Gregor Halff, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, has been appointed as the new President of the Executive Board of the University of Twente.
He has served as Dean at the university since 2022. In recent years, he has led the integration of the former Faculties of Religion and Theology, Humanities, and Social Sciences, overseeing the merger process at faculty level and helping to establish the new Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Rector Magnificus Jeroen Geurts said: "Gregor has played a pivotal role in a far-reaching process of organisational change. Through his enthusiasm, people-centred leadership and ability to bring people together, he has laid a strong foundation on which the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities can continue to build. We shall miss him greatly, but we look forward to continuing our collaboration as the governing bodies of partner universities."
Gregor Halff will take up his new position as President of the Executive Board of the University of Twente in September, at the start of the new academic year. He will remain Dean at the university until the end of August.
Reflecting on his appointment, he said: "I am deeply grateful to have been part of the journey of building a broad faculty with collaborative and confident academic domains at a time when the role of the individual, humanity and human values has become more urgent than ever. It is therefore by no means easy to leave the university that brought me back to the Netherlands after forty years abroad. At the same time, an exceptional opportunity presented itself that I simply could not turn down. Over the past few years I have witnessed an extraordinary level of commitment and dedication from colleagues across the faculty and within the Faculty Board, and I have every confidence that they will continue to build on the course we have set together."
In the coming weeks, the university will begin the process of appointing an interim Dean. The aim is to identify an experienced internal candidate who is familiar with the organisation and can ensure continuity across the faculty while the recruitment of a permanent successor takes place.