Dear Reader
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| During the past few weeks, you will
certainly have noticed within our faculty that Utrecht
University is mobilizing the students to think about the
future of our institute. At the Drift, you will come across
a large board on which you can post your ideas, people are
very busy sending out the invitations for brainstorming
events and the University Council is organizing one event
after another, in order to communicate with the students.
These input sessions are currently being organized with very
good reason: this year, Utrecht University is elaborating
the Strategic Plan for the academic years 2016-2020. This
plan outlines the direction that our university wishes to
take during the next five years, with regard to themes such
as internationalization, future-focused education and
quality care. Internally, the university is also organizing
a number of events amongst the policy advisors, in order to
brainstorm about the future. For example, on 11 November, I
attended a 24 hour conference in Ermelo, with a delegation
of approximately 120 managers and policy advisors. The fact
that I was allowed to be present also shows that the
university is happy to listen to the voice of the student,
especially with regard to themes such as quality care and
community development. |
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| In this issue of the student newsletter, I
will describe a number of themes with regard to the
Strategic Plan of the UU and inform you of
events/brainstorming sessions which the university is
organizing to allow you to contribute ideas. In addition, I
am proud to let you know that since a few weeks I’ve been
supported by four department assessors who will be helping
me during the coming year, as four extra ‘bridges’ between
you as the student and the department in which you are
studying. In this newsletter, they will introduce themselves
and tell about the role they can play for you. As well as
the subjects I have mentioned above, this newsletter also
contains information about the Career Services, a
contribution from our Faculty Council with regard to the
information afternoon for the Education Committees and an
appeal to help with the Bachelor Open Days at the end of
November and the Master’s evening in February. If you have
any questions about this, please send an e-mail to
studentassessor.gw@uu.nl. |
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| I wish you every success for the next study
block! |
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Kind
regards,
Luc Nibbeling
Student Assessor, Faculty of Humanities
Utrecht University |
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Four new
department assessors
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Since our faculty is so large and offers many
different courses, it is divided into four departments. Your
course also falls under one of the four departments. These
departments are headed by a board consisting of a Departmental
Head, an Education Director and a Research Director. From 1
November, four students will have a seat in these boards and
give advice about student matters and educational matters. The
assessors will introduce themselves to you below. |
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Iris van der Wulp -
Department assessor for Languages, Literature and Communication
Hi! I’m Iris van der Wulp and this year I’m the department
assessor for the Department of Languages, Literature and
Communication. I’m a member of the day-to-day board and I also
have close contact with the Education Committees of the courses
which fall under the Department of Languages, Literature and
Communication. In this way, I aim to form a bridge between the
students and the departmental board. As a student, I find
participation very important. The opinion of the student counts
towards improving the education at Utrecht University. This year,
I will therefore ask for the opinion of students often. Would
you now like to be asked occasionally for your opinion on
educational matters? Then send an e-mail to:
TLC_Departementsassessor.gw@uu.nl. Mention in your e-mail
which course you are studying and what year you are in. |
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Iris
van der Wulp |
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Yvonne van Laarhoven –
Department assessor for History and Art History
I’m Yvonne van Laarhoven and this year I’m the student assessor
for the Department of History and Art History. I’m now in my
fourth year of a Bachelor’s degree in History. Last year, as
chair of the UHSK (Utrecht History Student Association), I was
committed to my fellow students and I hope to continue with this
commitment this year in the role of assessor. I represent both
students of History and of Art History within the day to day
board of the Department. I’m really looking forward to giving
form to this new position, together with the board during the
coming year. If you have any questions or remarks, please do not
hesitate to e-mail me or you can of course get hold of me at the
Drift. |
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Yvonne van Laarhoven |
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Nick van Hummel –
Department assessor for Media and Cultural Studies
I’m Nick van Hummel, I’m 20 years old and a third year student
in Media and Cultural Studies. This academic year, I’m the
department assessor for my department. During this academic year,
I’ll have a seat in the departmental board and give advice on
student matters and educational matters. Like my colleagues from
the other departments, I’m the very first person, so this year
I’ll be starting from scratch. I find it very important that
students know not just about their course of study, but also
what else is happening in a department, all the people there,
how student participation works and how their input is actually
put into practice. I also aim to increase the contact between
the Education Committees and the Student Associations within my
department and in this way harmonize the information available. |
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Nick
van Hummel |
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Anne Roozeboom –
Department assessor for Philosophy and Religious Sciences
I’m Anne Roozeboom, I’m 22 years old and this year the
department assessor for Philosophy and Religious Sciences. This
year, I obtained my Bachelor’s in Language and Cultural Studies
and I’m now doing a Master’s in Religions in contemporary
societies. I find it important that students can give their
opinions on the education, because I think that the courses
within as well as outside the department can learn from each
other in many areas. For example, for me personally, it was a
complete change, going from a free Bachelor’s course to the
narrow field of a Master’s, within which many things are already
set out. Yet I notice that the close contact between students
and lecturers is very valuable. By means of a good contact
between the Education Committees, student associations and
student societies, I hope to be able to make the voice of the
student heard in the departmental meetings. |
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Anne
Roozeboom |
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What do you
think of the student website?
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What do you think of the Utrecht University
student website? Is it easy to navigate, or is it hard to find
the information you need? Do you use it often, or do you prefer
other means of finding out what you need to know? Please tell us
how we can improve the university’s online environment by
filling out a short
questionnaire. All participants have a chance to win a 25
euro gift voucher! |
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From the Faculty
Council
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Education
Committee information afternoon
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Last Thursday, the Faculty Council along with
the Faculty Office organized an information afternoon for the
Education Committees. Many people attended the afternoon and we
think it was very successful. Dean Keimpe Algra gave an opening
speech, then the Education Committees were given an explanation
of their tasks and place within the university. Afterwards, the
group was split up in order to do various workshops, on subjects
such as involving the supporters and the Caracal digital
evaluation system. The Education Committees are therefore
completely ready now for dealing with all the course evaluations
from block 1. You can still complete the evaluations, so be sure
and do so! |
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Report of
the Council meeting, 30 October
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A few weeks ago, the second Council meeting of
the year took place. Important financial items were on the
agenda: during the next few years, the faculty expects
considerable deficits and has drawn up a plan in order to
improve the situation. From the staff delegations in particular,
there were focused questions about the plan, within which some
drastic measures are being considered. In addition, the intake
statistics for this academic year and the BSA (binding study
advice) statistics from the previous academic year were
discussed. In relation to the past few years, there is a slight
improvement, which is a good thing of course. The Faculty Board
announced that it would remove the third assessor for theses: in
the past, a third assessor was obligatory for marks below 6.5,
which is no longer the case. On Friday 19 December, the next
Council meeting will be held, so don’t forget that you are
always very welcome to attend! |
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Strategic Plan
2016-2020
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At present, the university is busy composing the Strategic Plan
2016-2020. In this plan, the university processes its future
vision and indicates which themes and subjects will be the main
focus during the next five years. The Executive Board of the
university is currently engaged in gathering input from both
staff and students, in order to elaborate the plan as well as
possible. For instance, the university will probably pay much
attention to the theme of ‘internationalization’, which many of
the staff believe is vital for being able to continue to compete
with other universities. On the one hand, internationalization
is important in order to attract more foreign students and, on
the other hand, also in order to educate our Dutch students to
become academics who can compete in a job market with an
increasingly international character. |
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To obtain input from as many students as possible, the
university has organized a number of meetings during which
people can discuss certain themes. Many of these meetings have
already taken place, but there are still a number of very
interesting debates on the agenda. You will find the complete
agenda mentioning all the meetings on
http://sp20.sites.uu.nl/category/agenda.
Below are details of three open meetings which I believe are
very suitable for you as a student. |
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Campus and Community debate
How do you enjoy studying in the city centre and how would you
find it if all the teaching took place at the Uithof? The
meeting on 2 December about Campus & Community is an open debate
with the purpose of gathering as much input as possible from the
university community, for the development of the ideal Campus of
the future. Utrecht University would like the Campus in the year
2025 to be a stimulating and inspiring educational, living and
working environment for students and staff. What is your opinion
about this? What do you think these ambitions signify for the
development of the Campus? And: How can the Campus in the year
2025 contribute to the formation of and interaction between the
various university communities? |
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Datum: 2 december van 9.00 tot 11.00
uur
Locatie: Universiteitsbibliotheek, Boothzaal, Heidelberglaan 3,
Utrecht |
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Education debate (1)
The first ‘Education debate’ is about the current quality of the
education at Utrecht University. After all, for students, the
quality of the education is one of the main criteria for
choosing a university. Why do students choose Utrecht University
or another university? What makes our university unique and what
should we work on during the next few years, in order to ensure
that the motivated students choose Utrecht? What do you come
across during your studies, and what would you change if you
were a member of the Executive Board for a day? You do not need
to register to attend the debate, just come along. |
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Date: 7 December from 10:00 to 12:00 hrs
Location: University Hall, Auditorium, Domplein 29, Utrecht |
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Education debate (2)
During the second ‘Education debate’, we will look at the
quality of the education within a changing environment (for
example, as a result of internationalization, globalization and
digitalization). The university is in a good position, but the
world is changing rapidly so we cannot stand still. What are the
challenges with regard to education for the next twenty years?
What should we set to work on, in order to move with the times
and prepare the students and the university for the future? You
do not need to register for this meeting either. |
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Date: 10 December from 17:00 to 19:00 hrs
Location: To be announced (send an e-mail to
studentassessor.gw@uu.nl if you wish
to be informed of the location as soon as it is known) |
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For more information about developments concerning the Strategic
Plan or the related meetings, visit
http://sp20.sites.uu.nl
or send an e-mail to me at
studentassessor.gw@uu.nl. |
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Master's evening - 3
February
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The next Master’s evening will be on Wednesday 3 February 2016.
During this evening, information will be given on almost all the
Master’s programmes of the university. You will have the
opportunity to speak to lecturers, students, alumni and study
advisors and ask questions. You can also visit the information
market with questions about admission, enrolment, student grants
and living in Utrecht. If you have any questions about the next
Master’s evening or other information activities, contact
Studievoorlichting (degree programme information) by e-mail at
studievoorlichting@uu.nl, or by tel.
(030) 253 26 70. |
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Voor de masteravond zoekt de universiteit nog (master)studenten
die mee zouden willen helpen met de voorbereiding en het verloop
van de masteravond. Ben je geïnteresseerd om eens op zo een
avond te werken tegen een vergoeding? Mail dan naar Nicole Tak (N.M.Tak@uu.nl). |
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Career Services
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In September, Utrecht University introduced Career Services.
We wish students to be well prepared for entering the job
market. All the courses are contributing to this and are
offering you job market orientation as part of or alongside your
course. |
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You can contact Career Services for: training courses, a CV
check, a chat with your Career Officer, tests, information about
your career prospects, tips about applying for jobs and
networking, internships and vacancies. Visit
uu.nl/careerservices. |
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You can also contact Sjoer Bergervoet, the Career Officer for
the Faculty of Humanities. E-mail:
s.a.bergervoet@uu.nl.
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November
2015 |
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Click
here for the online version of this newsletter. |
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This issue includes:
Four new department assessors |
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Contents |
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Colophon |
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About this newsletter ?
This newsletter is only sent to students who have signed up for it.
If you would like to receive this newsletter, please send an email to
studentassessor.gw@uu.nl. |
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Would you like to receive the latest news
of the Faculty of Humanities in your mailbox every week? Then subscribe
to our newsletter! Please send an email to
nieuws.gw@uu.nl
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Editorial office
Editors:
Annemiek van Gorp, Luc Nibbeling
Design:
Didi van Zoeren
Communication and Marketing (C&M) |
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