Opening Academic Year 2024-2025: The energy of applied universities

It was warm during the opening of the academic year in Deventer. That also applied to the atmosphere in the Deventer Schouwburg. Students, Saxion staff and others with a special bond with applied university education (HBO) were gathered together in the large auditorium. The student associations’ flag-bearers, who had just stepped off the bus, were the last to make an entrance. And what an entrance. Their infectious energy turned hundreds of heads in the theatre seats before them.

“Just have the time fo my life,” these words from one of the students on stage belonging to study association HYSTERIA, summed up what they had come to do today. As studying is about much more than just collecting study credits.

Start with well-being

More than 26,000 Saxion students start their study year in September, some of them for the first time. Who are these newcomers? This question was put indirectly to the public. The theatre lights dimmed. A spotlight fell on storyteller Anne Hurenkamp, who from her reading chair remarked on ‘the softening autumn light’. Light which makes us look more sharply at ourselves and the world around us; it formed a poetic prelude to the opening speech by Anka Mulder, President of the Saxion Executive Board.

In her speech Anka emphasised the importance of student well-being. Topic of the day, ‘See and be seen’ fitted perfectly with this. Anka: “I think that ‘See and be seen’ is all about that. Trying to make sure that each student can be themselves among 26,000 other students. That you feel seen, from your very first day at Saxion. By your classmates and lecturers ... At Saxion, we want to create much more space for contact and peer support; through Home Groups, in and outside the classroom; with the Support Days which we are starting this month. You’ll be noticing more about this soon.”

Stand up for applied university education

At the end of her speech, Anka described applied university graduates as indispensable skilled professionals; drivers of innovation and backbone of the region. At the same time she emphasised that HBO is ‘not on the political and media radar’, and for example, only receives 1/20^th share of all government research funding.

This roused up militant feelings. A banner was offered to Anka from the wings, which she accepted and held aloft. We could read: ‘Ik sta voor het hbo’, (I stand up for applied university education). Anka was accompanied by Executive Board colleagues Timo Kos and Richard Wielinga, both of whom also held a banner aloft as they literally stood for HBO. This was followed by loud applause; along with the resounding approval of the flag-bearers’ stamping feet on the balcony.

Prize-winning talent

It was time to put two indispensable applied university talents in the spotlight. First the Saxion Graduation Award, which was won by Ton van Dijk. Ton who got a 10 for his Mechatronics degree, has developed an autonomous robot for optimising soil research. This technology can be deployed for example to find fertile ground for food production. Ton was presented his prize, a cheque for 1,500 euros, by Executive Board member Timo Kos.

For the Saxion Entrepreneur Award, jury chair Karel Kloeze was invited on stage. “Stepping over your fear,” is how this previous winner described one of the requirements of entrepreneurship. It is something a growing number of students are doing: in recent years the number of student entrepreneurs has doubled from 2 to 4 percent.

Three of them were nominated for this year’s Entrepreneur Award. Fearless and unnerved they made their pitches, each exactly within the minute given to them. The audience was allowed to vote, the tension grew; it was business management student Claudia Lubbersen who could subsequently celebrate. It was Pasper, her business that puts sustainable products on the market to keep people warm and cool, which won Claudia the Saxion Entrepreneur Award 2024, including a cheque for 10,000 euros. What kind of plans does an entrepreneur have for such a cheque? Claudia: “Expand into America”

Dreaming of daring to fail

These are wonderful, big dreams. Earlier on Anka Mulder had cited the words of Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, who in her turn had quoted Muhammad Ali: “If your dreams don’t scare you, then they are not big enough.” But then how do you dream big in a good way, so that you and your dreams are also truly seen?

Luckily, Stine Jensen, endowed professor popular philosophy was at hand. She referred to herself as a ‘professional doomsayer’, someone who is always invited in times of crisis. According to Stine, we are now living in those times, in a society that is sadly not free from polarisation. However, it doesn’t have to be that way, she assured us, before treating the audience to five tips for connecting better. Her tips were concerned with finding a common identity, postponing making your opinion, using more gentle language, working from intentions and daring to fail. Stine wanted to illustrate this last tip using a feather. Executive Board member Richard Wielinga, on his second work day, was called on stage. He was asked to try and balance a long feather upright with its point on the palm of his hand. Something he managed to do several times, but not without difficulty. “Enjoy the doing in its own right,” so concluded Stine her story, and she had certainly seen Richard enjoying just that.

Heading outside for HBO

The whole Executive Board went on stage. A giant ‘play button’ was lowered from the theatre rafters. Academic year 2024-2025 was symbolically started, along with a brand new recruiting video: ‘Be Unique. Let's grow together.’

The video could also count on strong support, but it still wasn’t time to go home. ‘I stand up for HBO’ was the message once again held aloft on a banner. Anka, Timo and Richard invited everyone to follow them outside, in Deventer city centre, to make a stand for applied university education. It was a call to action that everyone immediately heeded. A strong statement for all the social workers, nurses, civil technicians and other applied university talents. And with this gesture, the academic year 2024-2025 was well and truly open.