NHL Stenden University investigated for fraud and corruption - TNE Qatar Campus

https://www.wittenborg.eu/nhl-stenden-investigated-fraud-and-corruption-tne-qatar-campus.htm

The Netherlands higher education inspectorate is investigating Stenden University of Applied Sciences for exam-fraud at its Qatar campus.

According to an article in the Dutch newspaper NRC, The university is accused of corrupt staff, missing administration and exam and assessment fraud.

All universities in the Netherlands have independent exam boards or examination commissions, whose task it is to guard the quality and integrity of examinations and degrees awarded at Dutch higher education institutions. Reports show that the exam commissions at Stenden University already informed its executive board as early as February 2017 that they had no faith in the organisation and quality and integrity of the education offered at the Qatar campus. The inspectorate is especially looking at how the Stenden board dealt with the information provided to them at that time (by the exam board).

According to the NRC article staff at the Stenden campus are alleged to have accepted significant bribes of cash and goods in return for ‘pass marks’.

It seems that in 2012, the Dutch inspectorate already concluded that Stenden’s off-shore campuses had serious quality issues. Stenden reportedly has ‘private’ campuses in South Africa, Qatar, Thailand and Bali. Only in 2018 the inspectorate have started their investigation.

"Don't be Too Shy. Your Confidence will Inspire Confidence in Your Employer"

https://www.wittenborg.eu/dutch-employers-tips-international-job-seekers.htm

What do Dutch employers expect when they recruit international talent for internships or jobs?

We asked Andries Grul, the export manager of Royal Talens, an international company based in Apeldoorn, who recently employed Wittenborg MBA student Vikram Athavale as an intern for 5 months.

Royal Talens is more than 100 years old and renowned around the world for its high quality art products. In fact, they are so highly esteemed that all of the paint used in the 2018 Oscar-nominated movie Loving Vincent – the world’s first fully painted feature film – was from Royal Talens, a company of around 300 employees worldwide, of whom about 225 are based in Apeldoorn.

Why was Grul interested in hiring an international student from Wittenborg? “I was once a student too and I think it is good for the company to give students job opportunities, which is why we also employee a graduate trainee as well as an MBO intern. Besides, I believe young people often bring fresh ideas to the table in terms of what is hip and happening right now – for instance on social media platforms.”

Vikram’s job mainly entailed finding out how Royal Talens is perceived by its business partners in terms of its marketing strategy by means of a questionnaire. He then presented his findings and advice to the company. Five of his recommendations were implemented almost immediately, Vikram says proudly. He liked working there and appreciated the bonds he formed with colleagues.

Diabetes Does Not Stop International Student from Living a Full, Normal Life

"I love Dutch work culture - they are all about getting the job done."

https://www.wittenborg.eu/diabetes-does-not-stop-international-student-living-full-normal-life.htm

When you meet Indian student Chayan (ChiChi) Taldar he does not look like he has a care in the world. Full of humour with lots of friends, he works part-time as a bartender in Apeldoorn and comes from a family of hoteliers. 

What most people don’t know about Chayan is that he was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1 when he was a 12-year old boy, yet he has not allowed that to stop him from studying abroad in the Netherlands and from living a full, active life. 

Take for instance last summer. While most students were enjoying the holidays, Chayan used the time off to train as a bartender at the European Bartender School in Greece. That allowed him to find a job at De Professor, a bar in Apeldoorn. In fact, he has also worked here as a chef, a dish washer, and runs his own business trading in precious stones. In addition, he is a member of Wittenborg's student organisation SWIFT. 

“I don’t mind sharing my story because I want to show people that being diagnosed with diabetes does not mean your life is over. You can still enjoy all the things you want to and achieve all your goals.”  

Diabetes Type 1 causes the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood to become too high. It happens when your body cannot produce enough insulin, which controls blood glucose. You need daily injections of insulin to keep your blood glucose levels under control.  

WUAS Staff Dominate PGCert Learning & Teaching at University of Brighton Awards

It was a proud moment on Friday when students and staff graduated at the University of Brighton's 2019 Winter Graduation Ceremony.

MSc students from Wittenborg's joint programmes with the University of Brighton (UoB) received their diplomas at UoB's 2019 Winter Graduation Ceremony in the UK on Friday.  

Six of Wittenborg's lecturers also graduated after completing their Postrgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education after more than a year of hard work. WUAS staff represented the majority of graduates from across the UK university's awards this winter.

The group was supported by Wittenborg's President & Executive Board Chair, Peter Birdsall, and the Vice-President Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ron Tuninga.  

The keynote speaker at the event was Sonia Cargan, Chief Diversity Officer at American Express UK and alumna of the university, who passed on this advice to students: "Your uniqueness is your greatest asset. Don't let others define your limits, define them for yourself."

The group of teachers who completed their PGCert programme are lecturers George Bosire (who attained top marks), Gilbert Silvius, Lucy Omwoha, Adeyemi Banjo, Bert Meeuwsen, Fjorentina Muco, Myra Qiu and Dr Rauf Abdul.

WUP 10/2/2019
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

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General Management Most Popular MBA Specialisation for New Students

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences welcomed its first group of new students for 2019 this week, starting them off with a tight schedule of orientation week activities before classes start on Monday. The group hails from 16 different countries: Vietnam, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mexico, India, the Philippines, Iran, Zimbabwe, Colombia, China, Afghanistan, Libya, South Korea and Pakistan.

This February saw a slight increase in the number of intakes compared to last year, said Wittenborg's admission officer, Yanti Setawian. Wittenborg's chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, said in January that after a phenomenal growth of 22% in the student population last year, Wittenborg will seek to maintain its current administrative apparatus in 2019 along with modest growth. 

New Students Make "Better Informed" Choices About Studies

According to senior admission officer, Florian Oosterberg, the type of applicants Wittenborg now process come "well-informed and prepared" with lots of questions, due to all the information available online. "That also means they have done their research when it comes to international institutions in the Netherlands or Europe and eventually decided on us, and we are very proud to welcome all new students to Wittenborg."

Quarter of New Students to Do MBA

About 45 new students will start their studies on Monday, of which about a quarter will do their MBAs. The MBA in General Management is still the most popular specialisation. Six of the new students will study at Wittenborg Amsterdam. There are also a couple of Pre-Master's and Foundation Phase students.

"The Netherlands is a world-class country in terms of sport"

https://www.wittenborg.eu/msc-student-happy-internship-top-dutch-football-club.htm

Barely 6 months after starting with his MSc in Sport Business Management at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, Costa Rican student Rodrigo Ayarza, has found an internship with Dutch football club, NEC Nijmegen. Though he loves staying in the Netherlands and admires Dutch efficiency in service delivery, he misses Costa Rica’s warm weather, the beaches, his dog and the typical breakfast there gallo pinto – the ingredients of which he can reel off in meticulous order.

Rodrigo, how come you have both Dutch and Costa Rican citizenship?
I have Dutch citizenship thanks to my grandmother. She left the Netherlands as a child and went to Chile with her mother and 5 siblings. In Chile she met my grandfather and they went to Costa Rica with their children, including my mother of course, escaping from the communist system imposed by Allende.

When did you start your studies at Wittenborg and why did you choose to study here?
In September 2018. I chose Wittenborg because I wanted to come to the Netherlands and the programme is in English. I also liked the structure and syllabus of the programme.

"All Wittenborg students and staff should take part in the next one"

https://www.wittenborg.eu/students-and-staff-fly-wittenborg-flag-apeldoorn-marathon.htm

A few brave students, staff and alumni faced the cold this weekend to fly the Wittenborg flag at the 2019 Apeldoorn Midwinter Marathon, participating in the 8-km race. It is the oldest running event still in existence in the Netherlands and in its 46th edition. About 15,000 people participated. 

Among them was Wittenborg’s Student Career Counsellor and Alumni Office Manager, Sanne de Jong, lecturer Gerjan Lammers, Chinese student Yudu Zeng and Indonesian MSc graduate, Janice Callista, who also took part last year.

It is the 3rd time De Jong took part in the race, also running her best time and completing the race in 51 minutes. “It was a fantastic day to run – the sun was out and there was a great buzz. Despite the cold, it was not slippery."

She challenged more Wittenborg students and staff to take part next year. “It is a must-do if you live or study in Apeldoorn. Something extraordinary to remember your time in the city. You feel very fit and energetic afterwards and you meet lots of really nice people at the event.”

Her race went well with no hiccups. “I did not train so much for this race, but participated in another race in November so it was ok.”

WUP 4/2/2019
by Anesca Smith
©Wittenborg University Press

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Deputy Mayor of Apeldoorn Urges Graduates to be "Environmental Ambassadors"

https://www.wittenborg.eu/joy-and-gratitude-wittenborgs-2019-winter-graduation-ceremony.htm

The latest group of Bachelor and Master students from Wittenborg University were elated when they received their diplomas at the 2019 Winter Graduation Ceremony on Friday. They were joined by the first group of teachers to receive their Post-Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

Graduates was accompanied by friends and family to celebrate with them. Some flew in specially for the occasion like in the case of IBA student Tianyi Zhou from China who brought along her mother and grandmother for support. The group of graduates consisted of 9 Master of Science students, 1 MBA student and 19 Bachelor (IBA) students in addition to 5 Foundation Phase students and 4 Exchange students from China who also received diplomas. The countries graduates come from are the Netherlands, Cameroon, China, Germany, Iceland, Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Norway, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran,  Vietnam, Rwanda, Burundi, Turkey and Nigeria. 

The keynote speaker at the ceremony was the deputy mayor of Apeldoorn, Mark Sandmann. He congratulated students and urged them to use whatever career path they choose, to make a difference in others people's lives. Quoting former US First Lady, Michelle Obama, Sandmann said: "Success is not about how much money you make, it is about the difference you can make in other people's lives."

Dutch Foreign Ministry Soothes British Students' Fears Over Brexit

https://www.wittenborg.eu/current-british-students-fees-same-after-brexit.htm

British students at Dutch institutions of higher education need not fear that the favorable conditions under which they are currently studying will change abruptly if no Brexit agreement is reached by the time the UK leaves the EU on 29 March.  

The Dutch ministry of foreign affairs gave this assurance in a letter addressed to parliament the past week. “Current British students can continue their studies under the same terms, but it will change,” the ministry warned.  “Cabinet intends to ensure all British citizens who are living in the Netherlands on the leave-date, will be able to stay under the same conditions as other EU citizens. Those who start their study after the date, will be treated as international students.” This means British students could be charged full institutional fees – the same as non-EU/EEA students and/or they lose their access to tuition fee loans.

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences currently has two British students studying at its Amsterdam campus. Management has indicated that it will meet as soon as possible with the University of Brighton in the UK to discuss its ongoing partnership.

The Dutch ministry does not foresee major changes for Dutch students in the UK. "Nothing will change for them in terms of study financing, but in the future their study fees might change. That is, however, up to the UK to decide."

Wittenborg’s chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, said that in the short term Wittenborg sees only slight disruptions because of Brexit as most days taught by Brighton staff in 2018 - 2019 will have been completed by 29th March.  

Great Prizes to Be Won by Students Participating in 2019 National Student Survey

https://www.wittenborg.eu/students-can-voice-opinion-2019-nse-win-prize.htm

The 2019 National Student Survey (NSE) kicked off this week - the survey represents the collective voice of all students studying in the Netherlands, giving them the opportunity to rate the programme they are following and the institution where they are studying.  

All students – including those at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences – will receive an email inviting them to participate in the survey. Results will be made public later in the year.  

Though the NSE does not link the survey to any national rankings of institutions, it is inevitably utilised by various ranking bodies once the results become public, therefore affecting the overall value of a student’s degree.

This year participating students are not only eligible to win exciting prizes from organisers, but Wittenborg is giving out its own prizes for those who complete the survey.  

At stake is a grand prize of a €250 gift card from Amazon and 50 x €20 vouchers. To stand a chance of winning, students will need to take a selfie with the completed survey in the background of the photo and post it on social media with the hashtag #NSELFIE, or email the photo to communication@wittenborg.eu. Winners will be announced at a later date.