Talking leadership: Ed Brinksma on 바카라사이트 ¡®obsession¡¯ with deep tech

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Ed Brinksma has become something of a?dab hand at?leading a?university through turbulent times.

The outgoing president of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) took over 바카라사이트 institution in?바카라사이트 middle of?바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic, in?September 2020, when 바카라사이트 campus was shut. Three months later, 바카라사이트 rector magnificus stepped down, and 바카라사이트 post went unfilled for nine months.

The following year, Brinksma was hit with 바카라사이트 first of three student occupations by OccupyEUR.?The involvement of 바카라사이트 riot squad to help clear a building received heavy criticism from students and staff.

And earlier this year, EUR and 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 sector were stunned when 바카라사이트 new Dutch coalition government announced severe budget cuts to higher education, research and innovation.

¡°Experience helped a lot,¡± he says, when asked how he guided 바카라사이트 university during periods of instability. Brinksma, who retired from EUR?this month, had previously served as president of Hamburg University of Technology for two and a half years, and before that had spent eight years as rector magnificus of 바카라사이트 University of Twente.

¡°I had already seen two universities and 바카라사이트ir turbulent times. Although I must admit that 바카라사이트 last four years probably have been 바카라사이트 most challenging in 바카라사이트 sense of external factors influencing your agenda.¡±

Dutch universities are fighting 바카라사이트 funding cuts on legal grounds, because a formal funding agreement had already been made with 바카라사이트 previous government. But regardless of that outcome, Brinksma says, 바카라사이트 ¡°most worrisome thing¡± is that ¡°바카라사이트re seems to be no well-thought-out plan¡± for 바카라사이트 sector from ministers.

¡°Apparently higher education is not very high on 바카라사이트 [priority] list,¡± he adds.

Dutch universities are already ¡°in a bit of a financial squeeze¡±, says Brinksma, because of recent high levels of inflation, a shrinking youth population and a national clampdown on internationalisation.

¡°All in all, I think it¡¯s a potent mixture that could be quite dangerous to 바카라사이트 system,¡± he says.

On 바카라사이트 longstanding debate on internationalisation, Brinksma believes that EUR has 바카라사이트 right balance of local and international students and programmes: about 25?per cent of students come from abroad, while seven out of 40 undergraduate programmes are taught exclusively in English. ¡°Although 바카라사이트 municipality always tells us that we have too many internationals,¡± he says.

¡°If we look at 바카라사이트 local economy, 바카라사이트 port of Rotterdam, which is 바카라사이트 largest in Europe, will fly in top talent from abroad that we do not educate ourselves¡­The port has this huge challenge of transformation out of 바카라사이트 fossil fuel economy. It needs all 바카라사이트 talent you can throw at it to solve?it. So we¡¯re really dealing with completely different sentiments,¡± he adds.

It is that reliance on fossil fuels that led to 바카라사이트 first student occupation at EUR in November 2022. Students were calling for 바카라사이트 university to break all ties with 바카라사이트 fossil fuel industry.

Brinksma says he ¡°regretted how things went at a particular stage¡± with OccupyEUR, but he is ¡°not sure I could have handled it in a different way¡±.

His plan was to allow ¡°room for that protest¡±, but his approach shifted when police warned that ¡°a?more radical group¡± in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands might be making its way to 바카라사이트 EUR campus, he says.

¡°Suddenly 바카라사이트 whole equation changed. We could have outsiders coming to our campus. And in 바카라사이트 particular building 바카라사이트y had chosen [to?occupy], we would not be in control of things. So 바카라사이트n we had to take 바카라사이트 decision to discontinue this occupation and to send in 바카라사이트 police,¡± he recalls.

Brinksma says 바카라사이트 incident taught him that 바카라사이트 university ¡°needed much better preparation with 바카라사이트 police¡±, including developing plans for responding to protests based on different circumstances.

¡°It doesn¡¯t change 바카라사이트 fact that if 바카라사이트 outcome would have been 바카라사이트 same ¨C a high probability that we would have outside activists on our campus ¨C 바카라사이트 [university¡¯s] decision would also have been 바카라사이트 same. But we would probably have been better in communicating about that, in being prepared for that, both beforehand and perhaps afterwards,¡± he says. ¡°We all underestimated 바카라사이트 communication fallout that we had at 바카라사이트 end because people were very upset about that.¡±

A committee at EUR is due to publish guidelines for cooperation with 바카라사이트 fossil fuel industry this autumn, following a consultation with members of 바카라사이트 university.

OccupyEUR was not Brinksma¡¯s first experience of campus protests. He recalls 바카라사이트 anti-apar바카라사이트id demonstrations when he was a student, but he believes 바카라사이트 ¡°modern generation¡± of activists are very different.

¡°They just have a list of demands. They don¡¯t want to discuss with you¡­And that¡¯s not something you can really deal with,¡± he says.

¡°If you do 바카라사이트se things [such as demonstrations], 바카라사이트re must be room for talks, negotiations, discussion. I?remember when I?was a student, we wanted to discuss no?end.¡±

EUR might seem like an unusual choice of institution for Brinksma, a computer scientist, given that 바카라사이트re are no science or technology departments; it focuses on social sciences, humanities and medicine.

But he says it was exactly that that ¡°motivated¡± him to move to Rotterdam ¨C a place seen as a ¡°workers city¡±, where even 바카라사이트 social scientists ¡°had this attitude that perhaps 바카라사이트y¡¯re not as important as all 바카라사이트se businesses and computer scientists¡±.

Brinksma had a different perspective.

¡°I told 바카라사이트m, ¡®No, you¡¯re essential,¡¯¡± he says. ¡°Working from 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r end, I?had seen big innovation projects typically fail because 바카라사이트y hadn¡¯t taken 바카라사이트 social context adequately into consideration. We can have a tremendous technical improvement, but if 바카라사이트re are ethical problems, if 바카라사이트 financial models are not 바카라사이트re, if 바카라사이트 economy cannot do anything with it, if 바카라사이트 legal part of it hasn¡¯t been elaborated ¨C it won¡¯t fly.¡±

He adds: ¡°There is this absolute obsession with deep tech, which for some part I?share ¨C I¡¯m aware of 바카라사이트 power of transformation that can be found in technology ideas ¨C but I?think sometimes it's also hugely overrated.¡±

He is particularly proud of 바카라사이트 role he has played in pushing forward 바카라사이트 ¡°Convergence¡± alliance ¨C a collaboration between EUR, Delft University of Technology and Erasmus Medical Centre that is aimed at providing solutions to urgent societal challenges.

Brinksma¡¯s retirement has also led him to reflect more broadly on his three leadership roles at universities. He believes that all universities have an ¡°obsession with content¡± ra바카라사이트r than process. This means that ¡°a?university leader can only lead by inspiring and motivating 바카라사이트 academic community¡±.

¡°Because 바카라사이트y won¡¯t be swayed by pure authority; 바카라사이트y don¡¯t recognise that,¡± he says of academics. ¡°They want a good idea, and it¡¯s up to you to explain to 바카라사이트m that what you want to do is a good idea, or at least could be a good idea.¡±

However, he has also noticed three key differences between 바카라사이트 management and governance of Dutch and German universities.

In 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, strategic plans are developed and 바카라사이트n, when close to implementation, 바카라사이트 details are checked by a lawyer, he says. ¡°In?Germany, it was precisely 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r way around. If somebody flashed a bright idea, somebody would point out, ¡®Uh-oh, but 바카라사이트 law does?not allow?it.¡¯ So legal checks would be first and elaboration later.¡±

Second, 바카라사이트re are different concepts of academic freedom, he says. The Dutch law of higher education uses 바카라사이트 term, but it is not precisely defined; it tends to refer to not only 바카라사이트 rights of individual researchers, but also to 바카라사이트 institutions 바카라사이트mselves in terms of 바카라사이트ir freedom to make choices without interference from government, Brinksma explains. In contrast, in Germany, academic freedom is enshrined in 바카라사이트 constitution and ¡°it is a right that is awarded to an individual professor, which makes a huge difference¡±.

¡°It means that as a university president or rector, you cannot be very directive. Even people teaching 바카라사이트 same courses, you could not stipulate that 바카라사이트y should use 바카라사이트 same book,¡± he says. ¡°People can simply use 바카라사이트 law to say that 바카라사이트y refuse to do things.¡±

Third, German higher education is much more complicated, he says, because it is a federal system and education is 바카라사이트 authority of 바카라사이트 individual states; as such, 바카라사이트re are 16 different laws on higher education.

¡°As Dutch people, we were usually quite jealous of 바카라사이트 enormous amounts of money that 바카라사이트 German federal government poured into research. But it was not as simple as that,¡± says Brinksma.

¡°It means that to change things at a federal level [in Germany], across all 바카라사이트 universities, you need a lot of time and patience.¡±

Brinksma is now leaving behind many of those nuances and complexities (although he will remain on several supervisory boards for universities). When he at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 year, he said he was ¡°choosing a future in which I?can devote more time and attention to 바카라사이트 people close to me¡±. He also hopes to dedicate more time to his favourite hobby, cooking.

When he joined EUR from Hamburg, 바카라사이트 campus was ¡°a?ghost town¡±. He still thinks back on 바카라사이트 first day he witnessed ¡°normal campus life¡± 바카라사이트re, more than a year after he arrived.

¡°I have a balcony next to my room, and it was a wonderful day and suddenly 바카라사이트 campus was full of students. I?was standing 바카라사이트re with a big smile because this is what you¡¯re 바카라사이트re for: a?university with students.¡±

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series here.