One last time (as Dean)
Dear colleagues and students,
On 28 February 2025 my appointment as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities will come to an end. It was truly a privilege to have the opportunity to lead our world-renowned faculty for the past eight years. Our education and research are always very highly rated in external assessments – again very recently. Thousands of students have graduated and hundreds of PhDs have been awarded. I have seen many colleagues acquire successful research and education grants, and there has been an impressive flow of research results and societal activities over the years. Helping to make this possible gave me motivation to continue as Dean on many occasions, compensating for an overfull diary and long days of meetings. At the same time, it was also often a challenge, whether relating to individual issues or to problems affecting the faculty or even the university. Fortunately, you rarely have to face these alone; I knew I was supported by the expertise and dedication of many colleagues, from finance to HR, research, communication and other areas.
In my early years, the challenge was mainly to create more mutual trust and sense of togetherness in the faculty. My impression is that the faculty is now experienced more as something shared, despite differences between us. It is important to avoid an ‘us/them’ mentality and especially to know that we can only move forward, and continue to make progress, if we all work together.
The Covid period was an exceptional and onerous challenge. It is impressive how everyone was willing and able to take extra steps at that time, and our research and education still kept going to a large extent. Thanks to the efforts of many individuals, we always found a solution for problems and issues.
In recent years, social unrest has become a feature of our academic community. It has naturally caused concerns, but equally some very positive experiences, such as the great commitment to societal and often global issues relating to justice and the future of our environment. Unfortunately, the strength of emotions and passions meant that matters did not always proceed as we may have hoped. The administrative responsibility and balancing of interests sometimes demand that you must set aside personal considerations and prioritise more general interests. This was not always easy.
Over the last eighteen months, my work as the Dean has mainly been dominated by concerns about the future of our faculty. It has been a difficult period and I find it most distressing that the uncertainty continues, and that what we cherish is under great threat. There are serious dilemmas, and a characteristic of dilemmas is that they have no solution. At least, not without loss of something valuable. Difficult decisions have to be made, which will always meet with considerable resistance, simply because they
affect people in terms of what inspires and motivates them, and even makes their life fulfilling. And yet they are unavoidable. This is tragic, but not the end. It can mean that colleagues and students (but also specialisations and study programmes) face hardship. We must obviously try to prevent this as far as possible. We will certainly come through this difficult period, and the faculty will again renew and flourish. It is extremely important in this context that we should not come into too much conflict with one another, due to the (largely external) circumstances, and that we also continue to highlight the importance of the humanities. We should remember that a call to ‘go back to basics’ or ‘keep doing what we’ve always done’ can lead to stagnation. In addition to continuity, renewal is an important strength and task of scholarship and education.
Needless to say, not everything has gone well over the past eight years; some things could or should undoubtedly have been done better, differently or more smoothly. Leading a large professional organisation requires patience and moves slowly, and calls for constant assessments and dealing with uncertainties. The engagement and enthusiasm, but also the passion and high expectations, of everyone in our academic community are our strength and sometimes also our weakness; the latter especially if we take insufficient account of the people around us and how we come across to them. Cherish our differences, maintain mutual respect, acknowledge each other’s emotions, but also try to always look for shared values and, in the words of Kant, see the other as an ‘end in itself’ and not simply as a means to achieve something; as a person like yourself.
Am I going to miss this? Not the problems, but certainly the many colleagues and students with whom I have been privileged to work. This wonderful faculty is about people, and I have truly experienced tremendous dedication and inspiration. Here I think first of my fellow Faculty Board members over the years, the colleagues within the Faculty Office, the academic directors, the Faculty Council and many, many other people within the faculty. The dedication and collegiality of my fellow deans and the members of the Executive Board has also been very important for me. Finally, Jonique: the role of dean can only be fulfilled if you have excellent support. Many thanks to you all for your hard work, critical sharing of ideas, commitment and support.
Finally, we should remember that insights of the humanities are needed more than ever in a world where peaceful coexistence has still not been achieved and international tensions are rising further, and where our idea of ‘the good society’ demands constant adjustments due to environmental issues and technological developments. The essential understanding and respect for one another, nurtured by knowledge of our histories, philosophies and cultures, require strong humanities that are engaged with society. All of us in the faculty are working on this, directly or indirectly, and we must continue to promote this endeavour.
I am looking forward to being able to immerse myself in books again from 1 March and to ‘dust off’ my research projects. I will take the many memories with me. I would like to thank everyone for their support and dedication, for our work together and especially for the enjoyment and successes of the past years.
I wish everyone the very best for the future,
Mark