VVD politician Van der Woude visited BUas
Friday 26 May, VVD politician and MP (Tweede Kamer-lid) Hatte van der Woude visited BUas. This was in response to a video appeal we recently made as an educational institution together with the business community to politicians to emphasise the importance of international students in the Netherlands and their retention.
- About BUas
- Global engagement
P Van der Woude accepted our invitation and during a tour of the campus, the internationalisation debate was discussed in detail. The topics of student well-being, housing and the changes in the binding study recommendation (abbreviated in Dutch as BSA) were also discussed.
Van der Woude advocates a nuanced approach to internationalisation policy. She stresses the importance of a truly international classroom and welcomes internationalisation if it is an understandable choice from an educational and professional perspective. In this respect, she considers it very important that universities of applied sciences and research universities promote their well-being and their connection with Dutch students. ‘There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the whole of the Netherlands, so it has to be possible to tailor measures to a specific institution or region.’
Jorrit Snijder, president of the BUas Executive Board is pleased that the VVD MP has an eye for the special features and international character of BUas and recognises the need not to lump all educational institutions together. ‘BUas stands for quality and a small scale. Our education and research benefit greatly from an internationally oriented curriculum and an international community. We therefore aim for a ratio of roughly one in three students with an international background. For our education, this is an optimal mix.’
