Dreams and drives were in abundance on the Deventer Schouwburg stage during the Opening of the Academic Year 2022-2023. However, all the dreams of students, researchers, lecturers alike had one common denominator: climate change. “Applied universities have a key role to play in this”, emphasised Anka Mulder, President of the Executive Board. In keeping with tradition, the Executive Board got proceedings underway together with members of Saxion Study Societies brandishing their flags for the occasion. Executive Board President, Anka Mulder kicked off as first speaker. She invited those present and viewers at home (via a live-stream broadcast) to join her on her self-proclaimed cloud nine.
In truth, the President doesn’t of course want to be talking about the climate again. “This is the fourth year in a row that I’m talking about it. It is of course the major societal challenge, that we as applied university can and have to address. And if you are talking about dream and drive, then this is my drive. Until recently we still wished each other a lovely, hot summer. However, this has now taken on a new meaning with another sweltering summer. In Deventer, we could count ourselves lucky that we were still able to take the ferry across the low river IJssel. Looking at the current situation and the prospects, it’s easy to feel gloomy but I’m on cloud nine and I would like to talk to you about how WE can tackle the problem together. We can do it in two ways: by limiting climate change and by building up our resilience to the climate change that already exists.”
Limiting climate change
The President described how changes in operations can limit climate change. Air conditioning in summer coming on when temperatures are a couple of degrees higher and the heating when temperatures are a couple of degrees lower. The climate is a central theme of both education and research. For example, theSustainable Energy Supply research groupis working on energy-neutral homes and Saxion students have helped to make the football stadium in Deventer more sustainable.
Building our resilience to climate change
The applied university is also taking action to combat existing climate change. According to the President, the best example of this is the Saxionclimate square.This project, carried out by students and a research group, aims to make the Saxion main building more climate-friendly. The square will soon be green, helping the applied university to combat both drought and flooding. At the same time, it will help restore biodiversity. Anka: “Work will commence in 2023 with the removal of the first street tile!”
No change without applied universities!
The President firmly believes that applied universities are making a valuable contribution to solving the climate change problem. “In fact, it would not be achievable without our contribution. We are the knowledge accelerators. We collect questions from SMEs, municipalities and various organisations. We convert our knowledge into products, prototypes and software. Without us, knowledge would just lie around gathering dust and there isn’t time for that.”
Pictures: Tessa Wiegerinck
The President’s drive is loud and clear But she isn’t the only one who is aiming to bring about a positive impact on the climate. Guest speaker Jan-Joost Bosman, general director of the Auping bed manufacturing company, also aims to make the company’s operations more sustainable. “Our motto is: give the world a good night’s rest and let people dream. We want to make smart use of the raw materials the earth provides us.” And he would prefer to do this in collaboration with the students and partners of the applied university. “We could carry out projects such as ‘The bedroom of the future’ without our partnership with Saxion, but we shouldn’t want to do that. It is vitally important that we get students involved.”
More dreams and drives
The theme of this opening event is about more than the climate. Lecturer Daniëlle Ouwejan of the Podiatry degree programme told us about her drive to turn this degree programme into one of the very best after the programme had been given a bad appraisal. And she succeeded. “Listen to each other. Use the feedback as an opportunity for making improvements. We succeeded and we are now ranked as Saxion’s fourth best degree programme.” Geron van den Ham is chairperson of KOSS (Koepel Overleg Studenten Saxion, or the association of Saxion student unions). His dreams for the coming academic year are seeing plenty of student activism and a rekindling of student life in the Saxion university towns.
During the event, one person was hard at work on realising his own dream. This dream was the dream of former student Mick van Halst who wants to become a presenter. He took a step in the right direction by presenting the Opening of the Academic Year together with his father, Jan van Halst, former professional footballer and current football analyst and entrepreneur.
The President gave the opening a festive conclusion with her ‘cloud nine’. The members of the Executive Board opened their umbrellas on stage and with a ‘Step onto my cloud nine,’ from Anka, a cloud blew onto the stage.
