'Broodje Introductie' - Introduction Sandwich - has been on the menu for new employees for years. But until June last year only in Dutch. The growing number of foreign staff made it necessary for the P&O department to organise this in English. As with the Dutch 'Broodje' the Introduction Sandwich consists of a Student Services & Campus (DiSC) employee telling about the facilities on Campus, a film on the UT and its work, and a member of the Board of Governors telling about UT strategy in the past and coming years.
To break the ice everybody is given a fruit drink on entering Logica and shown to the meeting room where the 'Broodje' will take place. When all have arrived, those present introduce themselves; they are mostly aio's and come from around the world: India, Nigeria, and Indonesia, Russia, Poland, and Spain, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Yugoslavia; even someone from the Netherlands whose first opportunity this is to attend an introduction.
Using a map of the Campus the DiSC employee then presents what the University has to offer besides education and research. The sports facilities, the theatre, the restaurants, and the essential services like the Medical Centre. Most, if not yet all, information about these facilities is available in English, for example through the translated Campus guide of which a new edition will appear shortly.
Next, a film is shown. The rector, researchers, students and graduates tell about their work and study at the entrepreneurial university. After this Frits Schutte, Vice-President of the Board of Governors, gives a presentation on the structure and strategy of the UT.
Schutte tells about the mission statement of this 'entrepreneurial research university'. He touches on the focus on certain areas, like Information and Communication Technology, to be able to offer top-quality teaching and research. He describes the 'multi-disciplinary approach' in offering both technical and social sciences at this university. He presents the Major/Minor programme at the UT, and the Bachelor/Master structure shortly to be introduced in Dutch universities. And last but not least he relates what 'entrepreneurial' means in practical terms: 370 spin-off businesses at this moment.
One of the new staff members wants to know how many foreign students and staff the UT attracts and how many it wants to attract. Frits Schutte does not know exactly the numbers for members of staff, but at the moment approximately 250 students from abroad come to Twente every year, and the university wants it to be at least twice that. Another question from the room concerns the declining number of students as was shown in one of the graphs. Does Mr Schutte know why? 'Part of the reason is demographic', he replies. 'Less babies born in 1982, means less students in 2000.' But his personal opinion is that the rigid grants and loans system in the Netherlands is more to blame. When a student does not obtain a certain amount of study credit each year, his grant becomes a loan. And as students want to avoid this as much as possible, they play it safe. 'They opt for the easier studies, not available in Twente, to avoid an even larger debt when they graduate.'
A buffet lunch concludes this 'Broodje Introductie' and with a full information bag the members of staff leave Logica to go back to their work.
