New Council year, quality agreements, DEI, alumni, internationalisation & human rights
Dear members of the UM Community,
The new academic year is in full swing, and so are UM’s representative councils. The newly elected University and Faculty Councils, as well as the Service Councils, are busy considering policy proposals and having discussions with the Executive Board, Deans, and Directors about all the issues that affect our university.
We started the year with the traditional Council Day, during which new members received training about how the university is governed and the role the councils play in that. Members also did a range of workshops on topics such as social and psychological safety, interpersonal power dynamics, and how to stay in touch with the university community. This was also an excellent opportunity to share experiences and best practices.
The University Council recently approved the way in which the university will deal with the Quality Agreements money from now on. This was dedicated money that the university received to improve the quality of education, focusing on several themes which were chosen by the council many years ago, such as professional development of teachers and global citizenship. Since the government no longer requires universities to report on this money separately, it has been decided that it makes more sense to have more general conversations about educational quality, rather than only focusing on initiatives funded from this specific funding stream. This should allow Faculty Councils and the University Council to give more input about the kind of education that works for staff and students.
During the recent committee meetings, the council discussed the future of the university’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy, and the new organisation of the DEI-office, as well as the university’s alumni policy, as well as the most recent social safety report. And the next round of committee meetings will feature an update on the work of the Human Rights Advisory Committee, that is examining whether Maastricht University’s partners in conflict areas are complicit in gross human rights violations, as well as a discussion on how we did in this year’s National Student Satisfaction Survey, the new internationalisation plan, and a discussion about how the university can communicate better with students.
Lastly, the University Council is still very actively participating in considering the proposed board integration with the Academic Hospital. We once again have a dedicated committee looking at this, and we are acutely aware of our responsibility to represent the interests of all staff and students in this matter. Because only then can we ensure that our university continues to serve the needs of our community as we look towards the future.
Teun Dekker
Chair University Council
T.J. Dekker
Teun J Dekker (1980) is Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences Education at University College Maastricht, where he teaches courses on the intersection of the Social Sciences and the Humanities, including History of Political Thought and Distributive Justice in Contemporary Political Philosophy.
As Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences Education, his main duties are:
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End-of-year policy updates, student support fund, hospital integration and a new Council
Dear members of the UM Community,
With the end of the academic year in sight, the University Council is busy wrapping up all the formalities that need to be taken care of before summer, but is also already preparing for the new academic year.
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Due Diligence Frameworks, national developments, quality agreements and student data
Dear members of the UM Community,
With spring on the way, the University Council has been busy with a range of policies and issues that will shape the future of our university. At our most recent plenary, the Council formulated its advice on the Human Rights Due Diligence Framework and the Transition...
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Budgets, political agreements, human rights and fossil free society, and the MUMC+ integration
Dear members of the UM Community,
With the new year in full swing, the University Council has gotten back to work. While there are undoubtedly many challenges facing us, our belief in the process of university democracy gives us faith that, together with the Executive Board, we can do what is best...
