Why EM is focusing on these six themes this year

Just like the university, Erasmus Magazine also has a strategy and themes the editorial team will be working on in the coming period. And although we have already been working on them for a few months, I thought it would be a good idea to share the topics with you, our readers.

1. The University and the city – how is that collaboration with the city actually going, the one the university says it attaches so much importance to? Strengthening ties with the people of Rotterdam is not a new ambition, so the questions arise: what is different this time, what will it deliver in concrete terms, and who is taking part and who is not?
2. Another strong portfolio, one that is personally close to my heart, is what we have called The end of education as we know it. With the arrival of AI, the decline in the number of (international) students in the coming years and the societal problems we face, we asked ourselves: how do you prepare young people for their working lives? Are our lecturers well equipped for this, does academic education need to change radically to ensure there are still jobs for graduates at all?
3. The (un)safe campus – safety is not only an issue on the international stage but also on campus. Whether it concerns stricter supervision of who is allowed to speak, protests disrupting the once calm campus or threats from cyberspace. How is the university dealing with this? What about our privacy? And what will it all cost?
4. And how is our Social safety doing in the meantime, also a topic worth covering. After the media storm about unwanted and transgressive behaviour, the question is: is the situation at the university improving, is it all too woke, or too conservative, and are issues in (world) politics only driving people further apart?
5. And what does this mean for the Changing student life? Are old traditions making way for new ones? What drives today’s student in these uncertain times?
6. All of this should also lead to a series of stories about The state of the university. What is it like to be an administrator of the Erasmus University in the roaring twenties of this century? What does leadership demand of you, and how do you keep your head above water?

In the coming period you can expect sharp and insightful pieces on these themes, vivid stories and visual spectacle wherever possible. Including on a new website that we hope to launch at the beginning of 2026.

Are you missing a theme? Do you have input and would you like to talk about it? Get in touch with me or my colleagues and we will get to work!

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