Wim van de Donk turned down political top positions, but said yes to Tilburg University
Tilburg University has found a new leader in Wim van de Donk, who will serve both as rector magnificus and president of the executive board. Over the past years, Van de Donk has turned down several top administrative positions in academia and politics—including ministerial posts. But when he was asked to lead Tilburg University into the new decade, he decided to say yes.
Wim van de Donk. Foto: Marc Bolsius
On Friday, Wim van de Donk resigned as the commissioner of the king in North Brabant after eleven years. Van de Donk announced that he will serve his province in a different capacity from 1 October 2020 onwards—as the new rector magnificus and president of the executive board of Tilburg University.
Van de Donk is a Brabander through and through. He told local broadcast station Omroep Brabant that Tilburg University, where he received his PhD degree and where he has worked as a professor of social and public administration for the past two decades, has remained his ‘academic home’ throughout his political career. The invitation to apply for the dual position of rector and president at ‘his’ university was an offer that made his heart beat faster, Van de Donk said.
More a professor than a politician
On Sunday, Van de Donk revealed that he has previously been asked for other top administrative positions in academia and politics. He was offered ministerial posts in the Dutch government on several occasions, but he declined each time. “That is not what I want,” he explained.
Van de Donk, who is described as ‘more of a professor than a politician’ by Omroep Brabant, has made no secret of the difficulty he has parting with his long-term job as the King’s Commissioner in North Brabant. But, as he stated in a press release: “After eleven years, something has come my way to which I have wholeheartedly said yes.”
“I am grateful for the years that I was privileged to serve as King’s Commissioner, and for the prospect of a very honorable and wonderful new job within Tilburg University as of October 1. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues in what has always been my academic home.”
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