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With effect from 1 April 2022, Professor Thomas Vaessens has been appointed dean of the Faculty of Humanities by the Executive Board of Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ. Vaessens is currently professor of Literature, Media and Culture and dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the Open ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ of the Netherlands.

Great asset for the Faculty

Executive Board President Professor Anton Pijpers is very pleased with Vaessens’ arrival. ‘Thomas has studied and worked in Utrecht, so he knows our institution. He has also gained academic and administrative experience in other organisations, such as the Open ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ and the ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ of Amsterdam, where he has worked hard to achieve multidisciplinary cooperation in education and research, among other things. This ties in perfectly with our Utrecht profile. With his academic track record and administrative knowledge and experience, he will be a great asset for the Faculty and the ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ as a whole. I am looking forward to the collaboration.’

This appointment is an honour, and I am really looking forward to working for this wonderful Faculty.

Career

Thomas Vaessens (b. 1967) studied Dutch language and literature at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ and received his doctorate from Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ in 1998 with a thesis on the poetry of Paul van Ostaijen and M. Nijhoff. After obtaining his doctorate, he worked as an assistant professor in Utrecht. Between 2006 and 2020, he was professor of Dutch literature at the ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ of Amsterdam, where he was successively chair of the Department of Dutch Studies, director of the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR), faculty director of education and vice-dean of research at the Faculty of Humanities. He has been academic collaboration director of two national research schools (the Huizinga Institute and the Netherlands Research School for Literary Studies) and is a member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities.

Expertise from the full range of the humanities

‘This appointment is an honour, and I am really looking forward to working for this wonderful Faculty,’ says Vaessens. ‘UU’s ambition is to transcend the boundaries of the various disciplines to find solutions to today’s major societal issues. The fact that the humanities are crucial in this regard is currently widely recognised in science and society. Whether the focus is on diversity and inclusion, social polarisation, the effects of new technology on society, public values in the age of digitalisation or issues relating to sustainability and climate, expertise from the full range of the humanities is urgently needed. Connecting with partners inside and outside the institution will create scope for new opportunities and initiatives.’

Until 1 April, Prof. Keimpe Algra will continue to fulfil the tasks as Dean.