The Executive Board of Utrecht University has appointed Prof. Rob van der Vaart dean of University College Utrecht from 1 September 2008. Van der Vaart will take over from Prof. Hans van Himbergen, who will step down as dean after four and a half years in the role. Before taking office as dean of University College, Hans van Himbergen was in charge of the department of Physics and Astronomy for a great many years. He was one of the pioneers of University College
Prof. Rob van der Vaart
Rob van der Vaart (1951) studied human geography at Utrecht University, where in 1990 he completed a doctorate. Van der Vaart has been employed at Utrecht since 1974. From 2000 to 2004 he held a Special Chair in Geography and Geographical Education, and since 1999 he has been teaching on geography courses at University College Utrecht. In 2004, he was appointed Professor in Human Geography at Utrecht University. Professor van der Vaart is teaching director at the Department of Human Geography and Planning in the Faculty of Geosciences. He serves on a large number of university committees dealing with teaching, educational innovation and internationalisation. Thanks to his commitment to internationalisation, from the first phase of the Erasmus programme, geography at Utrecht has developed a strong position in Europe in terms of student exchange. Van der Vaart has worked for years to enhance the quality of teaching in higher and secondary education, for example by helping develop a new geography curriculum for later-year secondary school pupils. His research particularly focuses on the nature and effects of mental images of the world. Among other committees, Van der Vaart is a member of the University’s Teaching Advisory Committee. He also represents the University in the Oxford Network, in which leading universities such as Cornell, Standford and Princeton work together to strengthen learning and teaching in a research-intensive setting. From 2005 to 2007, Van der Vaart served on the Committee for the Development of the Dutch Canon.
University College Utrecht
University College Utrecht (UCU) was established in 1998 as a selective Honours College of Utrecht University offering liberal arts & sciences degrees. UCU provides challenging and high-standard English-taught programmes in small-group settings to talented international students. UCU’s graduation rates are very high. Graduates complete Master’s and PhD degrees at a range of prestigious institutions at home and abroad. An international accrediting committee recently rated UCU’s standards and graduation output as excellent.
More information
Ludo Koks, spokesman for Utrecht University, (030) 253 2501,
L.P.M.Koks@uu.nl.