Wittenborg Lecturer Pens Paper on Privacy as Governments Push for Data Collection in Fight Against COVID-19

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-lecturer-pens-paper-privacy-governments-push-data-collection-fight-against-covid-19.htm

Privacy Matters - Also in a Time of Corona

The value of data in fighting the spread of COVID-19 has been emphasised by authorities around the world - from promoting mobile applications tracing the contacts of positive cases, to the exchange of data by researchers. But where does this leave an individual's right to privacy? Wittenborg lecturer Stanley Mbelu (LL.M) co-authored a recent paper on the subject with fellow academic Fortune Nwaiwu from the Tomas Bata University in the Czech Republic. It was published on Social Science Research Network.

Owner of Data "Vulnerable to Abuse"

Mbelu and Nwaiwu's research shows that there has been a rapid increase in accessing sensitive personal data by businesses, third parties and different government agencies, which "in most situations leaves the owner of the data vulnerable to abuse."

Face masks, blended learning, live and online teaching at Wittenborg in 2020-2021

https://www.wittenborg.eu/face-masks-blended-learning-live-and-online-teaching-wittenborg-2020-2021.htm

In-classroom and Online Teaching and Learning Combined for all students

Welcome to all our students from around the world, whether you are studying in the Netherlands, in Germany, or in Austria, or in one of the many other countries where you may be at this time. Whichever programme you are studying, the Bachelor of Business Administration, the Master of Business Administration, or the Master of Science MBM programme, we want to empower you to get the very most out of your studies.

We are starting this academic year, in 2020, after having experienced a period of disruption, angst, and lockdown across the world caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. By now it is clear that we will be living with the effects of the coronavirus for some time to come and there is no magic solution. What is important is that we do not let this life-changing event stop us from developing, from learning, from improving our livelihoods, and from keeping moving on forwards.

Online, Live and Blended

At Wittenborg, we have taken this opportunity to further develop our online support courses and move to a system of teaching and learning that will sustain us through the coming academic year. This means that students who are in the Netherlands can follow lessons live in the classroom, as long as this is possible.  Students who are in the Netherlands can also choose to follow the live lessons through the online learning systems, such as Moodle and Microsoft Teams.

Wittenborg MBM Programme Approved as an MSc award by Accreditation Body NVAO

https://www.wittenborg.eu/msc-accredited-nvao-panel-impressed-high-proportion-phd-staff.htm

Good news! Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences' Master of Business Management (MBM) has just been accredited as a Master of Science (MSc) for the next 6 years by the Dutch Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO). The accreditation panel in its report said it appreciates the "strong international and intercultural character" of the MBM programme, adding that Wittenborg has a long track record of and a distinguished focus on international students.

The MBM, unlike the classic MBA, does not require 3 years of work experience from applicants and is focused on bachelor's graduates from the economics sphere. The positive decision is subject to a few conditions, which Wittenborg's chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, said will be "easily met" before the deadline of August 2021.

The panel was also impressed by the qualifications of the teaching staff at Wittenborg and the fact that they are equipped to relate lectures to professional practice. "The panel welcomes the very high proportion of PhD-qualified staff being involved as teachers in the programme. The panel also appreciates the involvement of the teaching staff in the programme and the modules being taught by two teachers. The number of staff involved in the programme is sufficient and the international composition of staff is in line with the diversity of the student body typical of Wittenborg programmes."

From Den Haag, Sardinia, Drechten and Apeldoorn

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-students-summer-updates.htm

Saloni Gulati, one of our IBA students in Logistics and international trade, moved to another city, Den Haag, at the beginning of the pandemic. Den Haag is famous for its beautiful beach, royal buildings, 30 well-maintained theatres and more than 40 museums. Summer is exquisite in this city and Saloni spends her days exploring these beautiful spots whenever she needs a break from working on her thesis. At the weekends, she also does a little bit of part-time work for a change of scene. Moving to the pretty city of Den Haag was one of the best decisions she has taken this year, Saloni explained.

Allegra Zazzaro, an MCI student in Marketing & Communications, left the Netherlands for her hometown of Milan on the 16th of May. She was happy to see her family after being locked down for months in her apartment. Luckily for her, the family owns another house on the island of Sardinia - and from Milan, they temporarily moved to their second home at the beginning of July. Allegra enjoys the contrast of living both the city and the island life. She told us that she appreciates being more in contact with nature as Sardinia has a beautiful sea with crystal-clear waters. Allegra reads more during her days and enjoys walking and trekking around the island.  

Interest to Study in the Netherlands Still High Among International Students: Nuffic Survey

https://www.wittenborg.eu/almost-70-international-students-want-study-netherlands-whether-class-or-online.htm

International students' interest to study in the Netherlands is still huge – and preferably they would like to come to the country at the start of the new academic year in September, a survey by the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education, Nuffic, has shown. The survey was done in two parts to determine how COVID-19 is affecting international students' plans to study in the Netherlands.  

Almost 1,350 prospective students participated in the survey. Deferring their studies was a less popular option among those surveyed. Most would like to study physically in the Netherlands, although they were also open to online alternatives.  

At Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences the number of students starting in September is expected to be less than the growth trajectory envisioned before COVID-19. Wittenborg President Peter Birdsall told De Stentor newspaper of the 350 new students expected for the new academic year, he hopes at least 200 will eventually make it to the Netherlands. Currently the number stands at 150 with less than a month to go.  

Due to COVID-19, international students still face lots of uncertainties about their study plans. Travel restrictions (62.8%) and visa procedures (46.4%) seem to be at the top of the list of worries, followed by finances (40.3%), scholarship possibilities (35.6%), and the mode of instruction – online or class-based (34.4%).  

Many New Students Taking Leap of Faith Despite COVID-19

https://www.wittenborg.eu/many-new-students-taking-leap-faith-despite-covid-19.htm

Wittenborg Executive Optimistic about September Student Intake Numbers

The President of Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, Peter Birdsall, says he is optimistic that the institution can attain at least 60% of its usual September intake of new students despite COVID-19. Birdsall made the remarks in an interview with Dutch daily, De Stentor, along with Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng. Flight restrictions still hamper free travel in many countries and a lot remains uncertain.

While Introduction Week at many Dutch institutions will have to be scaled down, there are no such worries at Wittenborg where a different agenda has always been the norm. International students attend classes and get tours where they are shown the ropes about life in the Netherlands, what is expected academically and practically, the challenges, and getting to meet fellow students and staff.  

For the past few years, student intake numbers have grown continuously and without COVID-19 an estimated 350 new students would have been expected for the start of the 2020/21 academic year. Optimistically, this might have to be adjusted to around 200 (57%) and is currently standing at about 42%.  

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-alumnus-blooming-dream-job.htm

When MBA student Diah Syauqiresa graduated from Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences this summer, she had already found her dream job – as creative designer at a major, international flower retailer, Bloom On, in Amsterdam. Her strategy? To ensure the internship she applied for as a student has a high probability of turning into a permanent position later. And of course, working hard!

"I always wanted to work as a graphic designer, and while studying at Wittenborg, I looked for an internship in that sector many months before I graduated," says Diah, who hails from Indonesia and did an MBA in Entrepreneurship at Wittenborg Amsterdam. She quickly found a job at sustainable flower delivery service Bloom On, which has a presence in 6 countries. By the time she graduated in July, Diah had signed a contract with them. "I landed my dream job at my dream company." 

What does a typical day look like for her? "My job entails many aspects. I do graphic designing for the website, social media, packaging, banners, flyers and many other things. Every three months we have a photo shoot, so I also direct those shoots and occasionally act as photographer myself."

Do You Suffer from Multiple Nationality Order as an Expat?

https://www.wittenborg.eu/feeling-bit-lost-between-countries-they-have-name.htm

As an international living abroad, you might not have heard of the term "Multiple Nationality Disorder", but chances are you have felt it. That unease when, after living abroad for a few months or years, you realise you cannot fully integrate back into your own nationality. Wittenborg lecturer and life coach Nátalia Leal recently wrote about the phenomenon on her website and the article was in turn picked up by Expat Republic. Here is an excerpt of Leal's original article:

"A few days ago I attended an Expat Fair in Amsterdam. It was full of interesting stands and workshops. One presentation in particular got me both laughing and thinking: Greg Shapiro is the American-Dutch comedian who gave his voice to Trump in the video "America First, but Netherlands Second", which went viral a while ago. During his short presentation he mentioned how expats suffer from 'MND'. My first reaction was one of curiosity. What is that?He explained MND stands for Multiple Nationality Disorder.

You Carry a Bit of Each Place Inside You

"I thought: Indeed, once you have the experience of living abroad for at least a couple of months, you will never again feel that you can fully integrate back into your own nationality. This gets even stronger if you have lived abroad for several years and/or in multiple countries. Whether you want it or not, you will start carrying with you a bit of each place you have lived in.

Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng Elected to EuroCHRIE Board of Directors

https://www.wittenborg.eu/meet-eurochries-new-director-conferences-wittenborg-ceo-maggie-feng.htm

Congratulations are in order for Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng who has officially been elected to the Board of Directors of EuroCHRIE - The European Council on Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Education. Feng is now serving as EuroCHRIE's Director of Networking and Conferences. This comes on the heels of the announcement that Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences will host the prestigious hospitality and educators conference in 2021.

Conference Has True Added Value

Feng said she is thrilled to serve the organisation in this capacity. "The conference has true added value for many educators, scholars, researchers, managers, directors of institutes in the hospitality, tourism, even recreation sector. I believe that this role, Director of Conferencing and Networking, is vitally important for this group of hardworking and like-minded people to be able to serve the community in the coming years in whatever shape or form."

Sustainability Key

According to Feng, one of her goals in the role as Director of Conferences will be to establish a truly sustainable process in terms of future events. "In other words, I would like to set a package that will be useful to all future conferences, a foundation that they can keep working on and improving on, while at the same time giving room to each host to add their signature touch and speciality to the conference."

Do you have what it takes to be a good student?

https://www.wittenborg.eu/taking-responsibility-your-own-mistakes.htm

Do you have what it takes to be a good student? Or do you blame your teacher or the books if you don't get good grades? If your answer to the second question is "Yes", then the answer to the first question is a "No".

"A bad workman always blames his tools"

“A bad workman always blames his tools” is an old adage which surfaced sometime in the 13th century or earlier.  As the sentence implies, it criticises a person who always puts the blame on other people or things for his or her own failure.  Sometimes, we forget that it is not the tools we use which make us good, but rather how we employ them.

Making mistakes is inevitable; it is just how life is.  Nobody is perfect and life does not always pan out the way we hope it will.  But it has always been the default reaction of many people to find somebody or something else to blame for their misfortunes.  When things happen, it is the result of many contributing factors caused by your own actions and those of others.  But the tendency is that we always point the finger at others and not at ourselves.

"You don't need an expensive racket and shoes to play good tennis."

A tennis coach once said to his young children that they don’t need an expensive racket or tennis shoes to play good tennis.  What they need is perseverance, hard work and discipline.  The tennis shoes and racket are merely tools.  This is exactly what the 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer says: “If your life is difficult, in 99% cases it is because you didn’t work hard enough, you didn’t learn well enough, you didn’t live selflessly enough.  And if you want to better your life, start learning well, working hard and living for reasons larger than your mortal self.”