Terms of office of interim dean Henk te Velde and interim vice-dean Jos Schaeken extended
The Executive Board has decided to extend the terms of office of interim dean Henk te Velde and interim vice-dean Jos Schaeken by one year, to 1 March 2028. Both board members were originally appointed for a period of two years, to 1 March 2027.
After an anxious time due to the bleak financial outlook, it became clear during 2025 that the control measures introduced by the faculty made it possible to face the future without a reorganisation involving compulsory redundancies. This created a calmer situation in the faculty. The Executive Board now feels that the appointments of both the dean and the vice-dean for master’s education should be extended by one year. This will allow the Faculty Board to take steps along the faculty’s strategic path and will help the situation become more settled. Changing nearly all the board members in the spring of 2027 would involve having to start the process round about now. This could cause uncertainty in the faculty again, and the Executive Board considers it unwise.
In the meantime, the Faculty Board will also work on a plan for appointing new, younger members. This will start with the appointment of a new vice-dean on 1 January 2027, when the term of Jeroen Touwen, the current vice-dean for bachelor’s education, comes to an end.
Interim dean Henk te Velde says, “At the beginning of 2025, I signed up for a task that was expected to take two years and would probably include a reorganisation. When we were able to avoid this, there was actually a new start. It’s good to have an extra year in which to continue the work on a strategy for profiling our strong faculty and further stabilising the finances (also in the long term); after this, we’ll make way for a new Faculty Board.”
Interim vice-dean Jos Schaeken: “Over the past year, our task has gradually changed. For the next two years, I would like to work, together with the faculty, on making the education portfolio even more sustainable and innovative, and towards a new consultation and organisation structure for educational processes, where all stakeholders feel heard and have shared responsibility for the faculty’s ‘educational well-being’.”
Saskia Goedhard, who holds the Operational Management portfolio in the Faculty Board, is very pleased that the two board members’ terms have been extended. “In the past year, we’ve become a good team and work very well together, and also as the Faculty Board with the academic directors and the Operational MT; so it’s great that we can continue this teamwork for another year, and further consolidate our shared strategy. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Rector Magnificus Sarah de Rijck is also delighted with the extension. “The Executive Board is very happy that both Henk te Velde and Jos Schaeken are willing to remain in office for one more year. It will have a calming effect on the faculty and will also give space for more detailed design of the long-term plans, ensuring that the faculty will soon be completely ready for the future.”