VSNU Pleads for More Investment in HE as EU Students Flock to Netherlands

Netherlands Sees Strong Growth in Number of International Students in 2020 Despite COVID-19

The Netherlands has seen more than a 10%  growth in the number of international students despite COVID-19 disrupting education around the world. This is according to preliminary numbers compiled by the Association for Dutch Universities (VSNU). It is largely due to an increase in students from the EEA (all EU students, plus Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland).

In total, the number of students who signed up for bachelor's and master's programmes at Dutch universities this year was 328,000 - an increase of 8% - which includes both Dutch and international students.

The VSNU says the rise in student numbers stems in part from the 15% increase in the number of first-year students who are no longer able to take a gap year because of coronavirus. In addition, there has been a 10% increase in the number of college students signing up for a pre-master’s university course.

The number of EEA students streaming into the Netherlands increased by between 10 – 12% compared to last year, while there was a drop in the number of students from outside the EU. "It is great that international students continue wanting to study in the Netherlands despite the corona crisis. In 2019, the Central Bureau of Statistics found that international students are still a benefit to the Netherlands even after graduating," the VSNU statement reads.

Chair of the VSNU Pieter Duisenberg said the past 20 years the number of students has doubled. "In the year 2000, there were still around 165,000 students. Now it has doubled to around 328,000. Thanks to the coronavirus there has been an even quicker increase. The growth puts pressure on universities and their workers. We, therefore, plead for a structural investment in research-based education.

"During the corona period, universities are doing their best to continue offering high-quality education. International talent recognises this quality and the appeal of the Netherlands as an open-knowledge society with strong links to the rest of Europe and the world."

WUP 4/12/2020
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

Netherlands 2nd Most Popular Study Destination for Germans

The Netherlands is the most popular study destination for German students after Austria, according to new numbers released by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies. The study looks, among other things, at where Germany sources its international students from, but also at where German students go when they study abroad.

Currently, German-speaking Austria is the country of choice for German students (25%), followed by the Netherlands (16%), the UK (11%) and Switzerland (10%). It is expected that due to Brexit the number of outbound German students to the UK will decline - possibly benefitting other countries, including the Netherlands.

At the same time, while the numbers of German students in Switzerland and the Netherlands decreased slightly between 2014 – 2017  (–2% in each case), for the UK (+ 3%) and especially Austria (+ 7%) there was an increase over the same period.

What programmes do Germans choose when they do study abroad? In the Netherlands, as in such countries as Australia, Ireland, Spain and Portugal, the most popular programmes are economics, business administration and law - as opposed to eastern European countries like Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic where health and social affairs studies are popular. This is possibly due to the admissions restrictions for medical courses which exist in Germany.

In 2019, over 94,000 international students were enrolled in a Dutch university. About 64,138 international students were doing bachelor’s degrees and 30,098 were undertaking master’s degrees, according to Nuffic. Germany is the biggest source country of international students for the Netherlands.

Source: PIE News

WUP 2/12/2020
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

Wittenborg CEO Encourages New Students in Welcoming Note

After an intense week of Introduction Week activities, new students from 10 different countries are starting their classes at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. The university held an online meet-and-greet session at the end of last week to engage with other students and members of staff. The session was also joined by Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng, who spoke a few words of encouragement.  
 
Excitement about  starting their studies abounded during the session. The new students are from Cameroon, Nigeria, China, Vietnam, Iran, India, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Liberia and Morocco. About half of the new students will start their study journey from abroad due to limitations caused by COVID-19, while the rest will follow the current hybrid teaching policy at Wittenborg.  
 
Provisional numbers from the Association of Dutch Universities (VSNU) have shown that this academic year has seen an increase of about 10%  in international students studying in the Netherlands despite COVID-19. There has been a slight drop in students from outside the EU, though this is not reflected at Wittenborg.

Last week, students joined in a full programme of Introduction Week activities, which covered all aspects of their forthcoming academic journeys at Wittenborg – from doing academic papers, research, and ICT to online studies.

In her welcoming note, Feng encouraged students to make full use of their studies at Wittenborg to network as far and wide as possible, and also to be active in community service when they are in the Netherlands like volunteering. "Be nice. Being nice will get you places."

The new student intake comprises bachelor's and master's degree students. About 10% of new students will study at Wittenborg's Amsterdam location.

WUP DD/MM/2020
by James Wittenborg
© Wittenborg University Press

Female Confidence Often in Short Supply, Says Wittenborg CEO

Wittenborg Seeks to Boost Women in Tech with MBA Fee Reduction

Women who underestimate their achievements and often score themselves lower than what they actually deserve was one of the topics raised by Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng in a recent interview with Dutch regional newspaper De Stentor. The article was part of a series of how Dutch companies are faring in terms of female representivity at the top in light of a quota for women considered by the Dutch government.  

"A woman functioning as an 8 will often score herself a 6. Men on the other hand, do the opposite. As director it is good to have these sort of insights," Feng said. To make its own contribution to bringing more women in fields where they are a scarcity, Wittenborg intends on giving a fee reduction of €5,000 for girls wishing to follow its MBA in Data Analytics. Technology is still one of the industries that sorely lacks females.

So how is Wittenborg doing in terms of gender equality? Of its three directors, two are female – Feng and Wittenborg's Director of Corporate Governance, Karen Penninga. Peter Birdsall is the President and Chair of the Executive Board. Directly under them is a management team consisting of 6 women and 6 men. The Academic Advisory Panel is also gender balanced with 5 men and 5 women.

Of the 245 people who worked at Wittenborg in 2019, 41% are female and 59% are male. "This is mainly due to the fact that at the top of some academic disciplines there are more men than women. And obviously we want the best lecturers."  

"I often talk to our female employees who are struggling to combine their family and a career. I want to make them see that they should be proud of themselves, that there is a lot they can achieve and that they should use their talent."

Wittenborg's student body in 2019 was balanced at 57% male and 43% female and WUAS is currently busy defining and strengthening its diversity policy in order to guarantee inclusivity at the organisation. 

WUP 28/11/2020
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

Master's Students Learn about Options in doing Sustainable Business

Visit to Fair Trade Centre an "Eye-Opener" for International Business Students

Master's students of Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences recently got more acquainted with the concept of fair trade - which has been around since the 1950s - during a visit to the Fair Plaza in Culemborg, near Utrecht. The visit was part of a Project Week assignment which focused on sustainability. Using fair trade enterprises as a case study, the group explored the challenges and opportunities for more sustainable business and trading models.

Wittenborg lecturer, Dr Natalia Leal, who led the group of Master of Business Management students, says: "My goal was to increase students' awareness about the range of options regarding sustainable businesses, in particular fair trade ones. Fair Plaza is, as far as I'm aware, still the largest fair trade wholesale centre in the world -  hosting multiple fair trade importers under one roof."

Rwandese student, Remy Rukundo, said he was pleasantly surprised to find some top-quality coffee from her neighbouring country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the product range. "Afterwards, I did a lot of research myself about the subject, how some countries can improve their fair trade practices."

Asian student, Le Phan, said the awareness about fair trade and fair trade products sourced locally is quite low in her own country, Vietnam. "In my opinion, this stems from the fact that the Vietnamese economy is more focused on industry and the service sector in most major cities. Therefore, this course and especially this company visit, opened my eyes about the value of handmade and agricultural products from around the world."

Her perspective was shared by fellow Vietnamese student, Hong Ngoc Bui. "In Vietnam, the notion of fair trade is not really widespread and I have not had many opportunities to learn about it in my country. So, for me, this trip was a very interesting experience.

"Fair Plaza is like a supermarket where brands and companies that manufacture and sell fair trade products together display their wares to customers who come to buy in bulk. Customers come from many countries - especially Germany – to select and import these products. The products here are produced and imported from many countries around the world, from Asia to Africa, and Europe. Since they are handmade, each product has its own signature from the country in which it was made. Examples include candles from Thailand, decorative statues from Taiwan, ancient scarves from Nepal, and flower vases from Vietnam."

Jospehine Ali Dauda, from Nigeria, said: "This experience was very enlightening, seeing different companies, as well as different people from different regions, impacting, bringing awareness, and enriching the lives of people in their home countries, and creating products suitable for the European market."

WUP 23/11/2020
by Anesca Smith
©Wittenborg University Press

Taking your Dutch to the Next Level - in a Week

Wittenborg's Intensive Dutch Courses Remain Popular with International Students and Staff

Learning to speak any new language is not easy and Dutch is no exception. The good news is that you can make considerable leaps and bounds in learning if you submerge yourself totally in a language – even for a week. Which is what Peter Saes, Dutch language teacher at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, has been doing with the Dutch Intensive Courses he offers 4 times a year. Each course spans a week – from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saes joined Wittenborg 4 years ago where he teaches regular language classes to both undergraduates and master's students as required. In addition, he also teaches the Dutch Intensive Beginner and Intermediate courses, which were developed by him and focus on participants' speaking abilities. "The more you submerge yourself in a language, the easier it gets, which is why I think focusing on it for a week is so effective," Saes says.

The course remains popular with international students and staff, and the last one in October was well-attended. The next beginner course will be in Week 4 of 2021 and the intermediate course in Week 7.

Aside from teaching at Wittenborg, Saes also runs a language school in Apeldoorn, the Apeldoorns Taalcentrum. He is an accomplished linguist with a master's degree in English and General Linguistics. He also speaks German, French, Russian and Limburgian – Limburg is a Dutch province in the south where Saes was born and which boasts its own language, in the same way as Friesland, another Dutch province in the north. Since his wife is Russian, he is now learning Russian as well.

Despite popular belief, Dutch is no more difficult than any other language, Saes says. "It all depends on how much time you are willing to invest. When I was a child in Limburg, we were always watching German TV-channels as there were not a lot of options in Dutch. Which is how I learned a lot of German."

He also advised internationals to learn as much Dutch as possible if they plan to stay in the Netherlands. "Although the Netherlands is a pretty international country, people appreciate it if you speak Dutch – even when it's just a little bit. It shows you have an interest in their language, in their country. It is also important, I think, in terms of employability."

WUP 19/11/2020
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

Wittenborg Senior Lecturer Spoke at 'INCREDIBLE' Conference

'INCREDIBLE' Conference

“Lessons Learned at Austrian SMEs during the Pandemic” was the title of the speech delivered by Wittenborg Senior Lecturer Dr Alexander Bauer at the first ‘INCREDIBLE’ Conference held on 26-27 October, 2020.

The acronym 'INCREDIBLE' means International Congress on Regional Economic Development, Information Technology and Sustainable Business. The virtual conference was organised by the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Sebelas Maret in collaboration with the Central Java Province of the Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA). The theme of the conference was “The Pandemic, Business Impact, and Economic Recovery”. Bauer was one of the Plenary Session Speakers as well as the Pre-Conference Workshop Speaker.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a dramatic impact on almost all sectors of business, with widespread restriction policies resulting in mass unemployment, financial problems and bankruptcies. As physical scientific meetings are cancelled worldwide, researchers have resorted to virtual networking as a replacement. The 'INCREDIBLE' conference is one such conference which seeks to provide a venue for scholars, leading academicians and professionals to effectively respond to the global crisis caused by the pandemic.

Pre-conference workshop on public speaking

In the 3-hour Pre-Conference Workshop, which carries the theme of “Effective Presentation and Network Development in an International Conference”, Bauer spoke about information and knowledge in mastering presentation skills for international conferences. Bauer, a public speaking expert, pointed out the importance of mastering presentation and networking skills for academicians, as lack of such skills results in poor delivery of research findings, limits information sharing and leads to unproductive discussions during conferences.

Plenary session on effects of pandemic on businesses

During the plenary session, Bauer spoke about the findings of a research done on Austrian companies by him and 24 other experts from various fields. He shared information on how the pandemic has affected jobs in the Austrian tourism industry, with Austria labelled as a ‘very high risk’ area for tourism in the EU. With 71% of Austria’s GDP generated by the service sector and 10% generated by the tourism industry, the country is reeling towards economic meltdown.

The research involved each expert conducting at least 10 interviews with various managers at Austrian companies. Among the findings communicated to the conference audience were that companies did not understand their markets and their market dynamics, and they lack the ability to change their business models to cope with the changing business environment due to the pandemic and lockdown. Employees also lack skills in IT, soft skills, flexibility and independence to change their working styles or working from home. Despite subsidies by the Austrian State, about 68% of the companies will continue to face uncertainties and 24% are in danger of bankruptcy.

With so many uncertain consequences for society and politics, the research team gave a recommendation to the Austrian State to invest heavily in many companies. The research will also be included as a chapter in a book (with Bauer as the co-author) to be published by the Austrian Ministry of Economics.

As COVID-19 ushers in the future of teaching and learning, and with this new paradigm shift of conferencing and networking, online conferences such as 'INCREDIBLE' will soon be the new norm to continue the transfer and sharing of knowledge. Such conferences will definitely help to keep communications virtually open for the sharing of research findings, such as the one carried out by Bauer, to the learning community around the world in the hope for the betterment of humankind.

WUP 15/11/2020
by Hanna Abdelwahab
©Wittenborg University Press