{"id":183291,"date":"2025-11-06T11:09:25","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T10:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=183291"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:58","slug":"maatschappelijke-raad-van-advies-wil-dat-rotterdammers-de-straat-op-gaan-als-de-universiteit-onder-vuur-komt-te-liggen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/11\/06\/maatschappelijke-raad-van-advies-wil-dat-rotterdammers-de-straat-op-gaan-als-de-universiteit-onder-vuur-komt-te-liggen\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Advisory Council wants the people of Rotterdam to take to the streets if the university comes under fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a Social Advisory Council, the university hopes to extend its antennae further into society. The council was established this autumn and aims to ensure that the people of Rotterdam become as attached to the university as the university is to them. Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen, former top executive at Aon among other roles, is chair of this new body. Four questions about the council’s purpose and the university’s blind spots.<\/p>

\"\"

The Social Advisory Council, chair Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen fourth from the left.<\/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\tErasmus Universiteit\/Jonathan van Rijn<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

What do you see as the role of the council?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI see the Social Advisory Council as a court jester. In the old days, the jester at court was allowed to express his opinion both nuanced and unnuanced. He was really the only one who could truly tell the king what he thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe too are like such a spider in the web of Erasmus University. We are alongside the Executive Board but outside the formal governance structure, offering our perspective on anything affecting the university in terms of strategy and engagement with the wider world. So that the antennae are tuned in correctly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very different Erasmus University from the one I studied at thirty years ago \u2013 we didn\u2019t have so many choices back then. Today, information is more accessible, abundant and diverse, which has made society more complex. The world has changed and young people \u2013 and I feel it too, by the way \u2013 sense that.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though life is still good in the Netherlands, we shouldn\u2019t become complacent. It\u2019s easy to stay in your own bubble. In the past, you had castles, and from the castle wall you could see what was happening in the village below. Now, the point is: how do you take those walls down? You need to be among the people to understand what\u2019s going on, how you can contribute to that, and how it relates to you as a university.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen<\/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\tOwn photo<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

What will the council focus on?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe members are people who are willing to channel and express their opinions. We\u2019ll meet around four times a year, but if something were to happen now and I thought, \u2018well, they\u2019ve really got it wrong here\u2019, I wouldn\u2019t wait \u2013 I\u2019d pick up the phone right away to ask what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see it as the council\u2019s role to ask questions and, through dialogue, to discover whether the university is still on the right track or if something else is needed. We\u2019ve agreed not to give specific feedback just yet \u2013 we\u2019re starting by familiarising ourselves with the background.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Executive Board can present its dilemmas to us, but we will also raise issues we consider important. And we may also start talking with students and staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you see as the university\u2019s blind spots where the council can help?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a researcher, you might think you\u2019ve done something brilliant, but if you don\u2019t explain it to anyone and nothing is done with it, it will never take off. The point is to unlock that knowledge. I liked what Mayhar (Zarrinphaker, also a member of the SAC \u2013 ed.) said: \u2018Many people still see EUR as an elitist institution.\u2019 That was a blind spot for the university for a long time, but with this council and this strategy we\u2019re breaking down that ivory tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at the issues our society will face in the coming years \u2013 around sustainability, for example, and the rise of AI. These need to be solved, and it won\u2019t be just Erasmus students who do it. Partly, of course, but also people with practical training, such as those from senior secondary vocational education. So how can we improve collaboration with them?<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can we ease the tensions between the university, vocational colleges and universities of applied sciences? Everyone plays an equally valuable role in solving the existential problems our society faces. But that\u2019s not always how it\u2019s perceived.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe university could also show more humility. For example, if you were to open up the street here right now, you\u2019d see lots of cables. To get something working again in the event of a fault, you need knowledge \u2013 but you also need people who can actually do the work on site. Mechanics and plumbers are the potential millionaires of the future. So how does the university stay relevant?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother point is that the university feels strongly connected to the city \u2013 but is that feeling mutual? Is the university doing enough to translate its work to society and the city? Is it clear enough, and is it being communicated well enough, what the university is actually doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

When will the Social Advisory Council be a success for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAt one point someone said: if Feyenoord were to leave Rotterdam, everyone would take to the streets. But if Erasmus University were to announce it was moving to The Hague, what would happen then?<\/p>\n

\u201cTo compare: if Harvard decided to close its doors and move to Toronto \u2013 which was a real possibility \u2013 it would have a huge impact on Boston\u2019s economy, and on how people there feel. People would really take to the streets over that.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, you want that kind of commitment and engagement in Rotterdam as well. That people from Rotterdam \u2013 and across the Netherlands, because this isn\u2019t just about Erasmus \u2013 understand that universities are crucial breeding grounds for new ideas and innovation. So if in a few years\u2019 time people have a clearer idea of what the university stands for, then we will have been successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

\n\t\t

Social Advisory Council<\/p>\n

Erasmus University has established a Social Advisory Council (SAC). The eight-member council consists of individuals who have proven themselves in society and the business world. The council can provide the university with both solicited and unsolicited advice on its societal role. The council held its first meeting in October and is now reading up on the university\u2019s new strategy. Erasmus University wants to be an engaged university and strengthen and make more visible its role in the city and society.<\/p>\n

The members are
\nEric van \u2019t Zelfde \u2013 Social worker, Pauluskerk Rotterdam
\nMayhar Zarrinphaker \u2013 Social entrepreneur, Stichting Werkshop
\nMarguerite Soeteman-Reijnen \u2013 Holds various supervisory positions including at Siemens and MN
\nSabine Biesheuvel \u2013 Director, BlueCity
\nJacqueline Prins \u2013 Chair of the Executive Board, Zadkine
\nJulia Mendlik \u2013 President, Rotterdam District Court
\nJurgen Rienks \u2013 Director, Nether
\nRosalinde van der Vlies \u2013 Director-General for Energy, European Commission<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

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