COVID-19 forces one student's business to close, but giving up is not part of his plan

https://www.wittenborg.eu/covid-19-forces-one-students-business-close-giving-not-part-his-plan.htm

Christian Y. Perwira (Ian) started his Marketing & Communications studies at Wittenborg in the summer of 2017. One year later, he and his sister opened a food stand in Deventer. Unfortunately, COVID-19 struck and his food stand was forced to close. After a couple of weeks, Ian made a decision to set in motion a delivery option out of his kitchen at home. He refreshed, mixed, matched and launched a new delivery menu and sent it out to his customers.

A few weeks have passed since then, and Ian admits that it has not been easy. Even though orders come in on a daily basis, it doesn’t compare to what he used to receive from the food stand. It is fair to say that in the midst of this economic uncertainty, his customers prefer to reduce their spending on a few things, and ordering food is one of them.

COVID-19 forces one student's business to close, but giving up is not part of his plan

Before COVID-19 hit the Netherlands, Ian planned to upgrade his business and have a place of his own where his customers could dine. Ian told us the most difficult part is that you have to be able to do everything yourself and master time-management. However, he does not intend to give up the fight and will do everything in his power to move it forwards again. “Resilience and agility is key and COVID-19 is not going to stop me”, he said.

https://www.wittenborg.eu/theodoor-breevoort-keeps-himself-occupied-playing-guitar.htm

What helps you to stay positive?

The frequent contact with my colleagues in the daily 10:00 online coffee table and the energy and creativity of all staff members to make the most of it.

How are you spending your free time during quarantine?

Keeping in touch with friends and family online, playing guitar, watching Netflix, walking our dog, haha.

Keeping in touch with friends and family online, playing guitar, watching Netflix, walking our dog, haha.

To my regret I can't perform the sports activities I like, but I do get to play the guitar!

What are some changes you have had to make to your home life to accommodate working from home?

None, I already had a private study room.

What do you like most about online learning/teaching?

Not having to travel.

What do you like least about online learning/teaching?

I miss the interaction and the possibility to tailor my teaching to individual students' needs.

What is something you now realise that you took for granted before the COVID-19 pandemic?

Face-to-face interaction with family, friends, colleagues, customers and students.

WUP 19/5/2020
by Olivia Kawuma
©Wittenborg University Press

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Wittenborg Staff

Effect of COVID-19 on Budget Remains to Be Seen

https://www.wittenborg.eu/minister-promises-education-budget-will-not-be-slashed.htm

Smack in the middle of the corona crisis, the Dutch cabinet published a report consisting of 16 papers outlining a broad range of options for improving public services, including the education sector. Next to a great number of interesting improvement options, however, the Broad Civic Re-evaluation, as it is called, also included a series of policy options that would plant a bomb under the education system in the Netherlands.

What is at stake? Last autumn, parliament asked the cabinet to draw up a report that would serve up policy improvement options for the next cabinet, irrespective of political colour, that would at the same time take into consideration the possibility of an economic downturn, maybe even a full-blown recession. So all proposals must fit within a budget that is 20% lower than the current budget.

The policy paper addressing post-secondary education (MBO, HBO and research universities), entitled Developing Talent, thus presents some twenty-two interesting and solid options for improving the quality of education. Most are about how the quality and the labour-market relevance of professional education for young people can be improved. Others might even be favourable to institutions such as our own Wittenborg, like a change to the public funding system to stimulate demand through a system of individual vouchers. However, taken together, these improvement options would need a few billion euro extra budget. And that was not how the civil servants who have drawn up this paper were briefed.

Wittenborg's Sadaf Sakhi Tells us How the Corona Pandemic Changed her Life (and Diet)

https://www.wittenborg.eu/corona-diaries-i-now-eat-more-and-exercise-less.htm

Today we speak to Sadaf Sakhi, Wittenborg's student registry administrator, as part of our new series where staff and students share little bits of information on how they are adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic. As anyone who has ever crossed paths with Sadaf will attest, she is one of the most positive and cheerful people at Wittenborg with a wicked sense of humour.

Hello Sadaf, can you tell us more about yourself?

I am originally from Afghanistan, but I have been living in the Netherlands since I was 3 years old.

What helps you to stay positive?

What always helps me to stay positive is of course hope. The hope that eventually everything will be alright. Everything has a beginning and an end. Always ask yourself: "Can it get worse than this?" If the answer is "yes" you are good. However hard it can be, always try to see the good sides of things instead of just the bad sides."

What are some of the changes you had to make to accommodate the new reality?

Working from home and isolating myself at home. Only going out when necessary.

How are you spending your free time in self-isolation?

I spend time with family, bake and cook more, read and clean around the house more - although I hate doing it! I also watch movies, listen to music, eat more and exercise less, unfortunately.

Have you developed any new hobbies?

No plans for new hobbies (yet). However, for some existing hobbies, like reading, I now have more time for them. Here is where looking on the bright side of things comes in.

Implementing Fast-Track Procedure for Current Accreditation Applications

https://www.wittenborg.eu/nvao-discuss-accreditation-application-wittenborg-9-june.htm

A panel from the Dutch accreditation and quality assurance body NVAO will hold discussions with Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences on 9 June after postponing all its site visits in light of the coronavirus COVID-19 in March. 

Wittenborg is applying for Transnational Education (TNE) approval for the full delivery of its programmes in Munich, Germany at the New European College (NEC) and seeking re-accreditation for its Master of Business Administration (MBA) as well as Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) programmes.  

NVAO has now created a fast-track procedure for current TNE accreditations, which involves the possibility that in-person visits might be replaced by digital discussions. This follows an announcement by the Dutch government that it will ease COVID-19 restrictions from the second week in May. NVAO said in a letter it has decided to make certain adjustments to its current procedures to allow for the assessments without compromising on the quality assurances it provides to new education programmes. "The coronavirus brought procedures at several institutions to a standstill and we view this as an undesirable situation given the legislative demands the procedures are subjected to."

It stressed that the adjustments are temporary and still in line with European Standards and Guidelines.  

Wittenborg formed a partnership with NEC to deliver Wittenborg's bachelor's and master's programmes at their location in Munich. Student numbers there are eventually expected to grow to around 150. The terms of the delivery are set out in a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two institutions.

Less than Half Satisfied with Support from Governments to Hospitality Organisations

https://www.wittenborg.eu/hospitality-sector-positive-about-hiring-staff-near-future.htm

More than 75% of hospitality organisations believe they will start hiring staff again over the next 12 months, a quick survey by Hosco, the world's leading hospitality network, has revealed. This is good news for hospitality students at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences for whom an internship in the sector is part of the curriculum, often leading to a job after their studies.

In the Netherlands, restaurants, bars, hotels and airlines have been some of the hardest hit businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. The survey by Hosco, done in the third week of April, confirms the consequences for job seekers. A graph shows that 90% of respondents said that their hiring plans were affected to a "great or extreme extent".

Hospitality studies, both bachelor's and master's, are some of the most popular programmes among prospective students at Wittenborg. In the last few weeks international alumni have, however, struggled to find or keep their jobs due to COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic on 12 March by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and have started a petition for the Dutch government to extend the 12-month orientation year (zoekjaar) afforded to graduates. This action has been supported by Wittenborg who also appealed to both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Higher Education.

These are some of the main findings of the Hosco survey:

Staff staying connected at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences

https://www.wittenborg.eu/importance-staying-connected-during-these-precarious-times.htm

Following Jack Ma’s example of daily communication with his staff during the 2003 SARS lockdown in China, Dadi Chen, senior lecturer at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences (WUAS) proposed an online daily meeting for staff during the Education Board meeting in preparation for online teaching during the COVID-19 crisis. The proposal was gladly accepted by colleagues and thus the Online Coffee Table began. Every morning at 10 a.m., at least 30 members of WUAS staff from Apeldoorn, Amsterdam and Munich campuses gather online through Microsoft Teams.

According to Maggie Feng, Wittenborg CEO, this daily meeting is intended to check in with staff to ensure that everyone is coping well given the current situation. She considers the Online Coffee Table one of the positives from the COVID-19 pandemic, as it has brought staff much closer digitally than could have been achieved physically. Echoing this sentiment is WUAS lecturer, Bruno Salvetti, who sees this daily session as a tool that maintains our sense of community in these challenging times where we need to maintain our relationships latent in an environment of isolation. For lecturer Theodoor Breevoort, who was already in contact with most colleagues through other mediums before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the ability to see each other on screen and bond through chit-chat is welcome during these times.

Dutch Ministers to Answer Questions on International Graduates' Petition

https://www.wittenborg.eu/dutch-ministers-answer-questions-international-graduates-petition.htm

The plight of hundreds of international graduates in the Netherlands who petitioned the government to extend the 12-month orientation year (zoekjaar), afforded to international graduates allowing them to look for a job, has reached the Dutch parliament. D66 MP Jan Patternotte has addressed written questions to three ministers, which they have to respond to later this week. The matter has also been highlighted on an EU website in a news brief.

A number of Wittenborg graduates are among those who have either lost their jobs because of COVID-19 in the Netherlands or cannot find employment since the virus hit the Netherlands in March. One of them, Varsha Punj, has since co-founded a Facebook group, drawing more than 750 members up to now, as well as starting a petition to the Dutch Senate which has been signed by more than 1,800 people. Their case has been covered by several media outlets.

In the meantime, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has also sent a letter to different ministries to plead the case of the graduates. In response, a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, said he has forwarded it to Education as the matter "falls in their policy area".

Wittenborg's student, Marc Smoorenburg, shares with us how the COVID-19 crisis has made him realise the importance of human connections and classroom teaching.

https://www.wittenborg.eu/corona-diaries-being-my-family-miami-helps-me-stay-positive.htm

As part of our new series where staff and students share little bits of information on how they are adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have Marc Ryan Smoorenburg sharing his story from Miami, Florida.

Hello Marc, can you tell us more about yourself?

I am a first-year student, following an HBA programme in Sports Business Management.  I'm 18 years old and I love football.  It is my passion😊.

Why did you decide to go home during this crisis?

I decided to go back home because I felt that school was going to be online for the rest of the year and I wanted to see my family again. I left the Netherlands on April 6th.

What helps you to stay positive?

What helps me most to stay positive is being with my family in Miami.

What are some of the changes you had to make to accommodate the new reality?

Because I went back to Miami, Florida, to be with my family, I have to adjust to the different time zone, which is 6 hours behind Dutch time, and be present for the online lessons.

What do you like most about online learning?

What I like most about online learning is the easy access, availability and flow of information.

What do you like least about online learning?

What I like least about online learning is the lack of human connection that is most present in a classroom setting.

How are you spending your free time in self-isolation?

I am mostly spending my free time either studying and working on my school work or spending time with my parents and brother.

"International Cooperation and Globalisation Now more Important than Ever": Peter Birdsall

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, has congratulated academic partner the Shanghai Business School (SBS) in China on its 70th anniversary with a personal video message.

Wittenborg has had a partnership with SBS for almost a decade and for Wittenborg students one of the highlights of the academic year is the opportunity for an annual trip to Shanghai where they spend a week in the city, including time at SBS, to enrich their cultural knowledge. In turn, SBS students can study at Wittenborg through Credit Transfer agreements that allow them to take their credits back to Shanghai for graduation.

Birdsall, who like the majority of Wittenborg staff has been working from home the past few weeks, said 70 years in education is a "remarkable achievement".

"We wish Shanghai Business School warm congratulations. Seventy years in education – that is a remarkable achievement and we are very proud to celebrate this with you. Our relationship goes back 10 years already and we've had many successful student exchanges – with students from China coming to study in the Netherlands and our students enjoying time in Shanghai.

"We look forward to carrying on our relationship with you. Especially after these dark times, looking forward to working together again." Birdsall said Wittenborg is also looking forward to working with SBS staff and management in developing and improving international higher education. "We understand even more now how important international relations and globalisation are in making the world a success, and making the future of our students bright.