{"id":103927,"date":"2019-10-03T15:19:36","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T13:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=103927"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:29","slug":"van-der-duijn-schouten-wants-to-protect-the-humanities-if-need-be-against-the-scholars-responsible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/10\/03\/van-der-duijn-schouten-wants-to-protect-the-humanities-if-need-be-against-the-scholars-responsible\/","title":{"rendered":"Dean wants to protect the humanities \u2013 if need be against the scholars responsible"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lot of energy has been devoted within Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC) to discussions about the faculty\u2019s future, according to Frank van der Duijn Schouten. \u201cThis may even have been at the expense of the energy a faculty needs to put into education and research\u201d, says the interim dean. That is why he wanted to formulate recommendations that ‘should reasonably quickly lead to a decision’. The dean\u2019s advice<\/a> was made public in late September.<\/p>\n

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Frank van der Duijn Schouten<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAysha Gasanova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Van der Duijn Schouten was appointed as ESHCC\u2019s interim dean in late June. He handles this role next to his position as interim dean at Erasmus School of Economics. He was asked by the Executive Board to study the future of ESHCC.<\/p>\n

The merger plans \u2013 which had been resolutely rejected before the start of the summer \u2013 have now been dusted off and are back on the table. Personally, Van der Duijn Schouten has the most faith in the formation of a strong Humanities faculty that exists side by side with Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). \u201cThis substantial reinforcement of the Humanities and Social Sciences at EUR could come about by allying ESHCC\u2019s various departments with Erasmus School of Philosophy or ESSB.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

The dean doesn\u2019t want to go into which institutions the individual departments can connect with. Although this should be given very careful thought, he emphasises. \u201cYou want to avoid mixing disparate academic cultures that together could form an unhealthy biotope. This may lead to a lot of internal discussions \u2013 something that needs to be avoided in any organisational structure.\u201d A committee will be taking a closer look at the options presented for the faculty\u2019s future. The results of this review are expected in December.<\/p>\n

\u2018Insufficient leadership capacity\u2019<\/h2>

Van der Duijn Schouten draws a number of tough conclusions in the report \u2013 particularly when it comes to the faculty\u2019s administration. \u201cOne finds insufficient leadership capacity within ESHCC,\u201d is how he puts it in his advice.<\/p>\n

According to the dean, a merger will allow EUR to take a step forward that could benefit the university as a whole. \u201cThe combination of a strong Humanities faculty and a strong Social Sciences faculty will improve the university\u2019s positioning, which can attract more students and talented staff. To take the step of this merger, we need strong leadership at the faculty level,\u201d says Van der Duijn Schouten. And this, according to the dean, is precisely what\u2019s lacking at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018In the most recent period, you could see that the management team mainly viewed the Executive Board, and consequently the rest of the university, as a threat.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

In the dean\u2019s view, a small group of people within ESHCC have too much power. One of the mechanisms that drive democracy is differences of opinion, and there\u2019s not enough room for this right now. And due to the existing HRM policy at ESHCC, \u2018there is insufficient leadership potential\u2019 within the faculty to find the right successors to the present leaders. The composition of ESHCC\u2019s team is out of balance: a relatively large number of colleagues are nearing retirement, combined with a relatively large group of young, inexperienced staff members.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the current management team lacks the faculty-wide vision required to work together with other deans and the Executive Board on a better future for the faculty, says Van der Duijn Schouten. \u201cIn the most recent period, you could see that the management team mainly viewed the Executive Board, and consequently the rest of the university, as a threat. Fear is a very bad counsellor.\u201d The dean is referring to the predominantly negative attitude within ESHCC towards a merger \u2013 even though in his eyes, a merger is the best option the faculty has.<\/p>\n

Positive balance thanks to \u2018exceptional increase\u2019<\/h2>

Surprisingly enough, ESHCC\u2019s finances are no longer the faculty\u2019s biggest problem \u2013 even though six months ago, the previous interim dean Dymph van den Boom named its precarious financial position as the most important reason why a merger was required. \u201cAs interim dean I took a look at the budget for 2020-2023\u201d, explains Van der Duijn Schouten. \u201cI have few more figures to work from than my predecessor, and have concluded that in four years\u2019 time, the faculty will be able to stand on its own two feet, financially speaking. A positive reserve is no longer a case of wishful thinking \u2013 which has everything to do with the exceptional increase in student numbers that the faculty has seen these past few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

At present, the faculty\u2019s reserves are still in the red, but this will change over the next four years. \u201cThe reserves are increasing to a healthy level of some 1.5 million euros.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extension of the Executive Board<\/h2>

In the first two months of his term as interim dean, Van der Duijn Schouten says he has done his best to get to know the staff of his new faculty. \u201cAs a dean, you need to invest time and effort to earn people\u2019s trust. When Van den Boom was appointed, she was immediately marked as an extension of the Executive Board. That\u2019s a terrible start. As a Dean, you should get the opportunity to convince the faculty that you are also prepared to go against the Executive Board if need be.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Van der Duijn Schouten, this situation reminds him of his time at Philosophy, where he also served as interim dean during a period when the faculty was looking at an uncertain future. \u201cYou can almost hear the Faculty Council and the entire staff thinking: What\u2019s this Van der Duijn Schouten fellow doing here as a mathematician? He must be one the Executive Board\u2019s people. Similar to what I said to the philosophers, I told the ESHCC staff that the independence of the faculty is not an end in itself. My primary objective is to protect the continuity of the substantive fields, degree programmes and research programmes. This is followed by the staff\u2019s interests. And as far as I\u2019m concerned, the preservation of the faculty as an institutional entity comes last. In this sense, I believe that by presenting a fairly tight and consistent argument, I have managed to earn some trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Frank van der Duijn Schouten<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAysha Gasanova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

By now, the three months allotted to Van der Duijn Schouten at ESHCC have officially expired. He\u2019s prepared to tack on some more time, because \u2018there\u2019s still a lot to be done\u2019. The 70-year-old interim dean isn\u2019t too bothered about reports of a \u2018culture of fear\u2019 within ESHCC. In his view, people should be able to speak their minds in an academic organisation. What\u2019s more, as a mathematician, he says he has a soft spot for fields like philosophy and history. \u201cIt\u2019s harder for me to claim an affinity with Culture and Arts, because back in secondary school the only fail mark on my report card was for Drawing.\u201d But he sees them all as \u2018vulnerable fields\u2019 that deserve to be defended. \u201cOccasionally against the very people who are actually responsible for them. If I can play a part in this defence, I am available for the job. On the condition that the Faculty Council endorses my appointment, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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A week after this interview, it was announced that Van der Duijn Schouten will remain an interim dean at the ESHCC for another year.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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