VVD senator to lead association of Dutch universities

An expert in public administration, Van den Berg specialises in transitions in the public sector. He is the dean of the Frisian Campus of the University of Groningen and professor of an endowed chair at Leiden University.

Free and safe
Departing interim president Jouke de Vries praised Van den Berg as the ideal person to guide Dutch universities through “challenging times”. Van den Berg says he aims to strengthen cooperation among universities and work to achieve a “free, safe and stimulating environment for all”.

The stakes are high for Dutch universities in the years ahead, not least due to forecasts that indicate a steady decline in the number of student numbers. Several faculties are already struggling to stay afloat financially.

In recent years, the growth of universities has been largely driven by a rise in the number of international students, but a majority of MPs now want to limit the influx of students from abroad. A few weeks ago, UNL announced plans to slow down this growth.

VVD
Jouke de Vries stepped in temporarily as the director of UNL following the departure of Pieter Duisenberg. Both Duisenberg and Van den Berg are members of the centre-right party VVD. Duisenberg served the party in the House of Representatives while Van den Berg is a member of the Senate’s Education Committee. He will step down as a senator to take up his appointment at UNL.

Van den Berg also co-authored VVD’s manifesto for last year’s election, which included plans to curb the intake of international students, such as an enrolment cap for English-taught tracks. Last week, a majority in the House of Representatives backed a VVD amendment to introduce such a cap.