46th Dies Natalis: an overview

Maastricht University celebrated its 46th Dies Natalis on Thursday 12 May 2022, in the Sint Jans Church in Maastricht. The programme included a special ceremony, in which the outgoing rector magnificus, Professor Rianne Letschert, transferred her position to Professor Pamela Habibović. The Wynand Wijnen Prize, the Dissertation Award and the Student Prizes were also presented.

Initially set to take place on 28 January 2022, the event was rescheduled due to COVID-related circumstances. Professor Habibović took up her new position as of 1 February.

Empowerment and leadership

This year’s theme, Empowerment and Leadership, suited our keynote speaker Nice Nailantei Leng’ete perfectly. In her speech, she talked about her human rights work and inspired us to become the ‘person we all dream to be’. “True leadership starts with the perspective of others,” she stressed. And: “Good leaders are servants.”

On this Dies Natalis, Professor Rianne Letschert officially left the office of rector. She handed over her job in January, but of course, we asked her to reflect on her term during this celebration. In her speech, she called on us to continue looking at our university critically and to solve issues together. She also articulated her ambitions for us: “A European diploma with YUFE, a lower workload and more job satisfaction, and the launch of the Einstein telescope in Limburg. I love to dream, especially when these can become a reality.”

"I love to dream, especially when these can become a reality."

Rianne Letschert | President Maastricht University

Our new rector, Professor Pamela Habibović, fully agreed with these ambitions. With a hundred days on the job, she spoke about the future of Maastricht University and staying in touch. “Maastricht has always been a place for people to come together and work together across disciplinary boundaries. I want us to build on that mentality and make an effort to speak each other’s languages. On a personal and a university level. (...) Our ambitions for the future should not be too modest. We won’t become the oldest or the largest Dutch university, but we can become the most impactful.”

"We won’t become the oldest or the largest Dutch university, but we can become the most impactful."

Pamela Habibović, rector magnificus Maastricht University

Impressions from the 46th Dies Natalis

Would you like to see the highlights of our Dies Natalis? We collected the best photos and videos for you to check out below.

Click the icon above to view the entire series.
Photos: Philip Driessen.

Videos of the 46th Dies Natalis

Want to see more from the Dies Natalis? Below you will find an overview of the various videos that were shown during the event or recorded on site.

Awards

The Wynand Wijnen Education Prize was handed to Dr. Ben Janssen and the annual Dissertation Prize was awarded to Dr. Estelle Claire Nijssen.

Student Prizes 2022

Every year, the best master's and bachelor's theses by our students are rewarded during the Dies Natalis celebration. The prizewinners receive five hundred euros, a certificate and a small gift as a token of appreciation from our rector magnificus.

Bachelor's Student Prizes

Eighteen students completed their bachelor's degree in 2021 with a thesis that was labelled excellent by their faculty.

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Master's Student Prizes

Nine students completed their master's programmes in 2021 with a thesis that was labelled excellent by their faculty.

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