New name for united Dutch universities

New name for united Dutch universities

The familiar abbreviation VSNU for the 14 cooperating Dutch universities no longer seems to exist. The university association casually announced that it would henceforth be called Universities of the Netherlands, abbreviated to UNL. This became apparent when the ‘Universities of the Netherlands’ sent out a press release last week. Many will have wondered about this unknown sender. 

It turns out that after 36 years university association VSNU has a new name: Universities of the Netherlands. “This new name for the umbrella organisation of the Dutch universities provides recognition in cooperation, and explains well what we stand for together as universities,” is the explanation. Along with the name change, the association has launched a new website. There is also a new logo in the form of a closing brace, a }.

According to chairman Pieter Duisenberg, the new name fits in with a new development. In recent years, networks have been developed around an increasing number of themes, bringing together scientists from different universities. The universities want to facilitate these networks “in a contemporary way”. “Our new name and logo underline this practice.”

Spokesperson Ruben Puylaert: “We noticed that many people did not immediately realise that the name VSNU referred to universities. And we also heard people often say VNSU. We wanted to create more clarity, so that’s why we decided on the name Universities of the Netherlands, abbreviated to UNL. At the Chamber of Commerce, we are now officially called: Association Universities of the Netherlands.” (HOP, Hein Cuppen)