FGGA in 2022: This was the year for our Faculty
We started this year as we ended it in 2021: in a lockdown. But the world continues to open up. We are occasionally allowed to go into the office and students are able to return to Campus. Continue reading to find out what the rest of the year has been like.
January
Mid-January restrictions are eased and we are finally able to teach classes in person once more. Students are invited back to the Campus.
Student wellbeing is more important than ever. Which is why a Student Wellbeing Officer has been appointed to streamline all the student wellbeing initiatives and start new activities. Laura van der Plas talked about her goals in this interview.
Sanneke Kuipers and Tahir Abbas are both promoted to professor. Abbas is Professor Radicalization Studies and Kuipers takes on the Chair Crisis Governance starting 1 January.
February
Jan Aart Scholte becomes the first professor of the interfaculty incentive programme Global Transformations and Governance Challenges. In this interview he advocates for more research with a global lens.
Collaborations are very important to our Faculty. With the Netherlands Defense Academy, for instance. The collaboration is intensified with the appointment of Bas Rietjens as Professor by special appointment War and Conflict.
PopCorner The Hague is opened by Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl during a festive grand opening ceremony.
The war in Ukraine breaks out. Universities in the Netherlands join forces to call for support and solidarity for those affected. Endowed Professor War Studies Frans Osinga and Professor International Relations Rob de Wijk are frequently asked to give their opinions.
March
Discussing the events in Ukraine together. That there is an urgent need for this becomes obvious during an event at Wijnhaven.
In the runup to the municipality elections in March, we are writing a series of stories about staff members and students who are running as candidates in their municipality. The series is called ‘Van Collegebank tot Raadszetel’ (link in Dutch). We receive more applications than we have room for stories. Student Public Administrations David, for instance, explains what it is like to start a new party (link in Dutch).
Where do we stand as a faculty? In this interview, Erwin Muller and Koen Caminada talk about the constant balancing act trying to cope with the growth of FGGA based on three themes.
From working from home to hybrid working. We are slowly returning to the new normal now that all restrictions have been lifted, explains Executive Director Niels Laurens. ‘We all have to get know each other again and get used to this new situation and that will take time.’
Jan Melissen is the recipient of the 2022 ISA Distinguished Scholar Award in Diplomacy Studies. It is the first time that this award has been given to someone from Europe.
April
Ayo Adedokun, Assistant Professor at LUC, is one of the four finalists for the Nationale Docent van het Jaar Prijs 2022 (the Dutch national teacher of the year award). He is delighted with the national recognition for his passion for teaching.
Valéri Pattyn, Public Administration, and Wout Broekema, Institute of Security and Global Affairs, receive a Veni grant. Pattyn will use the grant on a research project into policy evaluations and Broekema on combatting memory loss in organisations after crises.
Giles Scott-Smith is the new Dean of LUC. He takes over from Judi Mesman in July.
A milestone for the Centre for Professional Learning (CPL). The first seven professionals receive their certificate from the Legal Technologies programme.
May
Great news during the award ceremony of the Nederlandse Onderwijspremie 2022 (The Dutch Higher Education Award 2022). The team behind the Learning Mindset (TLM) of Leiden University College win 800,000 euros and second place during the ceremony. The price money will be invested in innovations in education.
If you are studying in the administrative heart of the Netherlands you are likely to run into government officials every once in a while. Such as Hugo de Jonge, for instance, while doing the photoshoot for the new Master brochure. He was more than happy to make time for a photo.
Marieke Liem presents her inaugural lecture. She wants to look at homicide from a broader perspective and calls for demystification of the murderer.
June
How are we doing financially as a faculty? Twice a year, we have a coffee and a chat with Gert Renkema, head of Financial and Economic Affairs, to keep up to date.
The rooftop garden of Wijnhaven is transformed into a luxurious festival area: The Rooftop Garden. From graduation ceremonies, to drinks, or FGGA’s Summer Party, and Discover The Hague; there is always something going on.
July
Natascha van der Zwan is awarded a Vidi grant of 800,000 euros. The Associate Professor at the Institute of Public Administration conducts research into investment politics and improving the sustainability of the financial system.
After six years, Judi Mesman says farewell to LUC and looks back in this interview. ‘It’s been a wild ride.’
August
Students from all over the world discover The Hague during Hop Week, the student introduction week in The Hague. 1,093 students participate, 167 mentors show them around the city and the university to introduce them to life as a student.
Joachim Koops is awarded a Jean Monnet Chair with a focus on ‘The European Union’s Role in Security and Global Affairs’ (EURISGA).
September
During her inaugural lecture, Caelesta Braun, Professor Public Governance and Civil Society, talks about why she does research into invisible interests. During the benefits affair, certain societal interests did not register on the political and administrative radar for a long time. During the farmer protests, on the other hand, it took a while for the enormous underlying economic and political interests to become visible for society.
Minister of Digitalisation Alexandra van Huffelen presented a guest lecture at Wijnhaven. In which she addresses the ambitions of the government on digitalisation. There is a lot of interest for the guest lecture.
The third Tuesday of September, the opening of the Parliamentary Year and the opening of our Faculty Year. We celebrate this with the talk show FGGA NEXT (link in Dutch). A programme filled to the brim with guests from education, research, students, the Faculty Council, and the Faculty Board.
A research team of ISGA receives a grant of 3 million euros from the Kenniscentrum Bewaken & Beveiligen. The money will be used to fund a multi-year research and educational project on the theme ‘Surveillance and Protection’.
October
Four professors specialising in migration are promoted to Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Professor: Thea Hilhorst and Peter Scholten, both from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Marlou Schrover and Olaf van Vliet, both from Leiden University, are all given a second appointment at another university in the Leiden Delft Erasmus collective.
Researchers from the Institute of Public Administration and the Institute of Security and Global Affairs start a new joint research programme: ‘Governing Polarized Societyes’ (GPS). The researchers will make use of the grants they have recently been awarded.
The bachelor’s Open Day is held as a live event in The Hague for the first time. Thousands of aspiring students stop by to see if they fancy studying in the Hofstad.
November
A special exhibition by and for students and staff members. Putting unrealistic expectations in the right perspective, because the pressure to perform is enormous. That is the aim of this exhibition.
Leiden University College The Hague is awarded the ‘Top rated programme’ seal by the Keuzegids Universiteiten 2023. It is the 10th time in a row that the Liberal Arts & Sciences programme with a focus on Global Challenges from The Hague receives this honorary seal.
The project Academy for Professionals is launched. The available existing programmes for professionals are now combined in one portal. Erwin Muller: ‘We believe education for professionals is a core task for the University. It is a key part of taking valorisation seriously.’
December
The 16-day Orange the World campaign seeks to generate attention for violence against girls and women worldwide. Marieke Liem and Renate van der Zee give a lecture on the Spanish Steps on visible and invisible violence against women.
The Dutch Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV) has presented its urgent opinion on the foreign policy implications of the war in Ukraine for the Netherlands and the EU. The opinion 'De Oekraïne-oorlog als geopolitieke tijdschok' was drafted by Joris Larik (LUC) and Bert Koenders (ISGA), among others.
Read also: Hall of Fame 2022
Compilation and translation: Nadine Louissen, Marleen van Koetsveld and Margriet van der Zee
This overview is a compilation of the year of FGGA, we certainly do not pretend that it is complete. Missing something? Or do you know someone who has also done something special? Let us know via: communicatie@fgga.leidenuniv.nl with the reference: jaaroverzicht.