Why has the Executive Board chosen you?
`I have personally been working with various Indonesian universities since 1990. On top of that I founded an independent research institute, LabMath-Indonesia, in Bandang two years ago. That's why I offered to use the contacts and knowledge I have here for the recruitment of students.'
What exactly are you going to do?
`My job is to recruit excellent Indonesian students and persuade them to get their master's degree or PhD in Enschede. The influx of students has to improve not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. In addition, I will make contacts so it will be easier for Dutch students to do an internship or thesis research at Indonesian companies.'
Van Groesen adds that the UT wants a `solid collaboration' in due time with five to eight renowned universities. So-called `joint degrees' can arise from these contacts, with students receiving both a diploma from the Indonesian university as well as from the UT. `My work is mostly initiating and orientating. I make contacts, but the Executive Board needs to negotiate contracts.'
Why are the Indonesian students so important for the UT?
`It's a sorry fact that there are too few students for the engineering programs. The UT needs the Indonesian students for the research places. The master's program is the stage before that. The risk of taking on a master's student is smaller than to take on a post-graduate Indonesian at the PhD level. In the latter case we have less insight into the level of the PhD student. But when a master's student wants to earn a PhD after graduation, we already know what to expect.'
How do you select the best Indonesian students?
`The LabMath organizes workshops which are attended by a lot of Indonesian students. We keep following the best students of those workshops and we try to persuade them to come to Twente. It's not easy to judge students, but when good contacts are made with good universities, lecturers can point out the exceptional students.'
How do you persuade students to come to the UT?
`That is very hard indeed, because the competition with countries like the USA, Germany, Japan and Australia is brutal. Indonesian students may choose the Netherlands because of the historic bonds or because they have family here. On the other hand, it's hard to get a visa and foreign students are not allowed to make any extra money in the Netherlands. But when students are interested in an international master's program, I point out what the UT has to offer. The image of an entrepreneurial and international university is very appealing to Indonesians. Moreover, I speak of the good contacts with the industry and our cooperation with the ITC (also in Enschede.) That educational institute is renowned in Indonesia.
It's also very important that we move the final application date for master's degrees forward. In a lot of countries, you need to be enrolled before December 1, while the UT has applications open until April. By then, the best students have been recruited by universities in other countries.'
