Opening Academic Year 2018/19

On Monday 3 September 2018 UM celebrated the opening of the academic year. This year UM reflected on the responsibility of universities for sustainable development in the broadest sense. The keynote speeches were delivered by Dr. Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, Kate Robertson, Co-Founder of One Young World, Prof. Dag Rune Olsen, Rector of the University of Bergen, and Dr. Joost van den Akker, Regional Minister of Economic Affairs and Knowledge Infrastructure.

During the official ceremony in the afternoon, the UM Student Award and the Edmond Hustinx prize were awarded. In the morning symposium behavioural change was the central theme.

 

Sustainable Development Goals competition

In the morning programme, students from our Green Office organised a symposium about behavioural change. How can we—if at all possible—encourage people to make the right decisions in their daily lives? As part of a competition, students and staff presented ideas for projects that would contribute to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Watch the full video report to find out all about the morning programme.

OAY 2018-19 Sustainability Goals Competition

Keynote speaker Dr. Frans Timmermans

Dr. Frans Timmermans, first Vice-President of the European Commission, reflects on our ability to sustain our values.

Keynote speaker Kate Robertson

Kate Robertson, co-founder of One Young World, discusses the responsibilities of institutions with regards to their social impact and sustainability.

Keynote speaker prof. Dag Rune Olsen

Prof. Olsen, rector of the University of Bergen in Norway, presents the much-lauded sustainability strategy he and his university are pursuing.

Keynote speaker Dr. Joost van den Akker

Dr. Joost van den Akker, Limburg’s Regional Minister of Economic Affairs and Knowledge Infrastructure, shares his thoughts on the regional impact of universities and the importance of collaboration with the public and private sector.

Edmond Hustinx prize for science

This prize is awarded to a promising young scholar at Maastricht University and is meant to support the scholar's academic development. This year, the 15,000-euro award went to a colleague from the Faculty of Law: Dr. Andrea Broderick. In the video she explains her research and how she will use the prize money.

UM Student Award 2018

This year, we had six nominations for the UM Student Award, a prize awarded to students because of their outstanding social or cultural achievements. The prize was awarded to Julie Ann Garcia Goodfellow. As a young girl growing up in the slums of the Philippines, Julie managed to work her way to the Netherlands to study and is now chairperson of the very foundation that made this possible for her: the Goodfellow Foundation. She is sponsoring six female students getting a university education in the Philippines. Julie believes that educating and supporting young women from the slums CAN make a difference.

Ode to Joy and more

On the right you can watch Vanesa Diaz Gil and the Famara Quartet, with their version of Ode to Joy. Or you can watch the following video's:

  arrival of the cortege
  SDG's and sustainability
  what do you do about sustainability?
  what does UM do and what should they do?
  the six Student Award nominations
 the full morning symposium report
  the UM sustainability quiz
  Green Impact