{"id":132967,"date":"2021-11-17T16:36:35","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T15:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=132967"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:59","slug":"martine-van-selm-creating-impact-we-do-that-every-day-at-eshcc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/11\/17\/martine-van-selm-creating-impact-we-do-that-every-day-at-eshcc\/","title":{"rendered":"Martine van Selm: Creating impact? ‘We do that every day at ESHCC’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Martine van Selm has been dean of Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication for a year now. She says ‘there are no longer any signs’ of the unrest that marked the years before her arrival. \u201cI\u2019ve felt really welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC) had two deans in two-and-a-half years; a time during which there was, to say the least, a lot of unrest in the faculty. An announced merger, accusations of plagiarism by interim dean Dymph van den Boom, stories about a culture of fear and a forensic investigation into employee e-mail accounts. The story ended with clarity from the Executive Board: ESHCC will remain independent. In early 2020, the Executive Board also apologised for the forensic investigation. Calm was restored. Martine van Selm started at the faculty on 1 November last year.<\/p>\n\n\t

\u2018Lots to celebrate\u2019<\/h2>

Starting in a new job while everyone is working online and at home is a challenge, explained Van Selm. \u201cThere\u2019s no instruction manual for that. You just do everything online and meet people that way. I only met some people in the flesh for the first time last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, Van Selm is mainly proud of her first year: \u201cThere was also a lot to celebrate over the past year. We received the education and research award at the opening of the academic year. We have a newly appointed KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) member, Suzanne Jansen. That\u2019s really special and an honour. And we also celebrated the small things, like being able to hold diploma ceremonies in person again. That was also really special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Very welcome<\/h2>

Van Selm was not aware when working in Amsterdam that ESHCC had been through turbulent months in 2019. After she was approached to apply for the position of dean, of course she delved into the details of the faculty. \u201cI understood that a merger had been investigated, that there were insurmountable problems related to this and that the merger was no longer on the cards. I was very keen to start and I really enjoyed it.\u201d According to Van Selm, that\u2019s still the case.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018The university has a strategy on creating impact, but you could say that we just do that every day at ESHCC\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

\u201cI feel that the collaboration with the management team, the department heads and the other people I\u2019ve met is going really well,\u201d stated the dean. She hasn\u2019t noticed a culture of fear at all. \u201cBefore my arrival, interim dean Frank van der Duijn Schouten took some major steps in establishing a new organisational structure that I could develop further.\u201d An employee satisfaction survey conducted in the summer prior to her arrival was used to start addressing certain themes, such as work pressure and communication. \u201cAnd about the<\/p>\n

atmosphere: I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a major theme. We\u2019re just getting on with delivering our fantastic teaching and research.\u201d<\/p>\n

In contrast to her predecessor Van den Boom, Van Selm has not been asked to make the faculty \u2018more robust\u2019. She started working in Rotterdam with \u2018full commitment\u2019 to manage a faculty she considers to be unique in the Netherlands; focusing on interdisciplinary research and education from the perspective of both humanities and social sciences. She became enthusiastic about the \u2018international character\u2019, the collaboration between the various disciplines and the research on social themes. For instance, Media and Communications are working with History to research racism in football. \u201cThe university has a strategy on creating impact, but you could say that we just do that every day at ESHCC.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culture Campus<\/h2>

Van Selm is in discussions with the deans of Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus School of Philosophy and the International Institute of Social Studies to enhance social sciences and humanities within the university. \u201cWe have ideas for health humanities\u2019 research and education; examining contemporary health issues from various disciplines. It\u2019s a plan that still needs some further development. We\u2019re already working a lot with other faculties, such as in the LDE.\u201d Other students from other faculties are more than welcome at ESHCC, she emphasised. \u201cFor instance, they can enrol for our minors, such as the Fashion Industry minor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Een lijst met artikelen<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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