University Council gets old friend as new president: Hans Haans

The University Council is getting a new man with the gavel. Hans Haans will take the place of outgoing president Rien Wijnhoven on March 1. Haans, now Associate Dean professionalization at the economics faculty, is no stranger to the uraad. He held a seat on behalf of group Independents until 2019.

With Haans, the University Council will have a president who knows the university well. He studied marketing here and later received his doctorate here. Haans has worked at the university since the summer of 2000. First as a lecturer, but over the years various administrative tasks were added. He was program director, director of the Econasium, served on the Board of Examination Appeals and the examination board.

He wants to bring the experience of the five years that he himself served on the University Council to his new position, he says. ‘During the years that I myself, as a representative for the Independents, was an active member of the University Council, I always fulfilled my role with great enthusiasm and pleasure. In my role as president, I want to convey this enthusiasm to the university community so that co-determination is valued more highly.’

Big job

Rien Wijnhoven, the outgoing president, led the Tilburg University Council for 10 years. He also served as president of LOVUM, the national association of university participation, from 2016 to 2023. A substantial and important job awaits Haans, as much is clear from an interview Wijnhoven gave to ScienceGuide on his departure from LOVUM.

Employee participation is in dire straits. For example, there are declining turnouts in the co-determination elections and university boards often first make agreements among themselves within UNL and only then go to the co-determination council with those plans. Students and staff need to be told more about the importance of university and faculty councils. Administrators need to realize more that the co-determination is a good partner, Wijnhoven said.

Wijnhoven: ‘In the end, you all have the same goal: you want to make the organization better, make sure students can study well and enjoy themselves, and staff can work pleasantly. That’s what management and employee participation have in common. At the same time, everyone must be able to play their part. For example, there must be a safe environment, mutual respect and good information provision. The latter is still one of the most difficult points.’

Translated by Language Center, Riet Bettonviel