Als het aan het ministerie van OCW ligt, mag de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam een eigen university college starten. De opleiding opent waarschijnlijk in september 2013 haar deuren.
Volgens het ministerie van OCW is er genoeg behoefte aan een university college in Rotterdam. De opleiding heeft de zogenaamde macrodoelmatigheidstoets doorstaan. Die toets is bedoeld om de wildgroei van overbodige nieuwe studies in het hoger onderwijs te beteugelen.
De komende maanden gaat de universiteit aan het lesprogramma werken. Daarna moet de Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie beoordelen of de nieuwe opleiding op niveau is. Pas dan kan deze van start. Het nieuwe college wil jaarlijks zo’n 240 studenten trekken.
Er zijn ook university colleges in Utrecht, Amsterdam, Maastricht, Tilburg en Middelburg. Het zijn kleinschalige, intensieve opleidingen waarvoor studenten geselecteerd worden op motivatie en talent. Een aanzienlijk deel van de studenten komt uit het buitenland.
De opleidingen worden vaak als voorbeeld aangehaald in debatten over excellentie in het hoger onderwijs. De studenten moeten er hard werken, maar ze halen bijna allemaal op tijd de eindstreep en zijn volgens enquêtes behoorlijk tevreden.
Chinese New Year, a major festival lasting for one month, is a time for reunion, for bringing forth happiness to the New Year while reflecting on the past. It is also a time when firecrackers explode in the streets, people greet each other with good luck blessings and houses are decorated with Chinese calligraphy, red paper cuttings and traditional Chinese decorated knots to wish for longevity and prosperity.
In the Chinese lunar calendar, 12 animals from the zodiac take turns representing each year. This year it is the rabbit’s turn. Different from the aggressive tiger, the rabbit resembles calmness, sensitivity, hospitality and compassion.
For students here at TU Delft, Chinese New Year also means different things, with very few actually returning home to Asia for the holidays, as too many classes would be missed, although that’s where there thoughts will be. “Back home I always help my mom write New Year cards,” recalls Wanying Wang from China. This year will be Wang’s second time celebrating Chinese New Year in Delft. “Last year I watched the Chinese New Year’s special programs online, and then with a bunch of friends had a special Chinese hot pot dinner.”
“Chinese New Year is a time for family reunion with lots of mouth-watering food!” says Sin-Yun Yang, “like sticky rice cakes, steamed fish – which
signifies abundance and luck – and my favorite, dumplings.” For Yang it’s also a time for fun: “Back home in Taiwan I used to hang out with my relatives and just enjoy the happy atmosphere on the streets.”
Kiki Cheung Shui Kei especially misses the huge New Year’s flower market back in Hong Kong. “This year we will also have New Year’s dinner with my friends here in Delft,” she says.
Even though far from home, students here at TU Delft will still have many ways to celebrate Chinese New Year, and of course all other international and Dutch students are warmly invited to join the fun. On Saturday,
February 5 Chinese students in Delft will host a Spring Fair at the TU Culture Center, wit plenty of food, fun activities and prizes to be won. This will be followed by an ‘after party’ at the Spacebox common room, hosted by TU Delft’s Taiwanese students. And for those wishing to experience Chinese New Year on a national scale, there is a Chinese New Year Festival in The Hague, including a dragon and lion dances, various cultural performances (Tai Chi, aerobics and traditional singing), a Chinese market and parade through Chinatown.
2011 Delft Chinese New Year Spring Fair: February 5 14:00-16:00, at TU Delft Cultural Center (Room: 230-234); 2011 Delft Come Together New Year Party: February 5 18:00- 22:00, Spacebox common room; 2011 Chinese New Year in The Hague: February 5th from 11:30-17:00, The Hague City Hall (Atrium).
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