Executive Board: inclusivity and diversity are our strengths

Dear members of the UM community,

Maastricht University is committed to an inclusive culture. As one of the most international universities in Europe, we are aware that our strength lies precisely in how diverse and inclusive we are. We sincerely believe in inclusion and oppose any form of exclusion.

In this message, we’re addressing you as members of a community – a deliberate choice of words: we experience every day, especially in these uncertain times of a global pandemic, how valuable this sense of unity is. We see it as a cornerstone of society.

When that society is confronted with forms of exclusion, such as racism, it is our duty to speak out against it in the strongest possible terms.

We are proud of our students and staff who take action, who raise their voices against racism, who listen to and are open to the voices of others. The Executive Board stands behind and alongside them. We stand in solidarity with victims of racism, in our own community, our immediate surroundings and around the world. In the spirit of the inclusive community we aspire to be, we reject racism and discrimination as antithetical to the university community we want to be. We oppose all forms of racism, from inequality of opportunity to “Zwarte Piet”.

We see this as a task for everyone at our university. If you want to do your part, please report to the UM Advisory Council Diversity & Inclusivity via: diversity@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

No one can win this battle alone; defeating racism and discrimination is a challenge for our entire community.

Executive Board Maastricht University,

Martin Paul, Rianne Letschert, Nick Bos