Royal honour for policy director John Kroes
John Kroes received a royal honour from Leiden deputy mayor Julius Terpstra on 20 November. He was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau for his exceptional services to the university and his extensive voluntary work for organisations in Leiden and The Hague.
Kroes received the honour during a symposium held to mark his retirement. The theme was ‘The university’s contribution to the cities of Leiden and The Hague’.
Sport, well-being and housing
Kroes lobbied intensively for student accommodation in Leiden and The Hague. He was a board member of the Boerhaave Foundation and worked closely with municipalities and student housing organisations. He also set up Platform Student&Stad, which focuses on student sport, well-being and accommodation in The Hague. His efforts led to a ‘student accommodation action plan’ for The Hague that has since been incorporated in the Woonvisie 2040. He was also responsible for improvements such as student GPs, better sports facilities and the Study in The Hague website.
Kroes contributed to the city centre development in Leiden and The Hague and the university’s role in the two cities. He worked closely with business organisations in the two cities to improve the city centres and created a good balance between the interests of universities, entrepreneurs and local residents. He also supported Dutch scientific institutes abroad, such as the NVIC in Cairo, Nimar in Rabat and the NIT in Istanbul. These institutes strengthen international academic networks and help hundreds of students and academics each year with their research and teaching.
‘He has made a huge contribution to the student climate, student housing, entrepreneurship and the cultural sector in both cities not only as an employee but also as a volunteer’, writes the Municipality of Leiden. ‘He did this in many unpaid roles that often were related to his work at the university but always exceeded this in terms of time spent and engagement.’