The 184th anniversary of TU Delft last Thursday revolved around the farewell of Tim van der Hagen, the Rector and Executive Board Chair. It was a celebratory event with plenty of praise and two honours, but also of concern about the situation of the world and that of TU Delft itself.
Tango dancers graced the Dies. Rector Magnificus Tim van der Hagen kept it to one dance move. (Photo: Roy Borghouts)
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One month. This was how long the very first Rector Magnificus at TU Delft was in office in 1882. The average Rector lasted longer: two years and three months to be precise. That may now be a coveted goal for Dutch ministers these days, but for departing Rector Tim van der Hagen, it was a walk in the park. Ernst Kuipers, himself a former minister and currently Chair of TU Delft’s Supervisory Board, caused much laughter during his speech on Thursday at the 184th Dies at TU Delft.
No use-by date
Van der Hagen was an administrator for 10 years. He was Chair of the Executive Board from 2016 and Rector as well from 2018. This makes him the longest serving Executive Board member ever.
New administrators and a new management model
The Executive Board will not only have new members, but its model will change too. Tim van der Hagen was only the Chair of the Executive Board from 2016 when Karel Luyben stepped down as Rector Magnificus in 2018, and he took on this position too. He was joined by a Vice Rector/Vice Chair and a third member, the Vice President of Operations (VPO).
Click on ‘Read more’ below for more background information.
In his speech Kuipers mentioned that in contrast to his predecessors, Van der Hagen’s office did not have an end date. Kuipers said that he was always “engaged, energetic, open and visible”. He described the departing Rector as someone who was involved, had courage, was a collaborator, and a workaholic, which Kuipers appreciates in this kind of role.
Naturally, apart from friends, Van der Hagen also made enemies and there were high and low points, recalled Kuipers. In terms of low points, he mentioned the Covid period and the Inspectorate of Education’s report on the lack of social safety. The report and the way that the Executive Board dealt with it generated calls for him to leave, but the Supervisory Board stood firmly behind him.
Kuipers spent more time on relating the things that went well over the last 10 years. The growing business activities on campus; the stronger ties with other institutions in the Netherlands and internationally; and the Rotterdam Campus plans of which Kuipers and Van der Hagen were the initiators.
Heartfelt contacts
Kuipers was not the first speaker at the 184th anniversary of TU Delft. Alexander Pechtold, the new Mayor, Stefan Sleijfer, the Chair of the Erasmus Medical Centre, and Wouter Kolff, the King’s Commissioner in South Holland, preceded him. Their job was to explain what Van der Hagen meant for TU Delft, the city, the region and beyond, over the last 10 years.
It was clear that contact with these three administrators and their predecessors was heartfelt and fruitful. Pechtold admitted that over the last few months, he had almost seen more of Van der Hagen than of his brand new wife. “If I consulted anyone a lot and met them a lot, it is Tim.”
‘An administrator needs to set things in motion and that takes vision and guts’
He praised the way in which Van der Hagen attracted funding for Delft. He also praised the bond between the city and TU Delft that is getting closer and closer and partly made possible because of the good relationship between Van der Hagen and Marja van Bijsterveldt, Pechtold’s predecessor. Pechtold awarded Van der Hagen the Delft honorary medal for his services.
Vision and guts
Symbolising the strategy of expanding activities that started under Van der Hagen was the presence of Stefan Sleijfer, the board chair of Erasmus MC, on stage. He sees the growing collaboration between his institution and TU Delft as crucial in dealing with societal issues: it shows “that basic knowledge is being used”. He praised Van der Hagen’s influence. “An administrator needs to set things in motion and that takes vision and guts.”
In his speech, Wouter Kolff, the King’s Commissioner, took the same line. He sees that Van der Hagen “was very meaningful in the innovation ecosystem” in South Holland and the rest of the Netherlands. He said that the departing Rector was easily accessible, engaged, down to earth and intelligent. For his services, Kolff awarded Van der Hagen the Gouden Lis (literally the golden iris), an award that is rarely given.
Concerns about the hardening of society
Only in Van der Hagen’s speech was mention made of the Dies theme of ‘Navigating the 21st Century’. He believes that TU Delft must stay mobile and agile in times of war and the energy and raw materials crisis.
‘Our task has not changed, but the context has. We are actually more relevant than ever’
He said that he was concerned about “the hardening of society and a rise of a culture of reckoning in it which the campus is an inseparable part … It is now important to carry out good conversations with care and respect for each other.” Van der Hagen says that TU Delft is “well on the way to being a socially safe university where everyone feels welcome, safe and at home. Even though we are not there yet, I am genuinely optimistic.”
Van der Hagen looked back at the Covid time in which he believes staff members showed him their resilience. However, he was disappointed in the period after that. A new kind of society “with more attention for well-being and human relationships, and less for profit and consumption did not arise. That that did not happen feels to me like a missed opportunity. Traffic jams quickly returned, people started flying again, there was greater distrust in politics and science, and societal polarisation peaked.”
The departing Rector said that there are two major challenges that affect everything: security and self-sufficiency. “Security in terms of knowledge, systems and ourselves, and self-sufficiency in terms of being less dependent and more resilient.” He believes that both mean that TU Delft is looking more carefully at future scenarios and partnerships “to protect values such as academic freedom and open science. Our task has not changed, but the context has. We are actually more relevant than ever.”
Change of Rector
After a standing ovation, it was time for handing over the rectorship. Against some slightly dramatic piano music in the background, Van der Hagen hung the chain of office around Bijl’s neck.
After that it was the turn of Bijl, who had been an administrator at the University of Leiden for the last nine years and before that Dean and scientist at TU Delft’s Aerospace Engineering Faculty. She said that she will not fall in the trap of thinking that she knows everything. Instead, she will first familiarise herself and talk to as many people as possible.
Openness and approachability
She introduced herself in an interview with Evelyne Esveld, the Head of Internal Communications. The audience now knows that she enjoys salsa dancing and reading, that she finds it hard to choose between thinking and acting, and between Delft and Leiden, that she can be woken up anytime for solutions to problems, and is not afraid of take difficult decisions. When asked about her values, she named three: collaboration, openness/approachability, and progress.
‘We will all work together to make something beautiful’
Her speech showed that she is aware of the major challenges the next few years will bring. She cited strengthening social safety, the cutbacks on higher education, and “the situation in the world”.
These are indeed subjects that call for attention. The mismanagement label will still be associated with the Executive Board for as long as the Inspectorate of Education is working on the reassessment. On top of that, the austerity measures are not only causing unanimous strikes, but also criticism of the ‘cheese slicer method’ used that is said to lacks vision. Further, there is discussion and unclarity about how to deal with partners such as the fossil fuel industry, Israeli universities, and the Ministry of Defence.
Nevertheless, in her speech Bijl stressed that TU Delft is doing well and that she was confident that the TU Delft community can handle the problems. “We will all work together to make something beautiful.”
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s.m.bonger@tudelft.nl
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