Magic anthill
A new position with new challenges. For newly appointed vice-dean and education portfolio holder Pieter van Beukering, the start of the academic year also marks the beginning of a new role within the university. But some things never change. "From one day to the next, the campus fills up with students, like a sort of anthill; on stairs, in squares, in classrooms. I think that really has a magical feel to it."
Starting a new study or a new year is not necessarily an easy step. Behind the obviousness of yet another new academic year, lies a whole world of choices and ambitions. "Every student has chosen that study and our university. Ultimately, it is up to us to provide them with a rich experience that will allow them to leave campus as we envision: as critical global citizens who want to contribute to a better world."
"Each of those individual students falls under our responsibility. That motivates me enormously. All those expectant young people getting to know each other and building a whole new social life on campus; the fact that we get to contribute to that, is something I find enormously inspiring."
Close-knit and friendly team
Where students enter the VU campus for the first time, Van Beukering took his first steps in the office of the Faculty Board, where he now has a seat on 'the other side of the table'. And that suits him well, not least because of the people he now works with: “They are extremely committed and hardworking team players. It may be a cliché, but it is true: the Faculty Board is a close-knit and friendly team that shares a lot with each other and works closely together. There are no islands that operate separately from each other. Of course, the responsibilities are divided, but you can easily spar and always get a good second opinion on a specific issue.”
A small downside of Van Beukering's new role is the enormous flow of emails that comes with the position. “I always received a lot of emails, but now more than ever.” Fortunately, life in the Faculty Board consists of more than just frantically emptying a full mailbox. “We have app groups in different compositions: for education, the Faculty Board, vice deans of VU. By contacting us via WhatsApp, you immediately have a short moment of reflection. The office of the Faculty Board also helps with this. It is an elongated series of rooms. To get to my own room, I first have to go through Aletta's. That's the culture: you just walk into each other's room. As a result, the lines of communication are very short, which greatly benefits the collaboration.”
A visible Faculty Board
While the way the Faculty Board works was an eye opener for Van Beukering, the work of the board generally takes place outside the field of view of most faculty employees. “Programme directors and coordinators still know the education portfolio holder, but this is much less the case for researchers. They do not always have to be aware of everything that the Faculty Board does, and I think that is a missed opportunity.”
“I think the Faculty Board should stand for the culture of the faculty and the strategic direction we are taking. This must be communicated through the Faculty Board, so it is important that we are clearly visible. It is important that everyone knows the direction and culture of the faculty, and I have the feeling that this is not the case for many employees at the moment. Understandably, they are mainly concerned with their own project or department, but not with the faculty.”
“It also took me some time as a researcher to discover the importance of the Faculty of Science or VU culture. Now I'm excited about it. I think it is special that we have such a large organisation with which we can influence society. But if we want to steer that, for lack of a better word, oil tanker in the right direction, everyone must know who is in the wheelhouse and why we have chosen that course. This means that we also have to do more about visibility. I want to commit to this in my new role.”
Cooperating
When asked about major challenges and areas for improvement that he wants to tackle, Van Beukering has clear ideas – and an unusual metaphor to explain them: “Closer cooperation between departments is certainly something that deserves attention, because together we can solve many of our problems. I see it a bit like the European Union. Previously we had time-consuming borders, had to exchange money, show passports. We no longer have all that, and we are much stronger as a European Union than as individual European countries. I am not saying that we should become a European Union, but I do believe that more cooperation will help us become more efficient.”
“To give an example: Computer Science has to deal with enormous numbers of students. This also means that enormous amounts of theses and final projects have to be supervised and checked every year. They simply don't have the capacity for that, because they have grown so exponentially and the organisation has not yet grown along with it. Then the idea came: why don't we see if other departments might have the capacity to guide students?”
Utilise knowledge
According to Van Beukering, better collaboration not only reduces workload among departments, but can increase mutual knowledge. “Most departments are increasingly dealing with AI and other computer science-related issues. The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), for example, is increasingly working with AI and would benefit from Computer Science students working in IVM teams on climate predictions or other applications. As far as I'm concerned, that's a win-win option. Departments benefit because new knowledge is added to their activities, and Computer Science is relieved because they have fewer students to supervise.”
“In practice, this will sometimes be difficult, because many departments are already busy enough with themselves. But I think in some cases the solution lies in collaboration. This promotes distribution and knowledge sharing. I am a sustainability researcher myself. Interdisciplinarity is essential to devise solutions for sustainability. And that is what makes our faculty unique: with so many different departments, we have an infinite number of disciplines and knowledge under one roof. Let us make the most of that.”