The unsure future of ESHCC

2019 was – and this is carefully phrased – an exciting year for the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC). First, a coming merger kept everyone busy, then the internal differences after dean Van den Boom got accused of plagiarism. Next to that, there would be a culture of fear within ESHCC, and then the merger plans, maybe with the Erasmus School of Philosophy, back on the table. At the beginning of 2020, the merger was swiped off the table again.

“The Executive Board wants a ‘more robust’ ESHCC. A merger with another faculty is being considered as a way to achieve this.” The rumours have been going around for a while now, but at the end of 2018 they discussed a possible merger in the Faculty Council. Employees have a lot of question about the research interim-dean Dymph van den Boom is doing about the future of ESHCC.

Soon after it shows that the majority of the ESHCC-employees are against the merger, and also the people from ESSB are not unanimously in favour of the merger.

Van den Boom still beliefs that a merger is the best solution for the faculty, preferably with ESSB. The Executive Board shares this belief, which causes great dissatisfaction among the Faculty Councils.

Suddenly Van den Boom left ESHCC. “Van den Boom was appointed to provide recommendations for the future of the faculty. That job has been completed, so she’s now handing over the baton”, says a spokesman of the university. A week later the newspaper NRC Handelsblad posted the story that the dean committed plagiary.

In the meantime, the merger plans are delayed, and after weeks of discussions, open letters and negative advise, the idea to merge the faculties for social sciences and humanities has been swiped off the table.

With the canceled merger, there is still a lot going on with the faculty. The same day that the cancelation of the merger was made public, twelve staff members  of History withdraw faith in the management of the faculty. The agitation is cause enough for a cultural investigation.

The successor of old interim dean Dymph van den Boom is announced: Frank van der Duijn Schouten, also interim dean at the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE). Hij arrives at a time were things don’t go smoothly at the ESHCC.

In response writes Marc Verboord,associate professor at the media & communication department of ESHCC, that he doesn’t believe in the stories about a ‘culture of fear’.

A forensic investigation agency looks into the personal mail of the employees without permission, which causes a chain reaction of indignation. When the storm has calmed down a bit, the merger plans are back on the table again. Interim dean Van der Duijn Schouten thinks it really is the best solution for ESHCC. In his advise, he draws harsh conclusions, especially about the management of the faculty.

In the plans, a situation is scheduled in which the ESHCC could merge with the Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil). This brings a lot of commotion from the philosophers, who want to remain an independent faculty. Van der Duijn Schouten sees things differently.

Partially on request of the Faculty Council and the interim dean, the cultural investigation within ESHCC is suspended. The possible unrest that such an investigation would create is the most important reason for the suspension. Rector Magnificus Rutger Engels shares his opinion about the mail investigation at ESHCC. Despite the many protests, he doesn’t regret the investigation.

With the decision to not merge the faculty ESHCC, the Executive Board hopes to give clarification after a ‘tumultuous’ year.