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Royal decorations for three UM professors

Three UM professors received royal decorations this week. Professors Nanne de Vries and Hans Heijke were appointed Knights in the Order of Orange Nassau. Professor De Groot, appointed Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau, is currently residing abroad and was informed of his decoration by the mayor today. He will receive his decoration in a few weeks.

Nanne de Vries, Professor of Health Communication at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, was decorated for his significant contribution to health promotion policy. This contribution has inspired campaigns in which quality of life was effectively enhanced through behavioural changes, particularly for the more vulnerable sections of the population. His research focuses on various aspects of opinion formation, attitude change and their behavioural association in areas such as health (e.g. smoking, nutrition, sexual behaviour and genetic disorders), organisational innovation and the environment and energy. De Vries has supervised 28 PhD candidates, is frequently published in various national and international journals, and is a regular contributor to books. 

Prof Hans Heijke (photographer Maurice Bastings)

Hans Heijke, Professor Emeritus of Education and the Labour Market at the School of Business and Economics (SBE), is the founder and director of the UM affiliated Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA). Heijke was the director of the institution from its establishment in 1986 to his retirement in 2008, during which time he made a unique contribution to the development of scientific knowledge on the relationship between education and the labour market. He also contributed to the development of our government policy in terms of linking education to the labour market and to the social debate on the significance of education for future careers, organisational functioning and economic development. His impressive social involvement is reflected in his membership to various national and international committees and advisory councils and in his commitment to and involvement in the national and international importance of education.

René de Groot, Professor of Comparative Law and International Private Law at the Faculty of Law, will celebrate his 30th anniversary with UM this year. De Groot is one of the pioneers of the law programme, having helped develop and shape it over the years, and has held various administrative positions that make him a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of the faculty. De Groot also made a significant contribution to the success of the European Law School, founded in 1995 and now one of the most successful international and European law programmes. He is also an internationally acclaimed expert in the field of citizenship rights, having published dozens of comparative law articles on the topic and supervised several PhD candidates. With these contributions in mind, the Council of Europe asked him to become a participating expert for the Nationality Law Committee. De Groot began studying Islamic law in 1982 – particularly its influence on the Dutch legal system – which remains a topic of great societal relevance to this day.

Earlier this year, during the UM Dies Natalis on 13 January 2012, Rector Magnificus Gerard Mols was appointed Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau.