Every time I come here, it feels like coming home

‘I was at a conference in Milan in 1997 when I received a phone call from Professor Willem Erkelens, who was on the Faculty Club preparation committee. ‘You should be chairman,’ Erkelens said. I still tried to hold it off and said that he would be more suitable himself, but he was persistent. Well, then business had to be done. Together with Ineke van Oosten, then director of University College Utrecht, and Piet Zeegers, director of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, we set to work. The board was later expanded, but this was the core group.

Research on floral frescos

The preparation committee had already started looking at other faculty clubs to see how they organised their business. And it made a start on the renovation of the Achter de Dom building. It still contained three lecture rooms with suspended ceilings. These had to be taken out, after which centuries-old beams came into view, as well as decorations from around 1400! Once that was known, we had to immediately stop the renovation by the municipality to have further research done into those floral frescoes. These were subsequently fixed and are still visible above the bar. The club received a lot of cooperation in the renovation from the Executive Board, especially Wim Kardux. They offered us the furniture which allowed us to keep the costs somewhat under control. That first board, I think I can safely say, put a lot of energy into the Faculty Club. And oh yes, it also needed a name. Most voted for the name Helios, the sun god. I myself liked the suggestion ‘Prof. Sunflower’ the best.

Every time I come here, it still feels like coming home.

A club like this is just a weird thing

The next exercise was to find a suitable operator. A club like this is a strange thing for a hospitality company: one evening one gentleman sits there with a beer reading his newspaper, the next evening you have 20 people for dinner. The key to the Faculty Club's success is twofold. First, there has to be a good manager. After some obstacles, we had finally found one in the person of Noor van Haaren - an excellent hostess. And nothing but praise for her successor Sandy van Heerde either. The second perk of this club is the location. A historic indoor space and above all: the garden. A beautiful, quiet spot in the middle of the busy city where it is lovely to relax when the weather is nice.

What once began as a quiet place

In the early years, there was a need for a place where, as a professor for instance, you could bring your foreign guests. A place to have a quiet lunch or dinner and a good conversation. So initially we were reluctant to organise too many events in the Faculty Club. I thought it should be a place where staff could read, eat, meet, study in peace and quiet ... In retrospect, we were wrong in that. The activities organised there are fun and have significantly rejuvenated the audience. In the beginning, there was even discussion whether PhD students should also be allowed in. Fortunately, we did allow that. So I would say to the current board, the activities committee and the manager: keep on doing what you are doing, with the same enthusiasm you are showing now!

My second living room

As chairman, I used to come there weekly; it was my second living room. Now much less, but still with some regularity. I organise meals for former professors here and also held the party after my valedictory lecture here. If I have to hold preparatory talks with PhD students, I often do it here too - although these days I also like to invite them to café Primus, just around the corner from where I live. But every time I come here, it still feels like coming home.’