{"id":120516,"date":"2020-12-03T14:24:46","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T13:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=120516"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:35:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T15:35:04","slug":"farewell-interview-rutger-engels-ive-managed-to-form-a-coalition-of-the-willing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/12\/03\/farewell-interview-rutger-engels-ive-managed-to-form-a-coalition-of-the-willing\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell interview Rutger Engels: \u2018I’ve managed to form a coalition of the willing’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The announcement of Engel\u2019s departure came out of the blue for the university community. He had only talked to two people within the university and to a handful of ‘other top executives’ outside of the university about his doubts concerning the rectorate. Doubts? Engels is not a man who expresses his doubts openly. He did, however, talk about a notion that crept up on him at the start of the pandemic last spring: “Where can I make the best use of my talents? Where will my efforts to address the social consequences of the corona pandemic be most effective?”<\/p>\n

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Rutger Engels <\/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\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

EM: There have been a lot of changes amongst university leaders over the past few years. Many people whom we have spoken to think that your departure is damaging to the stability of the executive board. The ombudsperson recently made a plea in her annual report for calmer governance and hoped that with the arrival of a new president in September and a new third member in January 2021, the university would find itself in calmer waters in terms of its governance. Why have you not taken a bit more time before you leave? Is there perhaps a personal reason behind your decision?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that is a legitimate question. I do come across as passionate and energetic. I get up every day full of passion and energy. Let me start by reassuring everyone: there is nothing wrong with me personally. I am as fit as a fiddle, and I\u2019m neither overworked nor burnt out. I made this decision myself. As far as unrest is concerned, Erasmus University is a very solid university, listed 72nd in the Times\u2019 World Universities Rankings<\/a>. A new direction has been charted and we have done that with the entire university community. I think it stands incredibly firm and I have every confidence in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unrest about numerous changes<\/h2>

Although Frank van der Duyn Schouten will be interim-rector as from January Engels understands that the numerous changes \u2013 even among deans and directors \u2013 can lead to unrest. \u201cThe ombudsperson was also right to raise this with us. But I think interim board members are not necessarily bad for stability. On the contrary, Hans Smits, who knows the university inside out, has actually managed to create a great deal of calm. It was partly thanks to him that we got through those first tense months of the corona crisis.\u201d
\nStill, that doesn\u2019t explain why Engels is quitting after two and a half years. \u201cI started off with the idea of doing this for seven to eight years. But I don\u2019t consider two and a half years to be that short per se, given that so much has been achieved in that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as it was for so many other people, the beginning of the corona pandemic was a time of reflection for Engels. \u201cThe fact that it then took me a while to make a decision was also due to my enormous commitment to this university and, to be frank, to Rotterdam. I had a couple of days off in the autumn break and then I made my decision. I subsequently informed the Supervisory Board and my colleagues of the Executive Board Ed Brinksma and Ann O\u2019Brien.\u201c
\nIt was not that he was fed up with his position as rector magnificus of this leading university. \u201cIn the meantime, I\u2019ve really been working hard for this university.\u201d Although the job is a combination of \u2018firefighter and strategist\u2019, he never tired of putting out fires. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the job, even though it isn\u2019t always fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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