27 May 2025
Since April last year, Marieke de Bakker has been director of Student and Educational Affairs (SOZ) at VU Amsterdam. A new face at the university, but no stranger to higher education.
She started during a challenging time, yet her motivation is crystal clear: quality education, real engagement with students, and staying close to three hundred colleagues. “That’s what drives me.”
What led her to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam? What makes it stand out? And: how does she navigate this period of budget cuts?