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

Seminar on homeowners’ allowance (eigenwoningregeling) The Erasmus Institute for Financial Planning is holding a seminar on 13 June for former, current and prospective MFP students on the new homeowners’ allowance and integrated estate planning. Admission is free upon registration with Angelique Lieverst: lieverst@ese.eur.nl, 010-4081491 13 June, from 3.30 p.m.

Faculty of Social Sciences FSW Alumni Affairs Alumni officer Marjolein Kooistra kooistra@fsw.eur.nl 010 408 2135 FSW celebrates 50th birthday in 2013 The Faculty of Social Sciences is marking its 50th birthday this year with events such as breakfast and reception discussion sessions, congresses and an alumni meeting. A number of events will be held at different locations in the city during this celebratory year. The focus of each event

will be execptional research that has been conducted by one of the programmes or institutes of the FSW. Academics and experts in the field will give short presentations, which will be followed by interdisciplinary discussion. www.fsw50.nl Find out about the activies via Twitter: @FSW50_erasmus and Linkedin: FSW50_erasmus

Van Doorn Lecture with Professor Kees Schuyt Prof. Kees Schuyt has been appointed for six months to the special chair named after the founder of the FSW, Prof. J.A.A. van Doorn. Prof. Schuyt will give his inaugural lecture, which is also the Van Doorn Lecture, on 24 June. You are cordially invited to attend. 24 June, www.eur.nl/fsw/ vandoornleerstoel, contact person: Marjolein Kooistra, kooistra@fsw.eur.nl

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Vanaf heden geopend / Open now! Webshop Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

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Alumni Affairs

Public Administration EUR Public Administration Alumni Association (ABEUR) www.eur.nl/fsw/ bestuurskunde/abeur/ abeur@fsw.eur.nl ABEUR organizes themed sessions and company visits each year. If you have any interesting ideas for lectures or field trips,etc., please mail them to: abeur@fsw.eur.nl. Stay up to date via: LinkedIn group: ABEUR and Twitter @Abeur_alumni

Panel discussion during the RSM Leadership Summit 2012 l-r: Roland Koopman (RTLZ), Stephan Tanda (DSM), Gerald Schotman (Shell), Marc Teerlink (IBM), Thomas Becker (BMW)

Burning questions Want to know what board members of leading international companies predict for 2020? Curious about the most recent research in this field? Or do you have a burning question for the CEOs? Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) will give you the opportunity to ask these and any other questions during the RSM Leadership Summit 2013. More information on the website: www.rsm.nl/summit 4 October 2013, 1.00-8.00 p.m., Beurs-Worldtrade Center, Rotterdam

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Psychology Psychology Alumni Association www.eur.nl/fsw/psychology/ alumni/ alumni-psy@fsw.eur.nl The Psychology Alumni Association was set up in 2009. It sends out a newsletter three times a year and organizes alumni meetings. Psychology graduates automatically become a member of the alumni association. If you have any questions about the alumni association please mail alumni-psy@fsw.eur.nl.

Erasmus School of Law (ESL)

Sociology Sociology Alumni Association ww.eur.nl/fsw/sociologie/ alumni alumnisociologie@fsw.eur.nl

Erasmus MC

The Sociology Alumni Association holds two events each year: one linked to the Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programme in Labour, Organization and Management and the other to the Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programme in Urban Issues and Policy. If you would like further information about these activities, you can join the association (free of charge) by sending a mail to alumnisociologie@fsw.eur.nl. LinkedIn group: Sociology Alumni Association Valedictory lecture by Prof. Han Entzinger 27 September More information will follow at www.eur.nl/fsw

Alumni Affairs Hanz Zwart Room L5-37 zwart@law.eur.nl www.frg.eur.nl/alumni The Erasmus School of Law will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2013. More than 12,000 students have now graduated. The Faculty is keen to stay in touch with its graduates via a digital newsletter. If you do not receive the newsletter but would like to, send a mail to alumni@smc.eur.nl.

Erasmus MC Alumni Affairs Elles de Waard Room Gk-954 PO Box 2040 3000 CA Rotterdam alumni@erasmusmc.nl www.erasmusmc.nl/alumni Membership of Erasmus MC Alumni Association now free As of 1 January 2013, membership of the Alumni Association is free. The membership fee has therefore not been deducted from your bank account. The introduction of free membership entails a number of changes for the Erasmus MC Alumni Association. LinkedIn The Association wants use LinkedIn as a network for Alumni and young doctors. You can register for the private Erasmus MC Alumni Association group via the link on www.erasmusmc.nl/ alumni. We will use this group to inform you about all events

this year. Medical students in the Erasmus MC Faculty can register from their fourth year and will be able to contact you via this group. Monitor Now that membership of the Association is free your subscription to the Monitor magazine has lapsed. If you wish to continue to receive the magazine, you can become a Friend of the Erasmus MC. You can register for this with the Friend of Erasmus MC Fund: www. erasmusmcvrienden.nl

Reunion You can get in touch with other students from your year via LinkedIn. If in addition to online contact you would like to organize a reunion for your year group, the Alumni Association can help you. Martijn Torreman, chair of the Alumni Board, invites his year group (1980 cohort) to a reunion in 2013. For more information see the website.

In Praise of Medicine Theme: pain www.erasmusmc.nl/ lofdergeneeskunst 4 October 2013, De Doelen Concert and Congress Building.

Column Dr Squared

Faculty of Philosophy Alumni Affairs Ceciel Meiborg H5-23 Tel. 010-4088980 meiborg@smc.eur.nl

a Friend of Twijfel send a mail to redactie@twijfel.nu.

Faculty of Philosophy Association (ERA) Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, H4-15 www.erarotterdam.nl contact@erarotterdam.nl The Faculty of Philosophy is active on Twitter. You can find us under the name EUR Philosophy. Follow us and hear all about the Faculty news and events. ERA organizes a number of regular events, including a pub lecture on the first Monday of the month. ERA also holds a monthly reception every Thursday with a discount for ERA members. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for the dates. Alumni can join ERA for €15 per year. As a member you receive a subscription to Twijfel magazine and we will inform you of interesting activities for alumni such as the annual alumni reception and lectures. If you register now, you will receive a free copy of the book Nu even niet! by EUR philosopher Gijs van Oenen. You can register via www. erarotterdam.nl Twijfel Faculty magazine Twijfel, the platform for students and lecturers in the Faculty of Philosophy, appears twice a year. You can subscribe to Twijfel for €15 per year by sending a mail to redactie@twijfel.nu. If you would like to sponsor Twijfel as

Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication Alumnizaken ESHCC Room L3-30 Tel. 010-4082874 doodkorte@eshcc.eur.nl www.eshcc.eur.nl/alumni LinkedIn and Facebook If you would like to hear about all the ESHCC news, events and vacancies, join the alumni group on LinkedIn: Alumni Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication. Alumni Network Reception Alumni reception preceded by a lecture on cultural entrepreneurship. Catch up with your old student friends and lecturers whilst enjoying nibbles and drinks. Information on www.eshcc.eur. nl/alumni/evenementen (reception) and www.eshcc.eur. nl/amo (lecture). 16 May, 5.00–7.00 p.m. (guest lecture), 7.00–9.00 p.m. (reception), Café Siena (ground floor H-Building, Woudestein Campus)

Since I was awarded my PhD from the University of Ghent, recently exactly a decade ago, I secretly dream of being able to do another PhD. Those years of focused study of and feverish writing about the most fundamental and urgent academic problem...Surrounded by people with a great deal of understanding for your efforts, people with a great deal of patience with you, and people who give you a great deal of space...Heaven on earth! I may dream of a second or even a third PhD, but there is no tradition of this here at all. In the Low Countries you hardly ever find a doctor doctor or a doctor squared. You do in Germany. It is even the norm to have multiple doctorates there, not only for academics but even for politicians. However, this tradition has recently been cast in a bad light. The German doctor-squared culture seems to encourage some people to unlawfully appropriate the fruits of the academic zeal of others. Plagiarism therefore! There are famous examples of this. Angela Merkel’s designated successor, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, had to resign as Minister of Defence in 2011 after the University of Bayreuth stripped him of his doctoral title. And at the start of this year, the University of Düsseldorf withdrew the doctorate of Annette Schavan, Merkel’s bosom buddy and nota bene the Minister of Education and Science. As a lecturer I have unfortunately also come into contact with plagiarism. There are proper, discrete procedures for this, of course: the board of examiners investigates and assesses whether it really is plagiarism before deciding which measures to take. One EUR student once went a bit too far. I had to mark an essay, and when I began to read it I thought after only three or four sentences, ‘Wow, this is really well written. There’s a real energy to it. And it has something to say too’. Further on in the essay, however, I began to recognize more and more phrases. It turned out that the student had copied and pasted the whole essay from a text of mine that I used as course material at the University of Ghent! I must admit, it is flattering to be plagiarized.

Tim de Mey is a lecturer in Theoretical Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy of Erasmus University Rotterdam. This column previously appeared in Erasmus Magazine.

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Alumni Affairs

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Manager Alumni Relations Jennifer Ritfeld Room J4-35 Tel. 010-4082698 alumni@rsm.nl www.rsm.nl/alumni Erasmus Energy Forum Leading policymakers, decision-makers and academics will get together to share viewpoints, expertise, networks, knowledge and ideas. The speakers are toplevel executives from Cisco, BMG, ABB, NUON and Npower.

ISS Alumni â&#x20AC;&#x201C; connecting the world ISS wants to strengthen the global network of ISS students, staff and more than 11,000 alumni. It therefore regularly organizes alumni meetings around the world. ISS also publishes a bi-monthly enewsletter and has an active group on LinkedIn and Facebook. More information on www.iss.nl/alumni.

www.rsm.nl/energyforum 21 June 2013, 9.00 a.m.â&#x20AC;&#x201C;7.00 p.m., Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam

International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) ISS Alumni Affairs Sandra Nijhof Kortenaerkade 12 2518 AX Den Haag Telephone 070-4260414 alumni@iss.nl www.iss.nl/alumni

ISS Alumni Fund The ISS Alumni Fund was set up in 2012 in order to provide financial support to prospective students. These generally mid-career professionals from developing and transitional countries follow an MA programme at the ISS in the field of development economics, for example. More information on www.iss.nl/alumnifund.

Institute of Policy & Management Health care (iBMG)

Loesje Praktijken photography

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iBMG Alumni Affairs Ernst Bakker Room J7-25 Telephone 010-4088878 alumni@bmg.eur.nl www.bmg.eur.nl/alumni The Policy & Management in Health Care Alumni Association (aBMG) is a very active networking organization with

more than 700 BMG graduates from Erasmus University. Our aim is to maintain and increase contacts between BMG graduates, and to provide a network of external contacts for our members. www.abmg.nl Alumni Actueel Newsletter iBMG and aBMG publish a newsletter four times a year with information on iBMG, aBMG and other relevant organizations, developments and activities. Alumni receive the newsletter by post. You can register or deregister for the newsletter by sending a mail to alumni@bmg.eur.nl.

Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies Ms. Sarah Steendam MSc. Ms. Charmae Pyl Nercua Wissink, MSc. IHS Alumni Relations Office +31 (0)10 408 9874 alumni@ihs.nl www.ihs.nl/alumni

Stay connected! Let us know of any changes of address (www.ihs.nl/login) if you wish to continue to receive our newsletters. And join our IHS alumni LinkedIn group. We regularly post vacancies here.

Agenda IHS Alumni Day: 19 April 2013 Meet current and prospective students and find out about developments at IHS. Sports Day 8 June 2013 Join in on our sports day and compete against other international institutes in the Netherlands. Refresher Courses: IHS is holding three Refresher Courses for IHS Alumni in 2013 Post-disaster shelter provision and urban resilience (Ethiopia, October 2013) A rights-based approach to resettlement, national and international standards and local practices (India, November 2013) Reducing water extreme vulnerabilities caused by drought, sea level rise, flash floods and landslides in the Andes region coastal cities: Gender responsive strategies in times of climate change (Peru, June/July 2013) More information on www.ihs.nl/alumni.

Family portrait

From left to right Steven van Eijck 53, Chair of the National Association of GPs Degree: Fiscal Economics 1981-1988 Lisette 22, fourth-year Economics and Law student (Master of Science & Master of Law) Charlotte 20, second-year Psychology student Lies van Eijck-Hoogendam 51, owns a wine import business, Importanza Degree: Law 1981-1985 Christine 18, is going to study Business Administration In the foreground is dog Lucka

‘I hope all the alumni will attend the centenary celebrations’ Lies and Steven van Eijck met as first-year students at the Laurentius student association. Two of their three daughters already study at the EUR. The youngest, Christine, will start a Business Administration programme next academic year. text and photo Ronald van den Heerik

The family lives a stone’s throw away from Woudestein Campus. Steven, who was a lecturer at Erasmus University Rotterdam for 16

years, says, ‘We haven’t got very far if you consider our progress in terms of distance. Our house moves have been within a radius of three kilometres’. When Lies says she no longer remembers why she chose Rotterdam, Steven says, ‘The quality of the education played a part for me. It wasn’t just because it was Rotterdam. My teacher and supervisor Leo Stevens had a very good reputation. The daughters say that it was also mainly the quality of the education that prompted them to choose the EUR. But when other cities are mentioned, the name Amsterdam proves sensitive. Charlotte even says that she has ‘never been to Amsterdam’, but as the others burst out laughing she quickly adds ‘to go out’. At the moment Charlotte is the only daughter

who has joined Laurentius, ‘Only in the second year. I first wanted to earn my credit points. I didn’t put up any resistance to the ragging, partly because I knew that it was being supervised. There’s a great sense of solidarity. I made new friends and it turned into one big party’. Lisette has been kept busy, too busy, first working for the EFR study association, and then for In Duplo and ORD. ‘I also have a tutoring company, and I was a student assistant for six months on the EUR centenary celebrations. I want to earn the money for non-essentials myself.’ The approaching centenary is another reason for Steven to tell us again how proud he is of the University. ‘I hope that all the alumni show up, as is customary at big universities such as Cambridge, Harvard or Oxford.’

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