In the new year, Radboud University must become more flexible and agile. This was the message shared by Rector Magnificus José Sanders in this morning’s New Year's speech. 'Universities are being challenged more than ever before to explain what they stand for.' The Hermesdorf Awards went to research on inclusion and exclusion and restoring biodiversity in the Netherlands.

In a packed Academy Hall in the Aula, this morning’s New Year’s Gathering at Radboud University was dominated by the theme ’truth’. ‘When we chose this theme last spring, we had no idea how often we would be confronted with this theme with everything that happened in 2024,’ Rector Magnificus José Sanders began her New Year’s address, which sounded both concerned and hopeful.

Red squares

It had not escaped the Rector’s notice that inside and outside the university – in politics and in the wider society – there are very different views about the academic search for truth and the usefulness of the university. ‘The disturbing truth is that while many people in society accept the university as an authoritative institution, for others it seems to have become a source of confusion or unwanted contradiction, raising the question in their minds: How do we actually benefit from it, couldn’t we do with less?’

In her speech, Sanders also mentioned the cuts to higher education. On arrival, some staff from the WOinAction group handed out red squares to staff and students. Although the cuts were partially reversed just before the Christmas holidays, the problems are far from over, says Sanders. Universities are being challenged more than before to explain what they stand for.

Declining student numbers – one of the reasons why the university is facing shortages – were also addressed. With her statement that ‘the difficulty of controlling study choice behaviour is putting our areas of expertise under strain’, the rector seemed to express her concerns about the future of study programmes that attract few students. ‘If we cannot guide students to individual areas of expertise, we need to look for ways to bring relevant areas of expertise to students.’

In the new year, Radboud University must become more flexible and agile, according to the rector. She immediately added that she felt such agility was possible. As an example, she mentioned the optimisation programme of the support services that was launched last year and which should lead to significant savings. ‘If the professional services can do it, so can the organisation of education and research,’ said the rector.

Personal attacks

As is tradition, the Hermesdorf Awards were presented again this year to Radboud researchers who speak out from their area of expertise in social discussions.

This year, the Hermesdorf Award went to Professor Niels Spierings for his research into issues of inclusion and exclusion, particularly in politics, society and the job market. In his own words, the sociologist wants to ‘champion marginalised groups that regularly come under fire’.

‘It’s important to speak out against personal attacks on social media’

Spierings focuses specifically on the role of Islam in politics and the empowerment of women and LGBTQA+ people. His contributions to social debate regularly attract personal attacks on social media. Attacks he ‘can deal with’ he says, but which still always have an emotional impact. To the audience, he therefore wants to convey how important it is to stand up for each other and speak out in such situations.

Native seeds

This year’s Hermesdorf Talent Award went to ecologist Constant Swinkels. He is committed to restoring biodiversity in the Netherlands. Swinkels researches the interaction between plants and pollinators on dykes and how we can help insect populations recover. His research builds on the Future Dikes project.

During the award presentation, he explained that his scientific motivation is his great fascination with how nature works, but also how humans can preserve nature in times when destruction and impoverishment are the order of the day. Initiated by the ecologist, all the guests were later given a bag of native seeds. As Swinkels put it: ’to sow on your balcony or in your garden, or if you don’t have one, to spread via guerrilla gardening.’