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Transfer of rectorship at Maastricht University

The Rector Magnificus of Maastricht University is saying goodbye. On Friday 29 June 2012, Professor Gerard Mols will ceremonially hand over the rectorship to Professor Luc Soete. Mols will continue to work as rector until Soete officially takes up his appointment from 1 September 2012. With a term of eight years and eight months, Mols will be the longest serving Rector Magnificus of Maastricht University.

Important representatives of Dutch higher education will be present during the farewell event, where the President of Maastricht University, Professor Martin Paul, will present his vision on higher education. With the arrival of Luc Soete, the international, EU-regional character of UM will be reflected in its board, which will then consist of German, Belgian and Dutch members.

In his position as Rector Magnificus, Gerard Mols has made a significant contribution to the internationalisation of Maastricht University and the strengthening of regional partnerships. Partly thanks to his efforts, UM has become the most international university in Europe. In addition, he has played a key role in collaborations in the fields of education, research and interdisciplinarity. Under his rectorship, the foundations were laid for large projects such as Leading in Learning, Brains Unlimited, the Chemelot Campus, the Maastricht Health Campus and the UM Campus in Venlo. These knowledge-intensive projects, which were collaborations between the university, the business community and the government, are of great significance for employment opportunities and economic growth in the region.

Guest curator
On the occasion of his farewell, Gerard Mols was guest curator for a day at the University Library. He gave insight into his own international library based on his five favourite books. The titles he selected can be viewed in this video.

Future plans
In September, Mols will begin a sabbatical in Indonesia, where he will be teaching at the University of Yogyakarta. When he returns, he will work as academic director of the Forensic Institute in Maastricht.

Luc Soete
Soete has worked as a professor of International Economic Relations at the UM School of Business and Economics since 1986. He is also director of UNU-MERIT (the United Nations University Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology). Since 2010, he has also led the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance at the UM Faculty of Humanities and Sciences. He is member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Advisory Council for Science and Technology Policy (AWT).