The impact of the Meindersma family

Marjolijn clearly remembers the start of her studies: “We didn’t have lectures at all; the very word was dirty. Our cohort was also very small, with about 60 students. That created a strong sense of community, with almost one staff member for every student. Staff members were addressed by their first names, too. That lack of hierarchy was entirely new to me.” That atmosphere continued during Jan-Tjitte’s studies, even though his cohort had doubled in size by then. “I already knew the university. As a young child, my mother would sometimes bring me along to the faculty. One of my aunts worked there, so I could spend the day with her while my mother attended classes.”

Jan-Tjitte decided not to pursue a career in medicine because the field did not fully allow his talents to flourish. “I have two professional skills: a quantitative-analytical ability and empathy. Balancing the two was challenging at the time, a struggle I faced both during my studies and later in the corporate world. I now feel very fortunate to have found a good balance between them as a member of our university’s Executive Board. It is clear that, as a knowledge institution, we excel at the quantitative side of things. Yet, as vice-president, you connect with people primarily through your heart and who you are as a person.”

Jan-Tjitte previously held executive positions at international companies, where his work focused largely on maximizing returns and profits. “Every conversation used to start with the financials. It took some getting used to, but at the university, that topic only comes up at the end. Here, policy discussions begin with how our decisions can benefit society and the community, and how best to educate our talent to achieve that. Only at the end of the discussion do we look at whether we can afford to implement our ideas. I now see the beauty in this approach.”

As a member of the Executive Board, Jan-Tjitte sees the impact the university has on the region’s development. “Since the university was founded, coinciding with the closure of the mines, our region has undergone tremendous development. And we play a major part in that. The university is involved at every level, from provincial to municipal. This ranges from the economy and housing to cultural dynamism and the development of cities like Venlo and Heerlen. As an ecosystem of five thousand colleagues and twenty-five thousand students, we can be incredibly proud of that. Hopefully, by our 100th anniversary, we will be just as firmly rooted as an institution.”

Marjolijn, who started her career as a GP after graduation and who worked in her hometown of Vaals until retirement, witnessed a different kind of impact in her work: that of the local family doctor within a community. “Beyond diagnostic skills, the connection with the individual patient is very important. I knew my patients so well that I could tell how they were doing just by looking at their faces. I fear that personal connection is sometimes missing from general practice these days, and I hope that trend is still reversable. I miss my work and my patients terribly, although I do continue to work to some extent through minor cosmetic procedures and volunteer work.”

Jan-Tjitte enjoys his work and approaches his role with due modesty: “As a board member, you are visible, but I don't consider that as important as achieving great developments together for both UM and the region.”

tekst: Ruben Beeckman
fotografie: Jonathan Vos