Of Holland's 13 universities, 11 are in World Top 200

https://www.wittenborg.eu/netherlands-still-one-worlds-top-study-destinations-rankings.htm

The Netherlands has maintained its position as one of the top study destinations in the world in the 2020 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Together with Australia, it has the 4th highest number of universities in the Top 200.

Netherlands 3rd in Europe

With 11 of its 13 universities in the Top 200, the Netherlands is only outranked by the UK and Germany in Europe. Worldwide it holds the 4th spot in terms of the number of universities in the Top 200. The US boasts the highest number (60), followed by the UK (28) and Germany (23). The Netherlands shares 4th place with Australia (11).

Oxford University Tops 2020 List

The University of Oxford tops the 2020 rankings for the fourth consecutive year, but most of the UK's other leading institutions have fallen, THE reported. In the Netherlands, the Delft University of Technology (67) fell 9 places, giving up its top spot to Wageningen University (59), which has kept its position from last year, as has the University of Amsterdam (62).  

The THE World University Rankings is seen as one of the most influential ranking lists in the world.  The listing includes almost 1,400 institutions from 90 countries. The top 3 this year are Oxford University, followed by the California Institute of Technology in the US, and the University of Cambridge in the UK. 

Students Must Create Website, Advising City of Apeldoorn How to Attract Businesses

https://www.wittenborg.eu/marketing-city-students-first-project-week-assignment.htm

More than 150 students from Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences participated in the kick-off of its first Project Week for the new academic year, which requires students to create a feasible website for the city of Apeldoorn, marketing itself as an attractive location for companies to settle in.

To get them started, students were treated to an energetic lecture from Wittenborg’s chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, and CEO, Maggie Feng, on how different cities tackled their marketing initiatives and why it is important. The group consisted of both first-year and second-year students. 

Birdsall told students some cities – like Amsterdam and Venice – have been “too successful” in their marketing campaign to tourists and now find it hard to cope with the huge numbers of visitors, including complaints from residents. But while Amsterdam has a population of more than 800,000, there are smaller Dutch cities, like Apeldoorn with its 160,000 residents, that are trying to attract more visitors and investors.

Birdsall said one of the key reasons for marketing a city is economics. He cited the example of Wittenborg, which since 2010 is estimated to have contributed about 88 million to the Dutch economy - mainly via its international students. Most of it would have been spent in Apeldoorn, where its headquarters are located. The Dutch Central Planning Bureau (CPB) calculates that non-EU students spend up to €82,400 each during and after their studies in the Netherlands. For European students it is between €5,000 - €17,000. “It validates what we are doing here,” Birdsall said.

Mexican Student wants to Make Career Switch from Criminal Law to Hospitality

https://www.wittenborg.eu/lawyer-wittenborg-student.htm

For three years Dulce Olivia Cruz Nuñez practised criminal law in Mexico City – this week she returned to being a student - at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences to do an MBA in Hospitality & Service Management, starting a fresh chapter in her life. 

Dulce is among more than 100 new students from all over the world starting with their classes at Wittenborg as the new academic year kicks off. 

Leaving her job as a high-flying lawyer to be a student again feels like a big step, so why did she do it? “As a young, female lawyer, I faced quite a lot of sexual harassment by men in powerful positions. Though, I will admit, the job also opened a lot of doors for me.”

Eight years ago she also opened a hostel for foreign travellers in Mexico, which is going well. “I wanted to deepen my knowledge about the hospitality sector, hence my decision to study abroad. And I really love to study. In that way I’m a bit of a nerd!”

Why did she choose to study in the Netherlands? “Leading a sustainable lifestyle seems very important to the Dutch and I like that. Also, life is always busy in Mexico City – there are 11 million people – and I wanted a break from that.”

WUP 18/9/2019
by Anesca Smith
© Wittenborg University Press

Related Content

Wittenborg Students

Goals in Line with that of UN

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborgs-head-research-wants-double-positive-behaviour.htm

Doubling positive behavior worldwide by 2030 - this is the goal that Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences' Head of Research, Dr Nicolet Theunissen, has set for her company Future Life Research which celebrated its 5th anniversary recently. In the meantime she has also launched a Dutch version of the BetterYourself.app - a platform which helps people develop more positive behaviour. The English version is soon to follow. 

Theunissen was recently interviewed by De Stentor newspaper about her work as a scientist and entrepreneur. Before launching her company, Theunissen worked for years as a senior researcher at TNO developing training innovations. "All the knowledge I collected and the research I have subsequently done, I have applied to build a platform where people can work on positive behaviour," she told the newspaper. 

Though she acknowledges the ambition to double good behaviour in the next 10 years might sound "absurd", she believes it complements the sustainable development goals set out by the UN towards ending poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030. "This will only be reached if people really go for it by adopting a positive behavioural attitude."

Theunissen holds a PhD in Medicine (Health Psychology) and a master's degree in Developmental Psychology. She joined Wittenborg last year as Head of Research. 

WUP 16/9/2019
by James Wittenborg
© Wittenborg University Press

Related Content

Creative Thinking will Future-Proof You

https://www.wittenborg.eu/student-column-power-critical-and-creative-thinking.htm

"Houston, we've got a problem."  These famous words were spoken by astronaut Jim Lovell from space in April 1970.   Apollo 13 was a spacecraft with three astronauts, sent to space on a mission to explore the moon.  Fifty-five hours into the mission, an oxygen tank exploded causing loss of oxygen and power to the command centre of the spacecraft.  

The lead flight director for Mission Control, Gene Kranz, told the ground crew at NASA that failure was not an option.  They had to come up with a successful plan to bring the astronauts home safely.  This rescue mission was not a test of technological or engineering prowess.  This was a real-life scenario.  The success of the rescue mission depended on the wits of two teams:  the three-men crew of astronauts and the team of computer operators, technicians and engineers at the Houston NASA centre on earth.  

Development of creative thinking as well as critical thinking is pertinent to overcoming the challenges of the world - with its many uncertainties and complex environmental, social and economic issues.  Creative thinking allows an individual to resolve issues using creative and innovative ways.  This requires the individual to view problems in different directions and perspectives, and to find various solutions with all their accompanying pros and cons.  It requires both divergent and convergent thinking, which means brainstorming ideas in many directions, and then coming up with an unlimited number of solutions before arriving at the best solution.  

One Olive Away from Bankruptcy

Volunteering Makes you a Strong Job Candidate, says Student Who Got Internship at Embassy

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-student-lands-job-indonesian-embassy.htm

Volunteering can make you a stronger job candidate if you are hoping to get hired. Wittenborg student Bertha Tanaem is proof of this theory - she just landed a great internship at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague. 

How did the internship come about?

"As a student from Indonesia in the Netherlands, you can join the Indonesian Student Association in The Netherlands called PPI Belanda, which has 16 locations throughout the country. Since my first year, I have played volleyball for PPI in Wageningen against other branches of the organisation. I also like to volunteer, so did a number of volunteering jobs for PPI Belanda and others that interest me.

"Playing volleyball and volunteering helped me to establish a network of contacts - also in the Indonesian embassy. During one event, I mentioned to embassy staff members that I am looking for an internship starting in August. And here I am."

What does the job entail?

"Primarily, as an intern in Economic Affairs, I do research, analyse and write reports regarding economic development in the Netherlands - macro-economics, business and investment. Secondly, I support any task that needs to be done, such as preparing meeting material, attending meetings, and supporting the events coordinator for upcoming events."

How were the first weeks on the job?

"My internship is for 3 months (full-time). It has been a while since I've had a 9 - 5 routine. The first two weeks were super hard, and I had to adjust to the new routine, including the daily commute from Zwolle, where I am living, to The Hague."

Draft Legislation to Limit Influx of Foreign Students and English Goes to Dutch Parliament - Council of State criticizes - saying the law will be ineffective

https://www.wittenborg.eu/higher-fees-and-fewer-scholarships-non-eu-students-public-unis.htm

Fewer scholarships and higher fees are what non-EU students planning to study at public universities in the Netherlands will face, should new cabinet proposals to deal with the influx of international students, come into force.

Unclear

It is unclear whether the proposals, introduced in a letter to parliament by the Dutch minister of education, culture and science, Ingrid van Engelshoven, will also apply to privately funded institutions like Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences that do not receive public funding from the state, and thus set their own fees.  

Wittenborg's executive chair, Peter Birdsall comments "I think that the minister assumes that independent universities would always ask a higher fee than public ones. This is not always the case, but we shouldn't be worried that these measures will effect us in any way. Being privately funded means being independent of these sorts of measures".

It is unclear whether the proposals, introduced in a letter to parliament by the Dutch minister of education, culture and science, Ingrid van Engelshoven, will also apply to private institutions like Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, that do not receive public funding from the state and, thus, set their own fees. 

Wittenborg Students Estimated to Have Added 88 Million to Dutch Economy since 2010

https://www.wittenborg.eu/foreign-students-give-dutch-economy-huge-boost.htm

New statistics from the Dutch Central Planning Bureau (CPB) has revealed that international student contribute thousands of euros to the Dutch economy. This puts paid to the  idea that foreign students are a huge financial burden to the Netherlands.  

Non-EU students are the most lucrative, the Dutch financial daily Het Financieele Dagblad reported - they are estimated to contribute up to €82 400 to the Dutch treasury during and after their studies.  Three quarters of students are from within Europe. These students pay the same fees as Dutch students and in total they contribute between  €5 000 - €17 000 to the Dutch treasury.  

Wittenborg  

Meanwhile, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences - which is one of the most international institutions of higher education in the Netherlands - has made its own calculations. Wittenborg's chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, estimates that students have added about 88 million to the city of Apeldoorn in main and the Dutch economy in general since its move from Deventer in 2010.  

Apeldoorn Economy Boost   

WUAS visits International College of Tourism and Management in Bad Vöslau, Austria.

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wuas-visits-tourism-management-college-austria.htm

Last week representatives of Wittenborg visited the International College of Tourism and Management in Bad Vöslau, to discuss plans to work together running WUAS hospitality business administration (HBA) top-up programmes in Austria at the ITM campus.

ITM

ITM was established in 1986, and is an Austrian College offering nationally accredited diploma's in hospitality & tourism.

It is located in the College Garden Hotel which is a fully functioning conference hotel, where students can gain work experience during their studies, before continuing to further internships and various partner university to finish their degrees.

Bad Vöslau - near Vienna

Bad Vöslau is a spa town in the Lower Austria federal state of Austria, 30 minutes from Vienna central railway station. It is also known as the centre of the Austrian red wine cultivation. As its name suggests Bad Vöslau is also a thermal spa and supports hotels and resorts. The spa town also produces its own brand of mineral water 'Vöslauer' one of Austria's most well known mineral waters.

WUP 6/9/2019
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

Related Content
Tourism & Management College in Austria
Vienna

To Study in a Peaceful Country like the Netherlands is a Privilege, Says Iranian Student

https://www.wittenborg.eu/netherlands-viewed-tolerant-new-international-students.htm

International students view the Netherlands as more tolerant and “immigrant friendly” than other European countries, a quick survey among new students at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has revealed.

Students were probed on the reasons why they chose to study in the Netherlands as opposed to other countries in Europe like Germany or the UK. The Dutch are also seen as more committed to leading a sustainable, environmentally-friendly lifestyle, and keen on sport and healthy living.

"Quality of Dutch Education on Par with that of UK and US"

Giti Irantaj from Iran, who is about to start her second master's degree at Wittenborg, says the quality of education in the Netherlands is comparable to the US and UK. “But the lifestyle here seems to be better. The Dutch are more tolerant and friendly towards foreigners. It also looks easier to find a job given the ageing of the Dutch population.” Before coming to the Netherlands Irantaj lived for 4 years in Turkey where she obtained an MBA. At Wittenborg she will do a Master of Business Management (MBM) in Digital Marketing and Communication.