Van Hall Larenstein and History of VHL is one What next? Wageningen UR split up merger after another Widespread disappointment: Joining Wageningen UR ‘It’s a great pity.’ | p.6 | was a bridge too far. | p.7 | RESOURCEFor students and employees of Wageningen UR nr. 22 – 5 July 2012 – 6th Volume Alright for some But others get no holiday this summer p.14 (5(6SEHHOGLQGG 2 >> labour of love >> BERT + ROCK CLIMBING Bert Heusinkveld, researcher in Meteorology and Air Quality ‘De way is the goal’ Where most of us see a boulder or a steep rock face, Bert Heusinkveld sees a challenge. Like this one, one of the Freyr rocks at Dinant in Belgium. A favourite destination for climbers. ‘How do I get up there? How do I fi gure it out? That’s the essence of it, for me.’ It looks deceptively easy when he conquers a rock face. Just look at the fi lms of him bouldering on Youtube (search term: BertNederland). Or have a go at the climbing wall at the Bongerd. RK RESOURCE — 5 July 2012 (5(6SEHHOGLQGG COVER ILLUSTRATION: PASCAL TIEMAN CONTENTS no 22 – 6th Volume >> 11 >> 20 >> 24 SILLY SEASON CAST IRON WORK ETHIC CHEAP HOLIDAYING Science Information Officer: ‘After Yvonne Rietjens, one of Wageningen’s Hitch a ride to an eastern two dry weeks we start getting leading lights. ‘Women working four European music festival and questions about forest fires.’ days just confirms traditional roles.’ sleep on a stranger’s sofa. SPLITTING UP Last week I heard ex-secretary of state Medy van der Laan talk about collabo- ration between secondary and higher education. Her message was: realize that AND MORE... collaboration is not easy. It is time-consuming, you sacrifice your autonomy, you 2 Labour of love have to be open to others and willing to let go of your own ideas. Funnily rock climbing enough, I began to think she was talking about VHL. 4 News and opinion Because the fact that collaboration sucks is old news in the Leeuwarden-Velp- 10 Science Wageningen triangle. Where the employees’ council sets 23 conditions for 13 Resource.wur.nl agreeing to the merger; where the executive board sticks to corporate charges 14 Slogging through the summer that are simply too high for an applied sciences school; where Animal 18 In the picture Management and Forest and Nature Management oppose popular new greetings from Wageningen programmes purely out of self-interest. 20 Ivonne Rietjens If you want to stay together you have to be prepared to make sacrifices. Clearly 24 Student nobody is, so splitting up is the best option. 29 Column 32 Typical Dutch Gaby van Caulil patatopia >> Research on the effect of coloured light on moths. It makes for nice photos anyway. P.18 5 July 2012 — RESOURCE (5(6SEHHOGLQGG >> news 9$1+$// 81,9(56,7<*(76,17(5ɺ /$5(167(,1 1$7,21$/$&&5(',7$7,21 723$57:,7+ :$*(1,1*(185 phenomenon of institutional ac- ð 8QLYHUVLW\SDVVHVTXDOLW\WHVW creditation for universities in the ð 1RZZLWKLQWHUQDWLRQDO Netherlands. At the end of Februa- ð 7RRPXFKRSSRVLWLRQDPRQJ DFFUHGLWDWLRQ ry, the visitation committee made VWDʼn a positive recommendation about ð /HJDOSURFHVVLQLWLDWHG Wageningen University, and this Wageningen University is the first has now been ratified by the NVAO university in the Netherlands to board. Such accreditation is a Van Hall Larenstein and Wagenin- get international accreditation. dents from more than 100 coun- long-cherished ambition for Dutch gen UR are going to split up. The This is a kind of quality label for tries. This accreditation is a recog- universities. Until recently only in- executive board relayed its decisi- international students. It guaran- nition of our standing as an inter- dividual programmes could go on to staff at the Leeuwarden, Velp tees that the Master’s programmes national institution. Although we through the NVAO quality test, and Wageningen sites on Tuesday and communication are in En- cannot complain about the which is a requirement for obtai- 26 June, and explained how the glish, the students learn how to amount of interest already shown ning government funding. Yet ma- merger is to be terminated. operate in different cultures, and by international students, we shall ny parts of the test, such as those The VHL directors and manage- that admission procedures and fa- certainly use this in our overseas looking at facilities and HRM, are ment team wanted to continue the cilities are satisfactory. recruitment campaigns.’ Kropff organized centrally. So if the uni- collaboration within Wageningen NVAO chairman Karl Dittrich hopes that there will eventually be versities are assessed on these University and DLO but according announced the news last week a ‘league’ of European universities points centrally, there is much less to executive board chair Aalt Dijk- during a farewell symposium held will international accreditation. paperwork for the individual de- huizen, there is too much oppositi- for Wageningen education direc- Other Dutch universities are wor- gree programmes. Teachers from on among the staff to make that vi- tor Pim Brascamp in Cinemec in king on qualifying for it. Delft and Nijmegen, two universi- able. In the opinion poll taken on a Ede. ties that were accredited last year staff day on 20 June, 46 percent of Rector magnificus Martin Krop- /(66%85($8&5$&< in a pilot scheme, report having 25 the VHL staff voted against remai- ff is proud of the achievement: ‘It This international accreditation is percent less work related to accre- ning a part of Wageningen UR. In is no coincidence that we have stu- the latest development in the new ditation. *Y& the previous poll in January, 60 percent of the staff were still in fa- vour of the merger. In the next few weeks, a com- mittee will work on the technical &2817,1*7,&.6 details of the break-up. Contracts between VHL and Wageningen UR on accommodation, catering and other services will all be reviewed. Then the executive board will start preparing to bow out as the execu- tive board of Van Hall Larenstein. This will be done in consultation with the supervisory board, which will also resign as supervisory board of VHL. The minister of EL&I will probably then appoint someone tasked with appointing a new supervisory board – which will then appoint a new executive board. Dijkhuizen hopes to com- plete these processes in Septem- ber so that the executive board can take the official decision to step down. /YG1 See also page 6 to 9. 9ROXQWHHUVSLFNLQJWLFNVRʼnDVKHHWVWKH\KDYHGUDJJHGRYHUWKHJURXQG7KHGDWDWKH\FROOHFWZLOOEHXVHGRQWKH :DJHQLQJHQZHEVLWHWHNHQUDGDUQOODXQFKHGWKUHHPRQWKVDJR9LVLWRUVWRWKHZHEVLWHFDQUHSRUWZKHQWKH\ZHUHELW- WHQ7KHUHKDYHEHHQUHSRUWVVRIDUWZLFHDVPDQ\DVH[SHFWHG RR RESOURCE — 5 July 2012 (5(6SLQGG news << 5 029(60($1:$67(3$3(5 too (by 41 percent). The reason for over the target of 2 percent per private cars. This makes car jour- ð (QHUJ\FRQVXPSWLRQVODVKHG the increased waste production year. And this is related to the neys responsible for 70 percent of ð 1HZEXLOGLQJVPRUHHŌFLHQW was the various moves to and on moves too, as the new buildings the footprint. Paper use accounts the campus (Zodiac, De Dreijen, are more energy-effi cient. For the for 10 percent. The footprint is the head offi ce, the ESG and Facili- fi rst time it is now clear what Wa- not complete, however. Compen- Never before had Wageningen UR ties and Services). This is menti- geningen UR’s total CO2 footprint satory measures need to be taken thrown out as much paper as it did oned in Wageningen UR’s latest is. It was calculated on the basis of into account more. Provisional last year. Across Wageningen UR, annual environmental report. As 2010 data and serves as a baseline estimates suggest that one third almost 400,000 tons of paper have well as the big clear-out, the report fi gure. Forty one percent of the foo- of the total emissions are com- been binned: 37 percent more announces that energy consumpti- tprint is due to transport between pensated for. 5. than in 2010. The amount of resi- on has been cut signifi cantly: to 7 home and work. Another 29 per- dual waste it generated went up percent of 2010 levels. This is well cent represents business travel in LQEULHI NjNj(6* with the way Food4You has increasingly ,QWLPLGDWLRQUHSRUW come to resemble a fair. They want a The report on intimidation in the ESG stronger emphasis on knowledge. Entre- will not be made public as yet. The ESG preneurs appear to support this objec- management considers the survey con- tive, however, so it has been decided to ducted by the external bureau Bezemer hold the event around Duivendaal again 6&+$0,1(ljlj and Kuiper too fl imsy to form a basis for after all. The theme of this edition (3 to fi rm conclusions. They are now talking to 8 October) is salt. RR the bureau about further analysis. Beze- mer and Kuiper conducted a survey NjNj678'(17 ,W(LO¤Q among ESG staff based on the results of 3XOVH We are in a small motorboat on course for It Eilân in the 2010 staff monitor. The monitor re- Pulse can keep going. The students’ uni- Fryslân. The only way to reach our destination is by boat, sults revealed that 20 percent of Wagen- on, which has a turbulent year behind it, as It Eilân is a real island. It’s a short trip, which is just as ingen UR employees have come across has found four board members. At fi rst well as the thunderclouds are piling up rather threate- intimidation in the workplace. 5. Pulse could not get enough people intere- ningly. I didn’t know the sky could get so dark on a sum- sted in fi lling up the board of the stu- mer’s day in Fryslân.