Apeldoorn social entrepreneur sees wonderful meeting of cultures

Wittenborg's Project Week SDG#3, 2022, on Good Health & Well-being concluded one month ago, so it is a good time for all participants to look back on these inspiring three days of lectures, workshops and a fantastic finale. Social entrepreneur Simon Boon moderated a panel discussion on the second day of Project Week. He led two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Students took part in this lively discussion that covered tough topics such as drug addiction, smoking, suicide and depression. How did Simon Boon participate in this project week? And how did he look back on this panel discussion and hear so many different voices from students and staff?

Look back to EuroCHRIE 2022 in Apeldoorn

From 24 to 27 October 2022, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences had the pleasure of hosting the 2022 European Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE) at the ROC Aventus building in Apeldoorn. Around 170 delegates from more than 20 countries, including places like Japan, France, Morocco, Australia and Finland, came to the conference to network and share information.

Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng announced that she is standing down as Director of Conferencing and Networking at EuroCHRIE. She was elected to this position in 2019 and received great respect from the other board members for "leaving a fantastic legacy for future conference hosts" and for "establishing a EuroCHRIE Foundation."

Wittenborg thanks everyone for enriching this event with their presence and for making this possible. Enjoy this recap of the 2022 EuroCHRIE event in Apeldoorn.

EuroCHRIE Apeldoorn 2022

WUP 25/01/2022
by Niels Otterman
©WUAS Press

Recognising institutional talent

In December, the 2022 AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards were held in London, UK, with a guest list of over 200 business school representatives and judges. The evening, filled with fun, friends and exclusive networking opportunities, was particularly special, as it was the first in-person awards show since 2020. Judges were made up of AMBA board members, business experts, education leaders and managers. A total of six institutions were recognised for their excellence in providing business education across seven countries.

Among the guests were Wittenborg President Peter Birdsall, Assurance of Learning Manager Kriszta Kaspers and former Vice President of Academic Affairs Ron Tuninga, who was recently appointed to the AACSB. WUAS had been nominated in the category of BGA Business School Impact Award 2022/23. During the evening, Wittenborg received official high commendations for the BGA Business School Impact Award, which is meant to reward schools with significant societal impact. According to the AMBA & BGA:

“This award is designed to offer a platform through which BGA member, validated, and accredited schools can demonstrate their stakeholder impact – encompassing students and graduates as well as the wider communities in which they operate. Such impact can be demonstrated through programme design, social outreach programmes, alumni relations, careers services and so on.”
 

Cabinet still wants to limit international students

In late 2022, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences’ President Peter Birdsall penned a letter to the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Robbert Dijkgraaf. The letter was written after significant agitation within parliament to limit the influx of international students, with parliament reasoning that they are a strain on public resources and contribute to the housing crisis. In the letter, Birdsall lobbied for a nuanced policy toward international students, with specific regard to private institutions like Wittenborg which do not rely on public resources and can house their incoming students. Letters from those in the Dutch higher education sector such as Birdsall appeared to have prompted some reflection from Dijkgraaf, who penned a response which highlighted the importance of international students, yet still lamented a lack of resources. Recently, all public institutions have been told to stop active international recruitment, taking much of Wittenborg's direct competition off the international market.

Understanding the needs of alumni

In Q4 2023, the European Foundation for Management Development, along with the UK-based market consultancy group CarringtonCrisp, released the findings of their ‘Alumni Matters’ study on the needs and potential of graduates. According to CarringtonCrisp, “Schools miss out on opportunities not just to build fundraising, but to better engage corporates, to support their recruitment of new students and to attract alumni to return for further study, to create potential providers of internships and guest speakers and much more.” As such, the Alumni Matters survey, which will be conducted again in August, seeks to elaborate on what alumni desire from a school with the purpose of creating recommendations for plans of action to better appeal to this demographic. As Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences is continuing to develop its lifelong learning opportunities, the study provides important insight and takeaways for all business schools looking to serve former students.