Members and Friends of our Academic Community, Ladies and Gentlemen,

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1 Founder's Day 2015: Seven sparkling gems on a chain Lecture by Rector Magnificus Theo Engelen Dies Natalis Radboud University, 28 May 2015 Members and Friends of our Academic Community, Ladies and Gentlemen, It cannot have escaped your notice that last year was an eventful year for Academe in the Netherlands. The student finance system has been redesigned, the structure of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research is changing, some people said that a New University (capital N, capital U) was needed, the accreditation system was hotly debated, and we, as researchers, welcomed sixteen million advisors to assist with the new research agenda. There is a famous Chinese saying: May you live in interesting times. Need I say more I shall address one or more of these topics at the opening of the academic year on 31 August. But not today. Today is our birthday. Birthdays are special days when people tend to take a trip down memory lane, and recall the family history. I intend to continue that tradition. When Jos. Schrijnen delivered his speech in 1923 to mark the birth of this university, his ambitions could certainly not be classified as modest. He said on that occasion that, in these halls of Academe, the one divine light of truth and knowledge had to reflect with harmonious diversity in the sparkling gems of its faculties. 1

2 In those days our metaphorical family consisted of only three gems: the Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Law, and the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy. Entirely understandable, given the spirit of the time and the purpose behind the establishment of the Catholic University. The chain of office that should have been worn by the Rector Magnificus at the opening ceremony was still a work in progress. Four months later, when he finally hung it around his neck, each of the three faculties had its own medallion. The symbols on these medallions were not actually chosen by the individual faculties. With the unassailable authority that was so typical of him, Schrijnen had taken that task upon himself. He chose a clover leaf for Theology, a pair of scales for Law, and a book with a goose feather for Arts and Philosophy. Immediately after the foundation of the new university (this time without capital letters!), there were calls for a science faculty, because Catholics should be able to make their own way in this academic field as well. It was actually a professor of anatomy, J.A.J. Barge of Leiden University, who publicly expressed regret that the financial position of this university made it impossible to add a faculty of science and a faculty of medicine to the three existing faculties. All the more so, given that the need was most urgent. It would take many more years - until 1958 before this most urgent need was met. That was the year when two new medallions were added to the Rector s chain of office. The choice of the Staff of Asclepius for the Faculty of 2

3 Medicine was pretty much to be expected. The medallion for the Faculty of Science bore a triangle containing the chemical symbol for carbon. After that, another two gems were added to the university family, but strange to say they were not added to the Rector s chain. When I became Rector on 17 October last year, I decided to redress the balance. Today, I am delighted to be wearing a chain upon which all seven faculties are accorded their rightful place. This time, the symbols were chosen in a proper democratic process within the two faculties. We have made indisputable progress, since 1923, on how to deal with matters like these. The Social Science Faculty opted for a stylised version of the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci. It is said that the body of this person (a male, by the way) is in perfect proportion. The figure of the Vitruvian Man is often used as a symbol for Humanism. Positioned within the square, representing all things earthly, and the circle, representing all things spiritual, Man stands at the very centre of the universe. Nijmegen School of Management chose as its symbol a magnifying glass above a globe. The magnifying glass represents research and scientific scrutiny. The globe refers to national and international cooperation, and society. Needless to say, the direct link between science and society is immediately visible. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the faculties on two fine, well-conceived symbols and say: Welcome to the chain. 3

4 Together, seven gems, seven faculties form the universitas magistorum et scholarum, otherwise known as Radboud University. As you probably know, seven is a magic or sacred number in many cultures. With that in mind, I would like to introduce you briefly to the disciplines that are taught and studied on this square kilometre of campus. There are times when it is good to look at the trees as well as the wood. I ll begin with the Faculty of Science. The days of the Catholic vision of science are long gone. The mission of the Faculty of Science is not to contest pagan or atheistic ideas, or to rescue Catholic youths from the clutches of secular universities. I am referring, of course, to the ideas of the early promoters of this faculty. No, in the science disciplines, the material base of our existence is, quite simply, explored in all its richness and complexity and with obvious success, given the many prizes awarded to the faculty and the strong reputation on the national and international stage. Many of the things we take for granted in daily life are the product of knowledge developed by scientific disciplines sparkling like diamonds in the night! Research at the Faculty of Medical Sciences is often closely linked to research at the Faculty of Science. The starting and end point of medical sciences is human well-being and quality of life. First-class practitioners provide patients with excellent clinical care. At the same time, the faculty fulfils an important role in society by developing and disseminating knowledge and skills. Radboudumc aims to lead the field in, or make an active contribution to, the development of sustainable, innovative and affordable healthcare, and thereby improve the health of people and 4

5 society in the Netherlands and the rest of the world. The mission is: To have a significant impact on healthcare. I can hear you thinking: that sounds like a quotation from a website. And you are right. I did copy these words from the Radboudumc site. Why think of a new way to say something that has been said so well already? Since 1958, Medical Sciences has been sparkling on the site of the Heijendaal hunting lodge. Though it might be less evident at the Faculty of Law, here too we can discern close intertwinement of theory and practice, fed by the realisation that, without the necessary theoretical foundation, practical actions would lack purpose and substance. All of this is deeply relevant to our daily lives. Maintenance of the rule of law, protection of the rights of individuals and groups, must continue to matter to everyone who has ever observed what life is like in societies where judicial relationships are not weighed by a blindfolded Justitia holding a pair of scales in her hand. The Faculty of Law sparkles in the magnificent Grotius building. The law, the administration of justice, and everything associated with it benefit significantly from social science findings on how individuals grow up and interact in society. Staff and students at the Faculty of Social Sciences study the complex interplay of larger and smaller groups in society in different ways. Human behaviour is a fascinating interplay of nature and nurture. The stock themes, such as growing up in deprived environments, the best educational methods, the way youth is being radicalised, and the promotion of well-being are, of course, addressed. But I learned during a recent visit to the faculty that recommendations on safe lighting in the Schiphol Tunnel amongst other things fall 5

6 within the expertise of our colleagues at Social Sciences. Talk about sparkling When speaking about the research at Nijmegen School of Management, Professor Beate van der Heijden said that the multidisciplinary approach is a combination of the strengths, techniques, and insights of researchers in public administration, economics, geography and politics. This collaboration enables researchers to provide innovative answers to complex societal and corporate problems. Dean Van der Heijden s researchers also play an important role in the public debate at national and international level. The faculty motto is Creating Knowledge for Society. We follow their achievements with admiration and respect, because there countless problems awaiting solutions. It is time for this sparkling gem at our university to get new accommodation, with plenty of space for all those problems. Here, on our campus, we study the spiritual aspects of life as well as the physical and societal. You would expect nothing less of an exceptional university like ours. The Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies explores questions that most of us ask ourselves at some time in our lives. I m quoting again from a website: What is the point of my existence?' How can I give meaning to my life?' Do we have a free will?' Is my knowledge of the world actually valid?' These are just some of the questions that the students and staff explore and which philosophers have attempted to answer in the course of history. They see it as their task to examine critically, expose, and sometimes even contest 6

7 prejudices, dogmatic standpoints, and unfounded opinions. Anyone who stays up to speed with the international news will know that this is just as important as solving the world food problem. No, your eyes are not deceiving you. There s a lot of sparkling going on in the Erasmus Building. Without language, without a vehicle of communication, science and research would never have got off the ground. Knowledge of language from the burbling of babies to intercultural communication is cherished and developed at the Faculty of Arts. Language is, after all, one of the distinguishing features of the human condition. But so is memory. And historians know only too well that memory is fallible and is frequently misused for personal gain. Historians act as scrupulous guardians and interpreters of the past. The third branch of the faculty is formed by staff and students who explore art and culture in all shapes and forms. They endeavour to ascertain why art and literature can elevate us to great heights and confer feelings of joy. The sparkling in the Erasmus building also comes from the Arts. Of course, there is a lot more happening on our campus than what I have highlighted here, but it seems to me that it would be useful on this occasion to remind ourselves of what we do. I know from personal experience how easy it is, within the confines of your own department or research group, to lose sight of the fact that you are part of a greater whole. The same experience has taught me how proud you can be when 7

8 you take time to observe the achievements of colleagues outside your own terrain. It is for good reason that we are the best broad-based university in the country and that our researchers attract more resources than are warranted by our size. When I was presented with the Rector s chain I stressed the importance of interdisciplinary bonding on our campus. Today I am stressing it again, and I will continue to do so. At the start of my speech I referred to Schrijnen who coined the term sparkling gems. You will recall that he also saw the relationship between these gems as one of harmonious diversity. That is a telling paradox which does justice to harmony and diversity at one and the same time. It feels good to be a Radboudian. Take pride in one another. Respect and value one another. Work together. Each of the seven sparkling gems each faculty contributes in its own way to our academic community, regardless of its size or its ability to attract resources. Let us not forget that all seven are joined together by the medallions in the chain of office that I wear, and that no single medallion is bigger than any of the others. 8