In memoriam Harry Fekkers

Harry Fekkers joined UM in 1992, when it was still called Rijksuniversiteit Limburg. He came from the University of Twente, where, together with Rector Harry van den Kroonenberg, he helped shape the UT into an "entrepreneurial university"—the first Dutch university to place significant emphasis on valorisation. At the time, Twente was struggling with the decline of the textile industry and sought to create new employment opportunities through the establishment of the UT. Van den Kroonenberg and Fekkers successfully achieved this. The UT became the economic engine of the region and has since generated more than 1,000 spin-offs.

When Harry started working in Maastricht, UM (then RL) had just passed its critical turning point. The necessary threshold of 6,000 students had been reached in 1990, and the new strategy, developed under the leadership of Executive Board President Vredevoogd, was beginning to bear fruit. New programmes were added to the university’s portfolio, and thanks to its longstanding research focus on a relatively small number of key areas, UM was starting to gain national recognition and, in some fields, international standing as well.

Harry Fekkers then taught us how the university could expand its influence and significance, particularly within the region. He was the first to propose the idea of a holding company and he was capable of arranging legal, business, and financial support for entrepreneurial activities. If I recall correctly, the then Instrumental Service and Audiovisual Service were the first university departments to develop commercial activities, working alongside scientists such as Peter Frederik, Chris Reutelingsperger, and Kees Vermeer. The success of the Vitrobot is partly thanks to him.

But Harry did much more. He was instrumental in the successful collaboration with housing corporation Woonpunt and SNS Bank on the Wonen boven Winkels (Living above stores) project, which created hundreds of additional housing units for students and young staff members. Harry had an exceptional eye for opportunities, such as the Calatrava project in Randwyck, and was often deeply disappointed when decision-makers failed to appreciate his drive and turned him down. These were complex discussions, in which the more cautious administrators could only prevail by pointing out the risks of his projects.

Yet, Harry remained unwaveringly loyal to the administrators and the university. This was a remarkable trait for someone so creative and innovative. Sometimes, he had to accept that the administrative world couldn’t keep up with him or wasn’t yet ready to embrace his new directions. He was equally loyal and unifying towards his colleagues in General Services and the faculties.

Harry Fekkers deserves a rightful place among the pioneers of our university. He played a key role in shaping the strong position that UM holds today, both nationally and internationally. For that, he deserves our deep gratitude and recognition!

Karl Dittrich, also on behalf of
Rens Knegt
Jo Ritzen
René Verspeek