Optimism among international students that global warming can be limited to less than 2 degrees Celsius

More than 76% of undergraduate students from Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences who took part in the MIT World Climate Simulation Game last month say the exercise changed their views on climate change, with almost 80% now seeing it as a serious problem and the majority (76%) believing they will suffer the consequences in their own lifetimes.

The role-playing exercise simulates UN climate change negotiations and 140 students from 80 different nationalities participated, representing the regions of the world they come from. Participants took on the roles of delegates and were charged with reaching an agreement to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius.

Wi...

Big Task Ahead for Wittenborg's New Student Representatives

As 2019 commences, so has the year-long mandate of Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences’ 15 new student representatives who were elected towards the end of last year after pitching to fellow students.

The body consists of both students from Apeldoorn and Amsterdam. The bachelor's degree representatives will be led Matthew Skelhorne, and the master's representatives by Sonia Rahman. 

The role of the student representative is twofold: Firstly, to represent students overall in areas such as student experience, teaching quality, learning facilities and tools, university facilities and student accommodation, as well as non-curricula activities. Secondly, they will be part of the programme committees evaluating the content of programmes, the teaching thereof and evaluating the outcomes of ...

Wittenborg Moves to Limit Possible Damage of Brexit

Discussions with UK Partner, University of Brighton, Underway

After the British parliament voted against the Brexit deal on Tuesday evening, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences (WUAS) has indicated that it will meet as soon as possible with the University of Brighton in the UK to discuss its ongoing partnership. However, it was quick to reassure students and staff that in the short-term there will be minimal disruptions.

Brexit has direct implications on Wittenborg as it offers a number of jointly taught degrees (Masters and Bachelors) with the University of Brighton.

Over 100 teaching days a year at WUAS are provided by lecturers from the UK, mainly from the Brighton. Although technically employed by the University of Brighton, these staff members are working for Wittenborg in the Netherlands. This is possible under current ...

"Remaining a non-profit organisation served us well so far"

Wittenborg will aim to bring its student population up to 1,000 for the first time in 2019, the institution's chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, told staff and guests at its annual New Year's reception.

A remarkable feat, given the fact that when the current management took over in 2008 the school was on the brink of administrative closure by the government, and was slowly built up to where it is today with a "very real ambition to be one of the top business and management schools in the world", according to Birdsall.

"Often non-profit organisations find themselves having to go to market to survive," he said. "An example of this would be our partner, Nuffic, ...

Whiskey Burn – A Huge Success

Following the November 2018 launch, Wittenborg's newly published Whiskey Burn: The Distilleries of Ireland by Vespa has surpassed expectations by the attention received from our customers and the general public.  

Like its earlier Scottish sequel : Whisky Burn – Distilleries of Scotland by Vespa, the Highlands and Islands, Whiskey Burn (note the 'e' in whiskey for the Irish spelling) has been praised for its design, humorous content and shelf-friendliness.

About the book

In Whiskey Burn,  Birdsall takes us on a 3-week camping tour around the island of Ireland to visit the established, newly established and yet-to-be-established whiskey distilleries.  

Travelling on his trusty, 1979, classic Vespa 50, touring distilleries, painting and sketching the landscape - and the distilleries - sampling the produce back at the campsites, this already established travel ...

"There is definitely value for hotels in going green"

Hotels that go green definitely have a positive impact on guest satisfaction.  

This was the outcome of research done by Wittenborg IBA student, Meng Fu, who did a case study at the eco-friendly Park Plaza Hotel in Amsterdam’s Vondelpark.  

Fu has been following a Bachelor in Hospitality Management (BHM) at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences since September, 2015. She presented the findings of her research, which entailed questioning more than 100 guests as well as lengthy interviews with managers and other staff - at the end of 2018.  

She studied the relationship between implementing green practices at the hotel and guest satisfaction. “There is definitely value for hotels that go green – it is a means of distinguishing themselves and often serves as motivation for guests to revisit...

There are also things that will get you a fine cycling in the Netherlands

You have arrived– an international student in the Netherlands. Next stop, getting a bicycle because everyone has one and it will look so cute on your Instagram feed. But hold on, learning to cycle like a native can be harder than it looks.  

First of all, Dutch bikes typically come with back pedal brakes – meaning you stop by pedaling backwards – and yes, you’re scared to death when you try it the first time. Secondly, most Dutch people grow up cycling and the speed they get up to and level of control they exert can be intimidating. Luckily, it does not take long to get use to both these aspects.  
The other good news is that you can get a good second-hand bike relatively cheaply in the Netherlands, so do look at those first before buying a brand-new bike or renting one. The country also has some of the world’s best bicycle path networks, so you ...

Interesting Discussions on Improving Corporate Sustainability at Book Launch

In line with moving its research agenda forward and fostering an environment of knowledge creation, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has in the last few weeks  taken several initiatives to promote and support the research and creative scholarly activities of faculty, staff and students.

One of those activites in the week before Christmas was the launch of an insightful new book on corporate sustainability at Wittenborg Amsterdam which is bound to spark interest among academics and companies wishing to pursue more sustainable practices in their businesses. Another was an interesting Project Week where more than 140 undergraduates took part in the MIT World Climate Change Games – a role-laying exercise which simulates ...