Group of students at Science Park want a ‘radical dean’ for the Faculty of Science and AUC
After a double board mandate and reaching retirement age, Faculty of Science dean Peter van Tienderen will retire and leave. AUC-dean Martin van Hees has already left and fotr both men successors are being sought. Activist students are not satisfied with how their successions has been initiated and have started a petition.
UvA students from the Faculty of Science (FNWI) have started a petition to gain more influence on the appointment of their new dean and on the appointment of a new head of the Amsterdam University College (AUC), which organizationally falls under the FNWI. The petition, which calls for, among other things, a ‘radical dean’ who takes a stand on climate issues and in the Israel-Hamas war, has now been signed by just over 140 people and has been organized by the action group Organized students for Radical Climate Action (Orca), Scientist Rebellion UvA and the Activist Party.
An application procedure and a so-called ‘BAC’ have been set up to find Van Tienderen’s successor. The BAC is a supervisory advisory committee of students, staff and administrators that will supervise the application process from the faculty after interested parties were able to apply for the vacancy at Executive Search Bureau Maes & Linau. The application period has expired and the BAC is currently interviewing various prospective deans. The appointment procedure is not democratic, according to the organisers of the petition.
Maagdenhuis
The petition’s authors refer to the Maagdenhuis occupation exactly ten years ago and write: “Ten years ago we asked you to democratise our university and you failed. Do not make the same mistake as last time. We want a dean by and for students and staff at the faculty. Our voice must be heard and that is clearly not the case with the way the BAC is currently set up.”
The petition was drawn up by a certain Keith, who is a physics student at the University of Amsterdam (real name known to the editor). He explains on the phone: “The appointment procedure is not transparent and not democratic. The majority of the students had no idea that a new dean would be appointed at all, let alone that a BAC would be set up. Nobody knows who is on the BAC unless they are on it themselves. So the entire procedure is taking place behind closed doors, as always. Soon a dean will be selected and will present him- or herself publicly in a hall where we can all ask questions. But if we get unsatisfactory answers, it does not mean that he or she will not be appointed. What is the point of that? It is fake consultation. It is good that there is a BAC, but it is an advisory committee and nothing more. There is no real consultation of the whole community. The same goes for the involvement of the student council in general: it has gradually become more of an advisory council. They might as well call it a student advisory council.
The chair of the Faculty of Science student council Freddie Kiel, is a member of the Activists Party and sits on the BAC. She does not want to say too much about the application procedure “due to confidentiality”.
Interim
In addition to the new dean of the Faculty of Science, the petition is also about the search for a new dean of Amsterdam University College, not a dean in the faculty sense, but more of a programme director. AUC dean Van Hees stepped down on 1 March after a four-year term. He comes from the VU and will return there after a sabbatical. His reason for stepping down was that he wanted to spend more time on research. He is currently doing so in Australia. Last year, there were also several pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the AUC, which, according to the petition’s authors, “were not the subject of a broad and in-depth discussion”.
The name of Van Hees’ successor is not yet known, but it is known that the English-language AUC is looking for an interim dean for two years. Also noteworthy: the temporary AUC dean must supervise a “transition process”, according to the advertisement. The exact nature of this is not yet known, but it often indicates a reorganisation. In the current political context, English-language education is under pressure now that Dutch-language education is in vogue with the current cabinet and partly also with the previous one. D66 minister Robbert Dijkgraaf proposed the Balanced Internationalisation Act (WIB), which aims to reduce the use of English at universities. The current cabinet has adopted and tightened this act, but it still has to be approved by both Chambers of Parliament.
The new deans of the Faculty of Science and the AUC are expected to be appointed this month. Whether the result of the petition will influence this remains to be seen. The petitioners will offer the petition to those involved in the selection process in the near future.
