"Wittenborg a private organisation - it should not be obliged to maintain a policy about teaching in English."

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-will-write-minister-about-new-changes-education-act.htm

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences will ask the Dutch Ministry of Education to exempt private institutions from proposed changes to the Higher Education Act, which will require them to maintain a strict policy justifying their choice to teach in English rather than Dutch. 

Amendments to the act seek to silence growing criticism over the past year that education in Dutch is in decline due to the proliferation of programmes in English, thereby making a university education less accessible for Dutch students.  Currently, about 25% of master's degree programmes at universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands are taught in English, and 74% at research universities. 

This has prompted the Minister of Higher Education, Ingrid van Engelshoven, to come up with measures to ensure that “the language choices of institutions have no negative effects on the quality, accessibility and efficiency” of education in the Netherlands and the environment in which it operates. She spells out the proposed changes in a letter to the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer).  

The public has until 28 January to respond to the draft legislation in what is called an Internet Consultation in which Wittenborg will participate. The university will also write to the ministry to air its views.  

Discussions with UK Partner, University of Brighton, Underway

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-moves-limit-possible-damage-brexit.htm

After the British parliament voted against the Brexit deal on Tuesday evening, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences (WUAS) has indicated that it will meet as soon as possible with the University of Brighton in the UK to discuss its ongoing partnership. However, it was quick to reassure students and staff that in the short-term there will be minimal disruptions.

Brexit has direct implications on Wittenborg as it offers a number of jointly taught degrees (Masters and Bachelors) with the University of Brighton.

Over 100 teaching days a year at WUAS are provided by lecturers from the UK, mainly from the Brighton. Although technically employed by the University of Brighton, these staff members are working for Wittenborg in the Netherlands. This is possible under current EU-regulations which allows for the freedom of movement of persons. After Brexit - with no transition deal - this will no longer be possible unless UK staff have work permits.

“In the short term, WUAS sees only slight disruption as most days taught by Brighton staff in 2018 - 2019 will have been completed by 29th March – the day the UK leaves the EU,” said Wittenborg’s chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, in a statement. “In case of a no-deal Brexit, WUAS will make arrangements with Brighton for the teaching of these days by staff who don’t need a work permit.

“However, it’s important to understand that Brexit has no influence or implications for the quality of education offered by the University of Brighton, including the joint degrees offered with WUAS. Also, UK accredited university degrees and UK masters and bachelors  titles will remain recognised in the Netherlands and worldwide after Brexit.

"Remaining a non-profit organisation served us well so far"

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborgs-onwards-march-becoming-top-business-school.htm

Wittenborg will aim to bring its student population up to 1,000 for the first time in 2019, the institution's chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, told staff and guests at its annual New Year's reception.

A remarkable feat, given the fact that when the current management took over in 2008 the school was on the brink of administrative closure by the government, and was slowly built up to where it is today with a "very real ambition to be one of the top business and management schools in the world", according to Birdsall.

"Often non-profit organisations find themselves having to go to market to survive," he said. "An example of this would be our partner, Nuffic, that are closing offices around the world and try to earn as much income as possible through services they offer universities. In Wittenborg's case, we effectively withdrew ourselves as a for-profit organisation, purely to survive politically. This decision has served us well, and still does, with the continued goodwill of local, regional and national government - achieved by openness, transparency and a commitment to what we stand for: Diversity, Internationalisation and Ethics. This is also reflected in our brand new slogan "Better Ourselves, Better Our World" which will lead us into the future."

Whiskey Burn – A Huge Success

Following the November 2018 launch, Wittenborg's newly published Whiskey Burn: The Distilleries of Ireland by Vespa has surpassed expectations by the attention received from our customers and the general public.  

Like its earlier Scottish sequel : Whisky Burn – Distilleries of Scotland by Vespa, the Highlands and Islands, Whiskey Burn (note the 'e' in whiskey for the Irish spelling) has been praised for its design, humorous content and shelf-friendliness.

About the book

In Whiskey Burn,  Birdsall takes us on a 3-week camping tour around the island of Ireland to visit the established, newly established and yet-to-be-established whiskey distilleries.  

Travelling on his trusty, 1979, classic Vespa 50, touring distilleries, painting and sketching the landscape - and the distilleries - sampling the produce back at the campsites, this already established travel writer opens the doors to a new generation of Irish whiskey producers.  

It is a travelogue, a pictorial record, a guide to the new faces and new landscapes of distilling in Ireland, and an amusing, engaging read that no whisk(e)y enthusiast’s bookshelf should be without.

What people are saying 

Whiskey Burn has been hailed as Ben Birdsall's best book so far.   

Its launch at the WhiskeyLive Dublin event last November generated such enormous interest that it was sold out in less than two days. According to the author Ben Birdsall  "I was pleasantly surprised by the interest generated, and by the last afternoon of the event we only had one sample copy left at the stand – so the only thing left to sell was the 'idea' of the book".  

The following weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays was quite busy with orders as customers saw it as an ideal stocking filler for partners and friends.  

There are also things that will get you a fine cycling in the Netherlands

https://www.wittenborg.eu/surprising-facts-about-dutch-bicycles.htm

You have arrived– an international student in the Netherlands. Next stop, getting a bicycle because everyone has one and it will look so cute on your Instagram feed. But hold on, learning to cycle like a native can be harder than it looks.  

First of all, Dutch bikes typically come with back pedal brakes – meaning you stop by pedaling backwards – and yes, you’re scared to death when you try it the first time. Secondly, most Dutch people grow up cycling and the speed they get up to and level of control they exert can be intimidating. Luckily, it does not take long to get use to both these aspects.  
The other good news is that you can get a good second-hand bike relatively cheaply in the Netherlands, so do look at those first before buying a brand-new bike or renting one. The country also has some of the world’s best bicycle path networks, so you don’t have to compete with aggressive motorists like in many other countries.  

DutchNews.nl recently carried an article on what makes the Dutch bike so durable and also traced a bit of its history. It turns out that the Dutch have not been producing bicycles forever – until 1895 about 85% of Dutch bikes actually came from English manufacturers. Royal Dutch Gazelle, the largest bicycle manufacturer in the Netherlands, only began producing bikes under the name in 1902. 

You can take control of your destiny as an individual in relation to climate change."

https://www.wittenborg.eu/making-your-home-more-eco-friendly.htm

Want to go greener at home? Recently, Wittenborg students got a first-person account from MBA lecturer, Dr Geert de Haan, about how he made his own home more eco-friendly and started living a greener life. De Haan gave a presentation to students in the run-up to their participation in the MIT World Climate Change Games.  

“I hate waste,” is the simple explanation De Haan offers as motivation for his efforts. He twirls in front of the 140+ students who signed up for the Project Week to show off his clothes – all bought from a popular second-hand shop chain in the Netherlands called Kringloopwinkel, a place where Dutch people take their old stuff – not to die, but to be sold on at bargain-basement prices with a new lease of life.

“Everything I’m wearing I bought at Kringloop - except my underpants and socks,” De Haan says. "After oil, the clothing industry is the biggest polluter in the world. Why waste when one can recycle? It's cool, hip and good for the environment." 

Some of the measures he suggests for living a greener life are simple - like taking an airplane trip only when absolutely necessary. Others are more controversial, such as all of us having fewer children. “Make love, not babies,” De Haan told students.  

When he and his partner – who think of themselves as post-materialists – moved into their home in 2010, it was a nice, old house with a big vegetable garden, but a high energy bill. One of the first things they did was to renovate the roof and install 7 PV solar panels. By 2013, they had installed 7 more, built an ecological wall, installed underfloor insulation, and their gas bill went from €220 to €0.  

Interesting Discussions on Improving Corporate Sustainability at Book Launch

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-research-agenda-boosted-book-launh-and-other-activites.htm

In line with moving its research agenda forward and fostering an environment of knowledge creation, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has in the last few weeks  taken several initiatives to promote and support the research and creative scholarly activities of faculty, staff and students.

One of those activites in the week before Christmas was the launch of an insightful new book on corporate sustainability at Wittenborg Amsterdam which is bound to spark interest among academics and companies wishing to pursue more sustainable practices in their businesses. Another was an interesting Project Week where more than 140 undergraduates took part in the MIT World Climate Change Games – a role-laying exercise which simulates UN climate change negotiations. The idea was to have students research climate change and create awareness about the issue while learning how political power works and working together towards one goal. Two of Wittenborg's top researchers, Dr Teun Wolters and Dr Geert de Haan, also made presentations to students as part of preparing them for negotiations.  

Meanwhile in Amsterdam, no fewer than 4 academic staff members and one MBA graduate from Wittenborg contributed to the book "Corporate Sustainability: the Next Steps Towards a Sustainable World". It was co-authored by Wolters and Dr Jan Jaap Bouma.  

Besides Wolters and Bouma, various chapters were also written by Wittenborg lecturers Dr Gilbert Silvius and Dr Muhammad Ashfaq, as well as MBA graduate Gizem Gören who graduated from Wittenborg in 2017.