UvA student applies for Chair of the Executive Board
History student Carlos van Eck has put himself forward as a candidate for the position of chair of the University of Amsterdam’s Executive Board. According to the student, it is high time the UvA chose someone “from within its own ranks, who actually dares to make decisions that are broadly supported within the university community.”
After serving in the role for a year, Edith Hooge announced this summer that she would step down as chair “for personal reasons.” Since then, the UvA has been urgently seeking a successor. The vacancy was published a month ago, outlining the required competences for the new chair. The university is looking for someone with “agile leadership” and a manager “responsible for the UvA’s central crisis organisation.”
History student Carlos van Eck apparently recognised himself in that description, as he has officially applied for the position. According to him, the university has in recent years seen an excess of externally appointed managers, leaving little room for internal voices. In his letter of motivation, he highlights as key priorities “cutting all ties with academic institutions and companies complicit in the genocide in Gaza” and “offering an apology to students and staff for the police violence they experienced on campus.”
The former spokesperson for Amsterdam Encampment also calls for far-reaching democratisation of the UvA, a halt to the sale of university buildings and more student housing at Science Park. Van Eck’s candidacy is supported by the Activists’ Party, currently the largest group in the Central Student Council. “Carlos van Eck embodies precisely the change we want to see. His candidacy is a clear indictment of the university’s current governance model,” a spokesperson for the party said.
Maagdenhuis occupation
Van Eck’s application was sent to headhunter Chasse in The Hague, who is the first to review the applications and make an initial selection. Incidentally, this is not the first time that students have applied for the vacant position of chair of the Board: at the end of 2015, immediately after the Maagdenhuis occupation that year, students also applied for vacant board positions at the UvA. The student applicants were primarily concerned with expressing their disagreement with the appointment procedure for UvA board members. That is also the case now.
Incidentally, the application period expired yesterday. After an initial selection, Chasse will conduct intake interviews. This will be followed by a nomination to the UvA’s application committee. The new president of the Board is expected to take up his or her position around February-March 2026.
