Currently the dean of the University of Groningen’s Campus Fryslân in Leeuwarden, professor Jouke de Vries will become the new president of the RUG on 1 October.
De Vries will succeed professor Sibrand Poppema, who served as the president of the university for the past decade.
In a press release from the university, the chair of the university’s supervisory board Tjibbe Joustra said that the board was very positive about De Vries taking over the leadership position. “We consider him the perfect person to lead the UG for the next four years and look forward to working with him.”
De Vries is originally from Friesland and spent much of his academic career at the University of Leiden. He became the dean of the Leeuwarden campus, the eleventh and newest campus of the RUG, in 2015. He is also a professor of governance and public policy at the university.
In the press release, De Vries said, “I am very proud and honoured to be chosen to lead this wonderful university, which has been firmly rooted in the Northern Netherlands since 1614 but has always had an eye to the outside world.”
The five-person appointment committee for selecting the next chairperson of the university’s board of directors consisted of a mix of members of the advisory council and the university council, including one student. The committee unanimously chose De Vries to be Poppema’s successor. Eight candidates – four men and four women – that made it to the final round of considerations.
Photo source: Omrop Fryslân
