48th Dies Natalis
Friday 26 January 2024 marks the 48th anniversary of Maastricht University. We commemorate the Dies Natalis with inspiring award ceremonies, speeches and music.
During the celebratory gathering at the St. Janskerk, Professor Robert Dur will give an inspiring keynote lecture. This year, we also have the privilege of presenting two honorary doctorates: one jointly awarded to Professors Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks, and another to Professor Christian Leuz. Rector Pamela Habibović will award the Wynand Wijnen Education Prize, the Dissertation Prize, and the Master’s Student Prizes. Our very own FASoS graduate and singer-songwriter Josh Island will perform during the ceremony.
You can register via the invitation you received via UM email. You can also join this academic session via livestream, which will be broadcast from this page.
Watch the livestream of this event on this webpage from 15.15 on Friday 26 January 2024.
For the morning programme, from 10.30 to 11.30, during which the Bachelor's Student Prizes are awarded, see below.
If you experience problems with this livestream, please click here.
Talent unlimited: the labour we need, the potential we can’t waste
The ambition is a growing economy, the reality an aging population. The solution is either working into your seventies or finding ways to empower unrecognised talent in all its diversity to contribute significantly. At Maastricht University, we help tackle this challenge through research and as an employer. How can we make sense of demographics and the labour market? How can we rethink talent? How can we help individuals flourish in order to flourish as a society?
Keynote lecture of Professor Robert Dur
In keeping with this year's economic theme, we have invited Professor Robert Dur to give a keynote lecture. Professor Dur is Professor of Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He conducts research on the labour market, education and people's behaviour in organisations. He conducts field experiments in collaboration with companies, ministries or big cities. The results of these experiments are practically relevant and often inspire the development of theories. In addition to his research, Professor Dur is active in all phases of academic teaching. He is the chair of the Netherlands Royal Association of Economics, which celebrates its 175th anniversary this year. At De Correspondent, he writes a fortnightly column on economics and he is an expert member of the Ministry of Finance’s Policy Evaluation Committee. He is a research fellow of the Tinbergen Institute, CESifo Munich, IZA Bonn and ROA Maastricht.
Prof. Robert Dur
Awarding of the honorary doctorates
This year, we are awarding two honorary doctorates. Professors Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks will jointly receive an honorary doctorate. Both are professors of Political Science at the University of North Carolina and researchers at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute. Professors Hooghe and Marks are renowned for their concept of 'Multi-level Governance'. Through their acclaimed book on this subject and their research into European integration, they have inspired and greatly assisted many researchers. The joint honorary doctorate will be awarded by professors Dijkstra and Vanhoonacker from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Additionally, Professor Vanstraelen from the School of Business and Economics will confer an honorary doctorate on Christian Leuz, Professor of Accounting and Finance at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Professor Leuz's studies on crucial topics like sustainability and corporate social responsibility have established him as a prominent role model for many researchers in the field of Accounting and Finance.
Prof. Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks (photo credit: Arjan Bronkhorst) and prof. Christian Leuz (photo credit: Anne Ryan)