Dean’s blog episode 21: visits to Faculty groups and more

This blog reports about recent visits to all departments and support groups. It also contains some highlights of the last few weeks.

In the last two months I visited, together with our managing director Brahim Ait Mellouk, all Faculty groups. The goal of these eight meetings with colleagues was to inform everyone about what is on the agenda of the Faculty Board (FB) and to get input. A lot is going on in the Faculty and it is essential for the FB to hear about wishes colleagues have and problems they encounter. This does not mean it is always possible to take these wishes into account or immediately solve these problems, but we do try to explain why decisions are taken as they are taken. The FB also gets input in many other ways: through our official participatory bodies Faculty Council and Programme Committees, through our permanent committees and working groups, and of course also informally, at the coffee machine nd other places. All FB-members have their doors wide open. Meanwhile the FB asked our Marketing & Communications department to make a plan for internal communication within the Faculty. This will soon be discussed in the MT and distributed.

In the meetings the FB paid attention to teaching (the reform of the Bachelor Dutch Law, introduction of a mentor system for first year’s students and of Continuous Professional Development and the putting into place pf a Working Group Masters), research (Sectorplan and the upcoming midterm review) and housing (move to the Kapoenstraat in Summer). Input we received was, among others, about communication, (a priority for the FB, but we can always do better), the need for a staff common room (now provisionally in place in the Salon) and the implementation of the Quality Agreements for the bachelors European Law School and Tax Law (plans will be made with input by, among others, the course coordinators). Questions were also asked about professional development of support staff. The names of the tutorial groups will be added to the schedules.

Jessup team

Meanwhile, many other things happened. The Bachelor Open Day was busy and bustling as always. Last week we also had again positive and stimulating talks with the Faculty Council and the Programme Committees about the reform of the bachelor Dutch law. The Maastricht team won the Dutch round of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and will compete against 100 other national teams in Washington D.C. in April in this biggest moot court in the world. Congratulations to Anïssa Boukabous, Nga Janda, Maria Matias and Robyn Titulski and coaches Craig Eggett and Sarah Thin. Everyone can come to admire the trophy they brought home to the Oud Gouvernement.

Jessup trophy

Colleagues Lilian Tsourdi and Mark Kawakami were elected as new members of the Maastricht Young Academy. On 6 February, our colleague Marta Pertegás gave a Maastricht Star Lecture for alumni in München.

Maastricht Young Academy

We also finalised an agreement with Leuven University and the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience about exchanging students in the areas of psychology & law and criminology. Exciting times ahead. And I started trying to learn Maastrichts. Which is why I bid you Unne gooje vastelaovend allemaol.

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MoU with Leuven and FPN
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