The Working Group

The working group reflects upon the role the university has within Dutch society. The effect of the democratic deficit on university policy is central in this discussion. Appointed board members too often regard the university as a business and serve the economic interests instead of broader societal issues. Existing policies influence students and academic staff directly through, for example, (the dangers to) the right of existence of small-scale educational programs, the “excellence”-label in education or the way in which research is financed. The working groups conducts research on how to change this, amongst other things, by looking at the influence of student assessors and councils within the university. Each individual student and academic staff members has to be able to gain insight in the motivation behind policies through far reaching transparency.

We have open conversations to discuss articles, research and new ideas for which we invite everyone who would like to contribute or simply hear more on these topics.  Together we also organise events that help contribute to a greater understanding among ourselves and the academic community. Would you like to join the discussion?  Please feel free to join us and sign up!