The Executive Board is pleased to announce that it has appointed Gregor Halff and Mira Maletic as dean and director of operations, respectively, of the new Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities with effect from 1 April 2025.
The new faculty aims to become the intellectual and philosophical core of VU Amsterdam. Its mission is to enhance the self-understanding of people and society, interpret cultural developments and assess the relevance or irrelevance of developments, customs, institutions, cultural artefacts - and to do so in an age of artificial intelligence in which science, morality and religion are both juxtaposed and opposed.
Jeroen Geurts, Rector: “With the appointments of Gregor Halff and Mira Maletic, the new Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities will have strong and inspiring leadership. Gregor Halff and Myra Maletic bring a rich combination of academic expertise and organisational experience, laying a solid foundation for the Faculty's ambitious goals. We strongly believe that this new faculty will play a key role in strengthening the social sciences, humanities, religious studies and theology. In addition, we see that social issues are becoming increasingly complex and technological developments require guidance from a conceptual-ethical perspective. The new faculty will function as a foundation and a beacon for a deeper and broader understanding of society and the world around us. At a time of rapid social change, a future-proof faculty that fulfils this role is more important than ever.”
Gregor Halff on his appointment: “I warmly thank all colleagues for their trust and look forward immensely to collectively bringing the many voices of our faculty to bear. Eventful times call for inspired social sciences and humanities.”
Mira Maletic on her appointment: “It is with great gratitude that I look forward to the start of the new Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities on 1 April 2025 after a period of exploration, developing plans and getting to know many colleagues and students from the current three faculties.
I am immensely proud of the educational programmes we offer and the impressive research achievements of our scholars. These form the basis for the continued growth of our faculty. Together with the professional management from the current three faculties, we will contribute to the goals of the new faculty and our university.”