{"id":112780,"date":"2020-04-21T15:22:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T13:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=112780"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:54","slug":"esl-dean-wants-to-continue-after-second-term-youre-a-dean-for-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/04\/21\/esl-dean-wants-to-continue-after-second-term-youre-a-dean-for-life\/","title":{"rendered":"ESL dean wants to continue after second term: \u2018You\u2019re a dean for life\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first (and so far only) female dean on campus Woudestein works from an office in the Sanders Building. After seven years of service, Suzan Stoter still has a lot of plans for the faculty. In late March, we met with the dean to discuss the transformation of the Sanders Building, the unique character of Rotterdam-schooled legal experts and her terms as dean at the Erasmus School of Law (ESL). Stoter: \u201cBeing a dean isn\u2019t just a job; it\u2019s a mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Suzan Stoter in her office in the Sanders building.<\/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>

Stoter gives us a tour around the sixth floor of the Sanders Building. Surrounded by works of art that are \u2018trapped between glass walls\u2019, recycled side tables and table tops, the dean enthusiastically tells us about the history of the building that houses her faculty.<\/p>\n

Art in the architecture<\/h2>

\u201cWhat you\u2019re seeing here is a combination of Wim Quist\u2019s tight, rhythmic style and Jo Coenen\u2019s flamboyant design,\u201d says Stoter, pointing to the straight lines of the stately, nearly nine-metre-tall bookcase and the series of open floors in ESL\u2019s living room library. Architect Wim Quist drew the plans for the Sanders Building, while one of his pupils, Jo Coenen, was responsible for giving the complex a new, fresh look during a large-scale renovation in 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessor Piet Sanders, the founder of this faculty, was an art connoisseur and collector. So I felt that a renovation of the building would need to embed art in its architecture,\u201d explains Stoter. \u201cAfter all, science originated as art \u2013 the two are inextricably linked.\u201d That is why the dean invited various young Rotterdam artists to present examples of their work between glass panels in the work areas. The building features work by Mette Sterre, Lisa Blaauwbroek and Marleine van der Werf, among other artists.<\/p>\n

The faculty's home <\/h2>

While most deans would leave a renovation to Real Estate & Facilities, Stoter took control of this project herself. \u201cOf course I have an opinion on the matter. I believe academics need a high-quality work environment to take full advantage of their creative potential. So if you\u2019re putting a lot of money into something, you need to make sure it\u2019s a future-proof investment,\u201d she clarifies. \u201cAnd this building serves as our faculty\u2019s home, so we wanted to make sure that its architecture symbolises our values \u2013 transparency, for example, entrepreneurial spirit, light, culture and art.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Stoter is aware that some users aren\u2019t too happy with the current layout, due to noise nuisance and the bustling open-plan offices. \u201cIt takes some getting used to for the staff, of course. If you\u2019re used to working in your own room, switching to an open plan can be a bit of a challenge,\u201d she admits. \u201cBut we believe it\u2019s important that you can actually see and meet each other in the work area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working with a small design team, Stoter rounded off the project in five years. \u201cMy approach to this renovation was similar to how I manage our faculty: I brought together a team of knowledgeable people, and together we decided what needed to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Suzan Stoter (50) obtained her PhD and advanced degree at the University of Amsterdam. She started as an EUR lecturer in 2001, combining this role with a position at the Ministry of Transport and Water Management. After five years as a government employee, she decided to commit to science entirely. In this period, Stoter also serves as academic director of the Centre for Law, Art and Innovation. In 2010 she became a professor at Erasmus School of Law (ESL), followed in 2013 by her appointment as dean of EUR\u2019s law faculty.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

\u2018Rotterdam-schooled legal experts are worldly\u2019<\/h2>

Stoter was born and raised in Drenthe, in the north-eastern Netherlands. \u201cI was incredibly focussed on learning from a very young age,\u201d she remembers. Her parents consistently encouraged her interest in science. \u201cEver since I remember, my mother was always studying. She studied in her free time, next to her work, and now has three academic degrees.\u201d Her uncle and sister are also professors. Stoter: \u201cYou could say that science is a common thread that runs through my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stoter started her academic career at the University of Amsterdam. Here, she was conferred a doctorate for her research \u2018on the interface of law, politics and public administration\u2019 with a dissertation about the weighing of different interests by the legislator. \u201cWhen I went off to study, I insisted on going to Amsterdam. My idea was that that was where everything important happened,\u201d she remembers with a smile. But nothing could be further from the truth. \u201cIt was only when I got to know Rotterdam a bit better that I realised: this is the place \u2013 this is what I\u2019ve been looking for. Here, legal experts can make a difference, because this is an environment that rewards action, enterprise, movement, risk-taking and guts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018It was only when I got to know Rotterdam a bit better that I realised: this is the place \u2013 this is what I\u2019ve been looking for\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

And in her view, this typical \u2018Rotterdam\u2019 profile can also be recognised in her faculty. \u201cAt the time of its establishment, Piet Sanders was asked to train legal experts who could hit the ground running in the private sector. Most law students get their knowledge from books, but in Rotterdam they do things differently: here, knowledge is closely connected to developments outside academia.\u201d ESL\u2019s curricula include practical subjects like Professional Career and Legal and Academic Skills. The programmes refer to case studies from lawyers and judges\u2019 own experience, and students are required to draft legal briefs and practice in a court setting. Stoter: \u201cThis means Rotterdam-schooled legal experts can bring more to the table and know exactly how theory works out in real-life situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Implicit\u2019<\/h2>

After a career within and beyond academia, in 2013 Stoter was appointed as the first female dean at EUR in the 99 years of its history. \u201cOn the one hand, I was amazed by this fact. But on the other hand, it was incredibly cool to serve as a role model in this respect,\u201d she says looking back. Although it did become clear to her that she was something of a pioneer on the Board of Deans: \u201cAs a woman, I approached things differently to what people were used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

She herself refers to her management style as \u2018feminine leadership\u2019. This approach centres on the collective and attention to the organisation as a whole. \u201cNaturally we want to facilitate all the academic talent within our faculty, but it\u2019s no use exclusively <\/em>investing in these people. Ultimately, the collective is what counts, and how to tap into as many different capacities and competences,\u201d she says. \u201cGenerally speaking, leadership is equated with masculine values like dominance and competition. I believe my approach is more implicit and that I don\u2019t mind working a bit more in the background.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Dean Suzan Stoter (second from the left) amongst fellow professors.<\/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\tMichelle Muus<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Discovering talents<\/h2>

As an example of this \u2018implicit approach\u2019, Stoter names the discovery and support of young academics. \u201cWhen I started out as dean, I emphatically focussed on young talented academics who aimed to contribute to the future of the faculty but were not yet a part of the establishment. For example, I immediately recognised Stephanie Wagener as a talented up-and-comer\u201d, says Stoter. The same applied to Farshida Zafar, Richard Staring and Masis Hakhverdian. \u201cI asked these young people to play a role in the overhaul of our faculty\u2019s educational programme.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her talented young academics not only contributed valuable input to the renewal of education at ESL, but they also took on their own coaching roles. \u201cThe great thing is that these staff members can train others in turn. This confirms to me that what I\u2019ve set up makes a difference and can be sustained. I feel so satisfied and pleased when I see where my prot\u00e9g\u00e9es stand today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Far from finished<\/h2>

With over 4,800 students, ESL ranks as one of Erasmus University\u2019s largest faculties. According to the 2018 annual report<\/a>, the faculty comes in third place, after Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) and Rotterdam School of Management (RSM). Nevertheless, the faculty still faces a number of challenges \u2013 including financial ones. \u201cAfter a number of budget cuts, our faculty is actually in dire straits in financial terms,\u201d says Stoter. \u201cAnd the corona crisis has only made things worse.\u201d Moreover, the faculty isn\u2019t earning top marks when it comes to student satisfaction, according to the past three editions of the National Student Survey (NSE).<\/p>\n\n\t

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