UM Awards 2016 presented to two employees
The UM Award, the prize that is presented annually to really committed employees, was presented to Len Cuppens and Bakir Bulić at the New Year’s reception on Monday January 9th. Len Cuppens is the longest serving beadle, who perfectly guides PhD defences and inaugural lectures. Bakir Bulić is a project manager at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, who managed several projects of strategic importance for both UM and the Maastricht UMC+.
This year, 33 employees were nominated by their peers. The criterion for the award is that the nominee has distinguished himself or herself with an administrative, academic or service achievement, or a particular social merit. Chairman of the jury, Nick Bos who is also UM’s vice president, handed over the awards consisting of a dinner cheque of 500 Euros and a sculpture by the artist Desmaret.
Len Cuppens works at the Maastricht University Office, and is the driving force behind both Phd defense ceremonies and inaugural lectures. “She met the enormous growth in the number of PhD defences last year with a radiant smile and steered them in the right direction. With her tireless efforts, she gives many PhD candidates and professors a memorable day, while simultaneously brainstorming at all levels about how to further optimise academic sessions”, said Nick Bos.
(Len Cuppens was interviewed about her job for the UM website. You can find it, after scrolling a bit, here)
Bakir Bulić is a young UM alumn with an impressive service record. “He was of great importance for the strengthening of the natural sciences, the adaptation of the science concentration at UCM, the arrival of research groups M4i and MERLN, and the development of Chemelot InSciTe from the side of UM and MUMC +. Inter-faculty cooperation is his top priority and he has a perfect feel for politics”, said Nick Bos.
Visit his personal website

Also read
-
Europe Day
To celebrate Europe Day on 9 May, FASoS student Lisa travelled to Brussels to meet with five of our inspiring alumni who are currently shaping European policy and advocacy. In this video, they share why Europe Day matters, how it’s celebrated in Brussels, and what the idea of Europe means to them.
-
“The ease with which politicians attack journalists is very worrying”: Can the EU protect press freedom?
May 9 marks Europe Day, which celebrates peace and unity in Europe. Studio Europa sat down with award-winning political cartoonist Emanuele Del Rosso, to discuss the challenges journalists are facing in Europe and beyond.
-
University of Applied Sciences graduates immediately employable in shortage sectors such as healthcare and education
University of Applied Sciences graduates immediately employable in shortage sectors such as healthcare and education.