“Running a marathon can be a liberating experience”

On Sunday, 5 February, Wittenborg family member and Rymotec director Harry Maatjes, WUAS alumnus Babak Moghadam and Wittenborg MBM student Ibrahim Wahab participated in the 2023 edition of the Apeldoorn Midwinter Marathon. They all participated in the so-called "Acht van Apeldoorn," an annual marathon consisting of 8 kilometers running through the city of Apeldoorn. Maatjes finished the marathon in an impressive 49 minutes and 18 seconds, followed by Moghadam who crossed the finish line after 51 minutes and 17 seconds. But the fastest Wittenborg member was Wahab, who crossed the finish line in just 49 minutes and 11 seconds. Despite the cold weather, the runners were not deterred and the event was a great success. 
 
The Apeldoorn Midwinter Marathon is one of the most unique marathons in the world because it takes place in the heart of the Dutch winter. The marathon, held annually, attracted hundreds of runners from around the world who were eager to complete the challenging course. The course, which winds through the beautiful city of Apeldoorn, presents a number of challenges for the runners, including steep hills, slippery roads and strong winds. Despite these challenges, Maatjes, Moghadam and Wahab were able to rise to the challenge and complete the race with determination and spirit. 

The marathon, which had its first edition 49 years ago, consists of several different runs with different distances, such as the Night Run (4 km), Kroondomein Het Loo Marathon (42 km), Mini-Marathon (16.1 km), Asselronde (25 km), Business Run (for business partners and colleagues, 8 km), Kids' Run (for children between 4 and 12 years old, 500 m) and finally the Acht van Apeldoorn (8 km). The course starts and ends at the beautiful and green Loolaan.

Running as a community

After two entries for the marathon, both of which were cancelled due to covid restrictions, it was finally Moghadam's first run. He sees the importance of signing yourself up for an event like a marathon: "Running a marathon may seem like a hard job in itself, but with enough patience and dedication, that thought can become a reality." He encourages everyone to participate in a marathon and push past their own limits. "If you can break out of this thought pattern and put enough effort into your training, running a marathon can be a liberating experience. So go ahead and take that first step."

For Harry Maatjes, participating in the marathon is a fantastic group experience: "On the one hand, participating in such city runs gives me the feeling of being part of a large group of people, for whom it is important to be healthy. On the other hand, I meet colleagues in a completely different environment than at work. Moreover, I want to continue running, or jogging, for years to come," he says. "Every Acht van Apeldoorn is a challenge for me to cross the finish line as the fastest Wittenborger again. I challenge every Wittenborger to participate next year, so that we form a community outside work too." 

For Ibrahim Wahab, it was his first marathon in the Netherlands and the experience pleased him: "It felt great to see people outside cheering, and the band with their motivational beats gave all the runners the energy they needed. The atmosphere was very positive," he explains. Although his time was impressive, Wahab knows he can go even faster: "My original goal was to complete the race within 45 minutes, but 4 minutes and a few seconds slower is not so bad," he says.

"During the last 3km, I passed some photographers on the course. I kept trying to pick up my pace when I saw them. For a few of them, I even found the energy to jump up for a great photo."  

Wahab wants to thank the marathon organisers for such a well-organised race and he says he will definitely participate again. WUAS congratulates the participating family members from Wittenborg on their fantastic finishing times.

WUP 30/03/2023
by Niels Otterman
©WUAS Press

Hard work pays off

On March 22, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences received the news that its Master of Science: Master of Business Management programme had received accreditation by the Foundation of International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA). The programme was awarded the FIBAA Quality Seal along with the FIBAA Premium Seal. FIBAA's committee has accredited the programme without conditions for the next five years. These seals certify that WUAS provides students with excellent business education, and recognises the hard work and dedication of the school's lecturers, Advisory Board, International Academic Advisory Panel, Executive Trust and non-academic staff in creating an exceptional environment for learning. The accreditation is only handed out if a programme fulfils a specific set of strict criteria.

Wittenborg's Assurance of Learning Manager, Kriszta Kaspers-Rostás, explains, "WUAS scored 'Exceptional' on the international orientation of the study programme design, on the internationality of the student body and the internationality of the faculty." A direct quote from the FIBAA report on the appraisal of Wittenborg's internationality states: "Internationalisation is one of WUAS aims and strengths. It is clearly an international institution that could be based anywhere in the world. The location in the Netherlands was chosen for its English-speaking environment. The staff including management has an international background and/or has gained international experience. All programmes are solely offered in English, which is the institutions working language as well. Moreover, the internationality at WUAS is not limited to western cultures (USA, Europe). WUAS refers to feedback from students, who do not always feel comfortable in those western business schools ... Graduates find employment around the globe and can enhance their international and intercultural competencies during the programme."

With this accreditation, WUAS stands out as one of only five Dutch schools to receive FIBAA accreditation for its programmes. Wittenborg's MBA programmes have also received FIBAA accreditation in the past.

The importance of accreditation

Next to the categories which were considered exceptional in practice at WUAS, Kaspers-Rostás highlights that WUAS also exceeded FIBAA's quality requirements in four key areas: "One of them is 'Admissions', counselling for prospective students and transparency and documentation of admission procedures and decisions." Another area was ‘Content, structure and didactical concept’, where the emphasis was on the "integration of theory and practice". Wittenborg's incredible guest lecturers and foreign language contents were also mentioned. Regarding the 'Academic Environment and framework conditions', Wittenborg's smooth internal cooperation and student support by faculty, programme director, process organisation and administrative support for students as well as faculty was recognised.

Furthermore, the 'Quality Assurance' of Wittenborg's development capacities and documentation exceeded expectations: "Evaluation by students, faculty, and external stakeholders is carried out on a regular basis and in accordance with a prescribed procedure; the outcomes are communicated to the people involved and provide input for the quality development process," and "the panel appreciates the vast and transparent documentation of the study programme and that it is updated regularly." You can learn more about Wittenborg's Premium-accredited MBM programmes here.

The FIBAA panel was also impressed by the quality of final theses, noting: "The panel finds that the final theses are mostly of a high quality, especially the literature study ... The examination monitoring system is very elaborate and state of the art. Based on examination data collected by an internal researcher, the school introduced new style answer keys to ease and enhance the quality control of each exam developed. A second independent (external) marker and if necessary even a third external marker are used to assess final projects."

The panel also mentioned a few areas where the programme can be further developed, including keeping track of graduates' employability rates, supporting the development of students' multidisciplinary skills (social and intercultural skills) and to let students benefit more from WUAS's strong business network. Wittenborg is continuously optimising all the aforementioned areas, with the latter field – its business network – being used to help organise the Job Fair Central Netherlands, taking place on 1 June, 2023. Wittenborg also recently launched a collaboration between itself and Global People, the Netherland's top recruitment network for diverse talent. At its current trajectory, Wittenborg is set to more than surpass FIBAA's recommendations.

FIBAA is an internationally recognised, independent accreditation body for business higher education. The body's transparent quality-assurance process evaluates bachelor's and master's programmes for excellence and real-world applicability, helping students choose which programme is right for them. Founded in the year 1994 following Germany's introduction of an academic accreditation system, the organisation is recognised in all German-speaking countries. Following the signing of the Bologna Accord to standardise European higher education – which was signed by the Netherlands in 1999 – FIBAA's pool of member institutions has expanded to include countries across Europe. Wittenborg's Premium-quality accreditation comes as Tim Mescon, former Executive Vice President and Chief Officer of EMEA for AACSB, joins Wittenborg's Advisory Board and International Academic Advisory Panel, following his amicable replacement of former Wittenborg Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ron Tuninga.

WUP 28/03/2023
by Olivia Nelson & Kriszta Kaspers-Rostás
©WUAS Press

Wittenborg graduate profile

Olesya Andreeva is a graduate of Wittenborg’s MBM programme at New European College (NEC) in Munich, Germany. Recently, she delivered an oral defence of her thesis in front of her lecturers, and obtained an MBM with a specialisation in Digital Marketing & Communication. Born in Moscow, her family moved to Munich, Germany where she still lives.

For most of her pre-university education, she attended Munich International School. “I gathered a very multicultural understanding of the world,” Andreeva notes. “I realised that I enjoy small, multicultural classrooms, so I applied to universities of business in Munich.” She took up a programme at Munich Business School but later transferred to Globe Business College Munich, where she finished her bachelor's degree in 2021. She was directed to NEC after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “My main plan was to get a job, but with the economic position, it was tough. I opted to pursue my master’s instead,” she explains. “I reflected on the courses I enjoyed the most throughout my bachelor’s and realised that I had a lot of fun with branding and strategy. I remembered NEC (the Munich campus of Wittenborg) as I had considered it for my bachelor’s, so I thought to apply. I liked that it was also a rather short course of only 1.5 years and offered many of the courses I had an interest in.”

“Pursuing a master’s has been an experience like no other, with numerous path-altering experiences in light of countless unknown variables. As most impactful experience I would describe our project weeks in the second semester, during which I was able to network and meet exceptional individuals, allowing me to discuss life experiences and gather advice.”

Importance of support and guidance

Regarding her thesis, which was supervised by Wittenborg lecturer Alexander Bauer, she decided to look at consumer decision-making in the skincare industry. “On a more personal level, the skincare industry has also been one where I was a consumer since my early teenage years, especially with my own battle with acne. I have always paid attention to the differences in purchasing products when it came to my mother and me.”

“I focused my thesis on the skincare industry and investigated what drives the purchased decision of the two generational groups – Generation Z and Millennials." She says that, while one individual might not suffer from anything now, it is not guaranteed that things will remain this way, meaning new consumers constantly enter the market. “A lot of the skincare products that we purchase we either research, they get advertised to us or they are ‘impulse’ buys in the store. Companies invest a lot of resources to advertise the product in a specific manner. I was curious to see if it makes more sense to target it to a generation rather than to focus it just on a buyer persona.”

Professor Bauer supported her enthusiasm about the topic. “I was writing the thesis with the idea that I possibly would like to do a PhD one day and I would be able to further build on my master’s thesis. He was always understanding, supportive and available if I needed anything and had ensured that we find a way to work together in order to reach success.” Being organised helped her studies. “While all is structured, I also prefer the freedom of being able to put my own spin on how things are done and in which way they can be presented.” She also likes to keep tidy. “Mainly, I am a person who needs to have tidy surroundings to be able to focus; however, throughout the process of writing my thesis the surroundings were anything but tidy, you should see the notes and the post-its!”

Living up to expectations

This would prepare her for the Oral Defence of her thesis. “To be honest, I don’t think I have ever prepared for any presentation so much; I tend to just create the presentations and come up with the said text on the spot,” she recalls. “I think the pressure was that a master’s thesis is a whole other load of stress compared to a bachelor’s. Everyone just expects more from you. I practised my presentation every night for 5 days leading up to presentation day.” She even got her family involved. “I made each of my three siblings listen and give me feedback. Truly, only my sister found it interesting because it was about skincare – the boys really didn’t care.”

She also had to deal with stage fright. “You can expect them to ask anything, and the pressure to flip through your 94 pages in your head and all the research you read through to get the correct answer was too much to think about beforehand.” She simply had to let things pass, a motto she lives by. “The direct translation from Russian would be ‘everything will pass and this will also’, which I guess in English the saying is ‘and this too shall pass’. When I was younger and would get very stressed and worked up about situations, this is something that my father would tell me,” she comments. “I come from a family of past sailors, so I often think of a quote I once saw, ‘A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor’.”

Her plan for the future is to go with the flow. “I am not much of a planner and just tend to see where my life will bring me.” After completing her thesis, she was offered a full-time position at NEC as an admission consultant, which she says she is very excited about. “I had such a wonderful experience at the university that I am excited to be a part of the team and help recruit more students! I am hoping that I will be able to share my wonderful experience with them and that they will be able to enjoy the fun and exciting education.”

WUP 13/03/2023
by Olivia Nelson
©WUAS Press

A show of support for a shared future

On Saturday 25 February, the Concert for Ukraine was held at the Julianakerk in Apeldoorn. The event was a tribute to the victims of the year-long, devastating war in Ukraine, as well as a show of support for a shared future. Initiated by friend of the Wittenborg family Simon Boon on behalf of the Gelre Association International, it was a touching and moving experience that brought people together through the universal language of music.

With a total of €3,514.50 collected in donations, the concert was deemed a great success. It was clear that the soul of the event moved and touched everyone who attended. This event was an opportunity for people to come together and create a better foundation for a sustainable future.

“In a world where destruction and evil run rampant, it is essential to stand together with respect, interest and attention,” says Simon Boon. “Music, art and culture are powerful tools in this fight. Courage, resistance, hope, partnership and friendship are what will ultimately win.”

Following the concert, a meeting was held with representatives from the Ukrainian embassy, Gelderland province, Apeldoorn municipality and civil society organisations. They discussed ways to help Ukrainians in Ukraine, including the need for sufficient sorting and storage space for goods. The municipality of Apeldoorn and the province of Gelderland committed to addressing this issue.

This concert was made possible through the efforts of many individuals and organisations, including the Ukrainian Embassy, the Province of Gelderland, Deputy Peter van 't Hoog, Manager Intensifying Climate Action at Provincie Gelderland Reindert Augustijn, the Municipality of Apeldoorn, Deputy Mayor, Alderman Marco Wenzkowski, the Julianakerk, Bert Langendijk and volunteers, St. WHOE, the concert participants and charities, Young Future and SDD. Admission to the concert was free, and all donations collected were allocated to various relief actions. It was an activity related to Gelre Partners, a project that aims to bring people together through art and culture.

The Concert for Ukraine was a beautiful tribute to the victims of the war and a show of support for a shared future. The event highlighted the power of music, art and culture in promoting change. It was an opportunity for people to come together and create a better world.

WUP 24/03/2023
by Niels Otterman
©WUAS Press

WUAS helping promote Apeldoorn as a green and royal city

On 15 February, a group of representatives from Strategic Network Apeldoorn, including CEO of Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences Maggie Feng, came to the Apenheul to discuss the city branding of Apeldoorn. The purpose of the meeting was to visualize the city of Apeldoorn in the year 2025 and how the board plans to achieve it. Apeldoorn has great potential to become an interesting and thriving city. Despite Apeldoorn being the 11th largest city in the country and praised for its green character, the board concluded that Apeldoorn could do with some marketing to make the city more interesting for tourists and industries.

The two main features of promoting Apeldoorn are its biggest factors and rural character: green and royal. These characteristics are based on the Apeldoorn environment enriched with beautiful nature and the presence of the Dutch royal family at Palace 't Loo in Apeldoorn. The meeting was moderated by Jos Vranken, director of the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions. Other speakers included Erik Braun, professor at Erasmus University and Copenhagen Business School, who gave his views on city marketing and how it can be used strategically to promote a city, and Claudi Groot Koerkamp, director of Apeldoorn Partners.  

"To market Apeldoorn well you need a few million euros. Let's stop thinking in separate campaigns and fragmented marketing budgets and start working together on powerful promotion of the city. I believe in the direction Apeldoorn Marketing has set for the city," said Maggie Feng. "Wittenborg welcomes a strong city branding and will continue to monitor the development of Apeldoorn's image. A city that is green, has a green heart, must have a lot of biodiversity. Many interpretations can be given to the word 'Green' we think."   

This meeting will be used by Apeldoorn Partners to create a story for the city of Apeldoorn which can be used to make Apeldoorn commercially interesting and really put the city on the map.

WUP 22/03/2023
by Niels Otterman
©WUAS Press

Engaging the Japanese & South Korean education markets

Wittenborg family member and Student Registrar Florian Oosterberg recently got the chance to represent Wittenborg at ICEF’s (International Consultants for Education and Fairs) annual conferences in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea. At the conferences, she was able to connect with key industry professionals within the Korean and Japanese higher education markets and touched base with other contacts from around the world. “I was there to represent Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences in order to make new connections with education consultants,” she explains. There was a “good, relaxed atmosphere, both among institutions as well as with education consultants,” recounts Oosterberg. “Both were equally nice,” she says of ICEF's Japan and Korean conferences.

ICEF is a global network that connects international education providers with student recruitment agents and facilitators from all over the world. The organisation hosts various events and workshops throughout the year, facilitating networking opportunities for professionals. The conferences provide a platform for education institutions to meet with education agents and counsellors and is designed to help international educators gain a better understanding of the local markets by establishing relationships within each given region. Recently, Wittenborg's Michael Sheppard attended ICEF in Mumbai, India, the world’s current largest source of international students, having recently surpassed China. It was the first ICEF to ever be held in South Asia.

At ICEF conferences, visitors get to attend seminars and workshops while networking with other industry professionals. The event, held each year in different locations around the world, is attended by a variety of education professionals, including language schools, universities, vocational schools, international education associations and, of course, business schools like Wittenborg.

Around 65 institutions were present at the Tokyo fair, with Wittenborg being the only Dutch school in attendance. “The majority were institutes from Australia, Canada and the USA, but there were also European institutes from Sweden and Austria, among others," Oosterberg notes. Meanwhile, the Seoul conference saw about 49 institutions, mostly from the same countries present in Tokyo. Similarly, there were no other Dutch schools aside from Wittenborg, likely due in part to the Dutch government's recommendation that public universities cease international recruitment efforts due to difficulties in securing housing for incoming students. As a private business school, Wittenborg is not subject to these constraints, and is able to successfully house all incoming students at its Dutch study locations.

Oosterberg also highlights that, “the Netherlands is an unfamiliar market for Japanese and Korean students, who traditionally go to Australia, Canada or the USA as a study destination. However,” she adds, “education consultants were pleasantly surprised by the smooth visa process and the fact that WUAS provides accommodation for the first period of studies. Additionally, they were quite interested in our new summer school programme which is launching this summer, 2023.”

WUP 20/03/2023 
by Olivia Nelson 
©WUAS Press

International Women’s Day 2023 saw Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng and EU Project Manager Aydan Ismayilova invited to the huis of Provincie Gelderland for a celebratory breakfast. The event served as a platform to discuss the empowerment of women, as well as obstacles faced by women in the professional world. The breakfast also provided an opportunity for local women leaders, including Feng, to share their experiences and perspectives. Feng, who is also a member of the SER Topvrouwen organisation, along with other local women leaders, shared insights on gender equality in the workplace and overcoming obstacles for women in leadership roles.

Attendees held engaging talks on women in the professional world, ranging from tackling unconscious bias and unequal pay to a lack of representation in top positions. Strategies to overcome these challenges and promote gender equality were also offered, including mentorship, education and training, and creating supportive work environments. Speaking on the event, Feng emphasises the importance of empowering women and creating equal opportunities for all. She states, "We need to work together to break down the barriers that prevent women from reaching their full potential. By empowering women, we will create a more balanced and inclusive society for all."

International Women's Day is celebrated annually on 8 March and honours the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The global holiday is also a call for action regarding women’s issues and gender equality. The day highlights the importance of challenging sexism, gender bias and inequality, calling on individuals and organisations to actively engage in strategies to reduce the challenges to success faced by women. Wittenborg thanks the organisers of the official breakfast for the invitation to such an important discussion. The school looks forward to continuing to positively impact local society, especially for both budding and established professional women.

WUP 17/03/2023
by Olivia Nelson
©WUAS Press

Wittenborg family gets bigger

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences is adding two new members, Pauline Verheijen-Dop and Timothy Mescon, to its Academic Advisory Board. The board is a consultative body for the school, providing guidance on academic affairs, research, and teaching, ensuring that each programme is relevant and of top quality.

Pauline Verheijen-Dop, a seasoned legal expert, brings a wealth of expertise to the board. Working for over a decade in law and management, she is also a member of the SER Topvrouwen organisation along with Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng. "Pauline has been part of the extended Wittenborg family for years through her father," explains Feng. "Jan-Albert Dop is still greatly missed and often mentioned at executive level. We are thrilled that we have Pauline now joining us to become an even closer member of the family, representing connections with large corporations as well as SER Topvrouwen. I am looking forward to working with her closely."  

Joining Pauline is Timothy Mescon, who brings an array of international experience to the role. Timothy has held various leadership positions in academia, including that of Executive Vice President and Chief Officer Europe, Middle East and Africa for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. His experience in building global partnerships, ensuring academic quality and promoting the crucial importance of higher education will also be a great asset to the board. Recently, Mescon also became chair of Wittenborg’s International Academic Advisory Panel.  

Commenting on Mescon’s appointment, Wittenborg President Peter Birdsall enthuses, "We are thrilled to have Tim on the board. His expertise will no doubt be key as we continuously develop our academic programmes to prepare students for professional success." On 18 March, the Academic Advisory Board will convene at the Brinklaan campus in Apeldoorn for an annual meeting. The board will discuss a wide range of topics and will review the university's current academic programmes to assess their effectiveness and relevance while identifying areas for improvement and growth. 

WUP 15/03/2023
by Olivia Nelson
©WUAS Press

Vote during the first edition of Royal Light Festival

This year marks the first edition of the Royal Light Festival Apeldoorn. On15 to 19 March from 7pm, the city of Apeldoorn will be decorated with beautiful lights through the streets. The Royal Light Festival is a new free festival to promote art and the history of Apeldoorn. What makes the first edition extra special is that the start of the festival falls on the same day as the start of the Provincial and Water Board elections in the Netherlands. The Royal Light Festival provides a beautiful location to cast your vote: de Grote Kerk. 

The Provincial States elections are held every four years in the Netherlands to elect the members of the Provincial Councils, the legislative assemblies of the Dutch provinces. In the case of Apeldoorn, the council of the province of Gelderland will be elected. They make decisions on matters such as infrastructure, spatial planning and the environment. They also vote for the members of the Senate (de Eerste Kamer) who control the bills passed by parliament (de Tweede Kamer), so indirectly votes are also for the Senate. 

In the Water Board elections, members of the water boards, regional government bodies responsible for managing water resources, including managing dykes, canals and waterways, are elected. They must ensure that water in the Netherlands remains safe and manageable and play a crucial role in protecting the country from flooding. 

These elections take place on 15 March and votes can be cast at various locations around the city. One of these in Apeldoorn is in the Grote Kerk at Loolaan 16 where there will be a spectacular light show. The voting booth is at the end of the main hall, making it the perfect place to fulfil your democratic right. To vote in the water board elections, you only have to be a registered resident of the Netherlands; you will receive your "stempas" or voting pass in the mail. However, for the provincial elections you can only vote if you have Dutch citizenship and you’re over 18 years old. If you don't have citizenship, it's still a good idea to check out what the Dutch government system is like and what impact the elections will have on your immediate surroundings. Either way, you won't regret enjoying the light shows through the city of Apeldoorn.

WUP 14/03/2023
by Niels Otterman
©WUAS Press