Tasks and responsibilities

The Rector
• will lead and engage with the university’s academic community and is responsible for (the vision on and the development of) education and research and the manner in which these are linked;
• will steer the research and education agendas of Erasmus University;
• will, together with the other members of the Executive Board, bear the shared responsibility for further shaping the university’s ambitions in the field of education and research, particularly in relation to valorisation, internationalisation, diversity, entrepreneurship and sustainability;
• will safeguard academic integrity and quality;
• will steer on the benefits of collaboration and cooperation, both internally as well as with external partners;
• will maintain excellent relationships with staff and students, both in organised groups, in representative bodies and as individuals;
• will stimulate and inspire staff and students to discover and explore their talents, will proactively create space for their voices and ideas and will embrace their diversity;
• will co-represent Erasmus university in relevant national and international networks and maintain, from a scientific perspective, relations with partner universities (particularly the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus alliance), with (inter)national business and with society (for instance, the city of Rotterdam).

The Rector
• is a Professor and leader of the university’s academic community; an internationally respected researcher with international experience, an inspiring lecturer and a notable advocate for inter-, multi- and transdisciplinarity;
• operates on the basis of undisputed authority and links and connects the   academic community;
• has proven leadership and executive qualities and the ambition to realise and further build on the strategy and ambitions of Erasmus University;
• adheres to the principles of shared and joint responsibility in a collegial Board where the Board sets the framework in consultation with the Deans and where the Rector maintains an open dialogue with the University Council;
• has a heightened awareness of the administrative and organisational relationships within a university, in which faculties, support services and representative bodies are all important partners;
• has experience in directing and governing complex processes in education and research;
• has a demonstrable broad interest in and affinity with all academic disciplines represented at Erasmus University, and is committed to further advancing the inter- and multidisciplinary approach of the Erasmus Initiatives;
• is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion;
• has demonstrable affinity with Erasmus University and its core values; 
• understands the Dutch and European systems of education and research (funding).

Personal profile
The new rector
• is a team player at heart;
• has the leadership style and collaborative personality to inspire the diverse and international academic community at Erasmus University;
• has the flexibility and sensitivity needed to build bridges between all sections of the organisation;
• is visible, approachable and receptive, open and straight but, if needed, dares to confront;
• is empathic to wishes and needs but remains focused and is ambitious to further build on the strategy and ambitions of the university.

Proficiency in English and Dutch and knowledge of and experience in the Dutch education and research system is required.

For more information you can contact Pieter Cortenbach or Dewi Harsono-Henneman at +31 (0)30 820 0062, our partner in this executive search.

Erasmus University Rotterdam is an internationally oriented research university with a distinct social orientation in its education and research programmes. Students and researchers apply themselves to solving global challenges and are inspired by the ever dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam, which in many cases serves as their living laboratory. Erasmus University is an enterprising university striving for academic excellence in order to attract top talent whilst remaining accessible to a wider public. The university distinguishes itself with first-rate academic successes, job market relevant education, full career opportunities, focused research and a broad network of international partnerships. Erasmus University Rotterdam's core values are daring, curiosity, community minded, innovative and being hungry for success.

Erasmus University offers small-scale, stimulating and intensive education.Research at the university is increasingly carried out in multidisciplinary teams that are strongly linked with international networks. With its relevant research results and high-quality educational programmes, Erasmus University ranks amongst the very best of European universities.

The university accommodates more than 26,000 students (including around 5,500 of non-Dutch origin), about 2,800 members of staff and almost 500 professors. Its annual revenue is around € 550 million. Erasmus University has seven faculties (the Erasmus School of Economics, the Rotterdam School of Management, the Erasmus School of Law, the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Faculty of Philosophy and the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication) and the following institutes: the Institute of Social Studies and the Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management. Erasmus University also collaborates with Leiden University and the Delft University of Technology in the fields of education, research and valorisation. The three universities share eight Centres under this Leiden-Delft-Erasmus strategic alliance.

Administration and management

The Executive Board is responsible for the preparation and implementation of policy and the funding and general management of the university. The Executive Board comprises three members who operate on a collegial basis: K.F.B. Baele MSc (President), Professor Dr. H.A.P. Pols (Rector Magnificus) and E. Hus MSc (Interim Member). The Board members are each responsible for specific portfolios but it is common practice and desirable to discuss each other’s portfolios and share ideas.

The president is responsible for general governance affairs and focuses on strategic policy, international affairs and external relations with, for example, the region of Rotterdam, the business sector, ministries, the political arena and knowledge institutions. The rector is responsible for education and research, including academic staff (policy), students and research information. The third member of the Executive Board is responsible for finance, IT and business management.

At Erasmus University, the Dean heads up the Faculty Board. He/she is responsible for education, research, social and economic impact and administration within the faculty. The Dean’s responsibility stretches beyond the faculty: through his/her membership of the Board of Deans, he/she is also responsible for the faculty’s contribution to interfaculty cooperation and the further development of the university as an institution.

The General Management Directorate provides administrative support to the Executive Board. This Directorate comprises several departments (Academic Affairs, Administrative Affairs, Legal Affairs, Corporate Planning and Control, Chief Information Office) whose staff assist and support the Executive Board to exercise its responsibility for the quality, accessibility and funding of research and education.

The General Management Directorate is presided over by a Managing Director, who is also the Secretary of the university.

Services such as ICT, HR and Finance, Facility Services, Accommodation, Marketing & Communication and Education & Student Affairs all fall under the umbrella of the University Support Centre (USC). These units work together to provide well-coordinated and efficient support services to staff and students. The university library is positioned as a separate entity.

The University Council represents students and staff at a central level, while at the level of the faculties there are Faculty Councils. Relations with these participatory bodies can be described as good and constructive.

Developments

In recent years, much effort has been afforded the profiling and positioning of Erasmus University in an (inter)national setting. Relations with the external field, the stakeholders (corporate, universities and other institutions of higher education, the Municipality of Rotterdam), have been reinforced. Erasmus University has unmistakably gained a stronger position in terms of external visibility and social impact. In addition, the university has made significant progress in improving the quality of its educational policy and performance and its research, as well as realising a more international curriculum.

The Executive Board’s mission is to achieve its goals for the university in a rapidly changing world. This dynamic environment is characterised by emerging economies, the race to attract the most talented students and the ever-increasing demands being made of higher education. Other factors of influence include the rapid digitisation of the educational system and the downward pressure on salaries in the public sector. In addition, the dwindling financial support from government makes it necessary to seek funding elsewhere. One option is European funds (in which research funding is increasingly subject to requirements for interdisciplinary, national and international cooperation), another is funds generated in the commercial exploitation phase.
The challenge facing Erasmus University in this rapidly changing world is to remain on its course of reinforcing its social responsibilities as a knowledge institute, while at the same time providing a solid and sustainable basis for its continuation.