Should everyone, from assistant to full professor, be given the title of ‘professor’? Is today's university too hierarchical? Five researchers shine their light on power relations on the Nijmegen campus. Part 2: José Sanders, Rector Magnificus.

‘The Rector is not the big boss of the university: that is the full Executive Board, which includes not only the Rector, but also the President and Vice President. I bear the ultimate responsibility for the education and research portfolio. That is very honourable but also humbling, because many of our researchers are experts in fields I know nothing or very little about.

I feel this weight the most during research audits, or during the institutional quality of education assessment. I also feel it at times when things are not going well at the university. I then find myself wondering: how is it possible that, despite all our rules and roles, we did not see this coming?

At 17, I enrolled as a student at what was then the Catholic University Nijmegen. I then successively became a PhD candidate and a postdoc (in Tilburg, eds.). After a stint at a research firm, I was appointed assistant professor, associate professor, department chair, dean, and finally Rector. I don’t feel like a different person on the inside, but the outside world sometimes approaches me differently.

As department chair, I noticed for the first time that people were looking at me as if wondering “How does she feel about this?”, that it really mattered what my views on issues were. I had to get used to that. It meant that I had to be more thoughtful and think longer before saying something, and coordinate my actions more with others. Clearly, the same is true as dean or Rector, albeit on a larger scale. Before I say anything about topics such as social safety, demonstrations on campus, or the budget cuts to higher education, I always have to think carefully and deeply because I want the message to come across as intended.’

‘You need to prevent people from coming to you only when they want to raise a problem’

I have undoubtedly at times made decisions that other people did not agree with, for example because it meant that someone else was appointed to a position they wanted. Such a decision can hurt. After all, other people have often also worked hard on a project. The most important thing is to be transparent about your decisions and to be willing to be held accountable for them.

In a healthy hierarchical organisation, there are enough structural consultations where employees from different organisational layers can determine the agenda. As administrator or supervisor, you have to prevent people coming to you only when they want to signal a problem, because then you are always emphasising the dependency position. I have noticed this in all the positions I have held. That is why I believe annual appraisal interviews are so important, because both the employee and the supervisor can put an item on the agenda.

I also think it is important to have enough consultations at all levels. As a Rector, I have therefore introduced some new consultations. One of them is a monthly, policy-preparing meeting with the vice deans of education and research. I also suggested introducing a work consultation for the deans.’