31 December 2019

'Thank you!' from executive board

Dear UM students and employees,

We had imagined the end of 2019 very differently! You undoubtedly did, too. What should have been a quiet and well-deserved Christmas break became a hectic and uncertain time because of a cyber attack. We have done everything we can to try and minimise the negative effects on our academic community, but the attack has certainly left some scars – also in the sense that the university needs to better protect itself against external threats that have no respect for academic values, while education and research require openness and exchange, a great challenge lies ahead.

We have said it before but want to say it again here: the way in which many dedicated colleagues, despite the holidays, put all their energy and expertise into working on this is heart warming.

It really shows the spirit and solidarity of our university community.

The same can be said about the responses we have received. Despite the many questions that cannot always be answered, despite concerns about education and research, despite the many uncertainties that did and still do exist, the general atmosphere and attitude have been positive. ‘We’re all in this together.’

We are extremely grateful for this. In times of crisis, you learn where you really stand with one another. When it comes to the UM community, that is side-by-side. This gives us complete confidence that things will turn out well in the days, weeks and months ahead!

We wish everyone all the best for 2020. Let’s make it a great year together.

Sincerely,

Martin Paul, Rianne Letschert, Nick Bos
Maastricht University Executive Board

'Thank you!' from executive board

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