PHOTO: REYER BOXEM
Hamed Salaheldin Kenawy – Faculteit Science & Engineering
Simplicity in design is not the absence of complexity, but the mastery of it.
PHOTO: REYER BOXEM
It is 31 August, and just before the official start of this new academic year, heavy showers and
sunny moments alternate. As the procession of professors makes its way towards the Martini Church,
the sun breaks through. I see this as a positive sign for the year ahead. Despite the deep concerns
I share about the state of the world in general and the prospects for our university in particular,
I remain an optimistic person.
PROPOSITION
Our university has been a bastion of research and education for 412 years. Time and again, we have shown that we take a step forward in uncertain times. And we will do so now.
These thoughts run through my mind as I look around the church. I see our professors and students seated. I hear guests and staff murmuring. A pop choir of alumni is ready to perform their lively, musical contributions. In the audience, I spot Isabel Martinez, one of our GUF-100 winners, and Ninah Tiemersma, our Alumnus of the Year, who has made such an impression with her drive to motivate her classes as a classical languages teacher in secondary education. I look forward to their stories.
On a screen, Minister of Education Rianne Letschert appears, ready to address us. Due to the critical budget discussions taking place in The Hague at that moment, she is unfortunately unable to be with us in person in Groningen. Still, I am pleased with her digital presence. Like us, she emphasizes the importance of innovation and talent development and calls for greater collaboration between educational sectors, universities, and the business community. This call is strongly echoed by Peter Wennink, author of the national Wennink report, Professor Robert Inklaar, and Faculty Board member Brenda Matthijssen.
At the same time, we must not close our eyes to today’s realities. It is more than clear that if we want to retain control over our data, we must be the ones at the controls. That is
why this year we are truly committing to achieving digital
autonomy so that we are no longer dependent on parties we cannot fully rely on. We are also actively contributing to the establishment of the AI Factory: a powerful information hub for entrepreneurs, researchers, and government in Groningen. We can rightfully call ourselves the University of Technology of the North, with robust connections within a broad university, enabling us to tackle societal transitions in their full breadth. We will take major steps. Not just in our attic rooms or solitary labs, but together with everyone who wants to contribute to what we will henceforth call the Northern Innovation Region. I look forward to the schwung with which we will shape this endeavour.
Jacquelien Scherpen
Rector magnificus
RECORDED BY MARJAN BROUWERS
PHOTO: REYER BOXEM
PROPOSITION
Hamed Salaheldin Kenawy – Faculteit Science & Engineering
Simplicity in design is not the absence of complexity, but the mastery of it.
These thoughts run through my mind as I look around the church. I see our professors and students seated. I hear guests and staff murmuring. A pop choir of alumni is ready to perform their lively, musical contributions. In the audience, I spot Isabel Martinez, one of our GUF-100 winners, and Ninah Tiemersma, our Alumnus of the Year, who has made such an impression with her drive to motivate her classes as a classical languages teacher in secondary education. I look forward to their stories.
On a screen, Minister of Education Rianne Letschert appears, ready to address us. Due to the critical budget discussions taking place in The Hague at that moment, she is unfortunately unable to be with us in person in Groningen. Still, I am pleased with her digital presence. Like us, she emphasizes the importance of innovation and talent development and calls for greater collaboration between educational sectors, universities, and the business community. This call is strongly echoed by Peter Wennink, author of the national Wennink report, Professor Robert Inklaar, and Faculty Board member Brenda Matthijssen.
At the same time, we must not close our eyes to today’s realities. It is more than clear that if we want to retain control over our data, we must be the ones at the controls. That is why this year we are truly committing to achieving digital autonomy so that we are no longer dependent on parties we cannot fully rely on. We are also actively contributing to the establishment of the AI Factory: a powerful information hub for entrepreneurs, researchers, and government in Groningen. We can rightfully call ourselves the University of Technology of the North, with robust connections within a broad university, enabling us to tackle societal transitions in their full breadth. We will take major steps. Not just in our attic rooms or solitary labs, but together with everyone who wants to contribute to what we will henceforth call the Northern Innovation Region. I look forward to the schwung with which we will shape this endeavour.
Jacquelien Scherpen
Rector magnificus
Our university has been a bastion of research and education for 412 years. Time and again, we have shown that we take a step forward in uncertain times. And we will do so now.
It is 31 August, and just before the official start of this new academic year, heavy showers and sunny moments alternate. As the procession of professors makes its way towards the Martini Church,
the sun breaks through. I see this as a positive sign for the year ahead. Despite the deep concerns
I share about the state of the world in general and the prospects for our university in particular,
I remain an optimistic person.
RECORDED BY MARJAN BROUWERS
PHOTO: REYER BOXEM
