Faces in Radboud University top change rapidly
In one year, Radboud University welcomes twelve new faces at the top of the organisation, more than a third of the total. Jef van de Riet, secretary of the Executive Board - who is not leaving: 'I have to do a lot of explaining these days.'
The top of the university changes all the time. To start at the top of the tree: rector Han van Krieken is new in the Executive Board this year. The highest boss – Gerard Meijer – will leave his position soon. Two staff members out of their four-headed secretarial support change this year, and out of the seven faculty deans, three are new.
With the leavers, a wealth of administrative memory leaves the university: the two secretaries left with forty years of experience, and Hans Thijssen, one of the deans who left, was the patriarch of all deans. He was the first man of the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies for twelve years. His successor is Christoph Lüthy, one of the three new faculty bosses, next to Paul Hendriks (Nijmegen School of Management) and Lutgarde Buydens (Faculty of Science).
Top directors who left
Gerard Meijer
For the next two months: chairman of the Executive Board. Will become: director Fritz Haber Institut der Max Planck Gesellschaft Berlin
Antoine Fraaij
Used to be: director Radboud Innovation
Now: director student housing corporation DUWO
Ine van de Heuvel
Used to be: head Marketing, Strategy & Development
Now: director Faculty of Law
Rob Cozzi
Was: head Human Resources
Now: without work
Marian Janssen
For the next few months: head International Office
Will become: Researcher at the Faculty of Arts
Gusta Cirkel
For the next few months: Director Facilities & Services
Will become: Retiree
Administrative memory
What does it mean if five out of ten faces in the meeting between the Executive Board and the deans is new? Is it possible that too much administrative memory gets lost? Wilma de Koning will be the longest-sitting member of the board, with three years of experience. Among the deans, the most experienced will be Paul Smits, who is the first man of the Faculty of Medical Science.
Board Secretary Jef van de Riet speaks of ‘relatively many changes of the guard, for Radboud standards.’ He indicates the recently formed Radboud Services, the cluster of seventeen facility services and administrative services, where five directors leave in a short time. ‘On the other hand, we have Rob Cuppen, who has been director at the Sports Centre for sixteen years.’
Safety valve
The rapid change can be explained by the ageing population, says Van de Riet. ‘And when you speak about staff mobility all the time, it is only right to also create this in the top of your organisation.’ According to him, the loss of administrative memory is compensated by the die hards in the several departments: in every department, there is someone with tens of years of experience. ‘And I am still here, of course’, says Van de Riet, ‘as a safety valve to guarantee the administrative continuity.’
Van de Riet, who has been Board Secretary for eleven years now, names one disadvantage: ‘I have to do a lot of explaining these days.’ On the other hand, the fresh outlook that new people bring ‘protects you from tunnel vision’. Often, new directors ask him about procedures that have been there for years. ‘Sometimes, it is good to evaluate the things you have been doing for years.’
