Van Vught opened the event with a nod to the recent terrorist attacks in the United States. 'In all parts of the world very strange things are happening.' He pointed out that Dutch hospitality toward its resident Muslims has deteriorated since the attack, but the rector assured the Islamic community at the UT that Muslims are 'still as much our friends as they were before'. He added that if any problems arise, 'I will do my utmost' to resolve them expediently.
For the next forty minutes, Van Vught and Huib de Jong, UT Director of Education, fielded questions concerning UT and the international community. Topics ranged from how to better integrate foreign students with their Dutch counterparts to a concern over rampant plagiarism by International Masters' students to how the implementation of the BA/MA program will benefit the UT community. Vague and innocuous responses adeptly delivered by the representative administrators appeared to appease the audience. But, a frank admission from De Jong that UT 'is not-well organized now' alarmed other listeners.
While it is true that the 'Twente' in UT is barely discernible on the map, as van Vught reminded his audience, international status for the young university will come only after UT is able to 'carve out a niche market' for its valuable commodities. In addition, the president stressed that the future of UT lies in ICT and more specifically in cooperative projects with other universities focusing on educational technology.
Perhaps the most important news announced at this breakfast is the arrival of English in full force at the university. Starting Fall 2002, all Masters' programs will be taught exclusively in English. Courses will also be provided to help both Dutch and foreign members of the UT community to attain the appropriate level in English. Before that, however, be on the look out for bilingual (Dutch-English) signs that will arrive soon on campus.
One last item, Frits Spoek, Head of the International Office, mentioned that his office recently began conducting surveys of international students in an effort to gauge what needs to be improved. If the above-mentioned breakfast failed to address your concerns, be sure to contact the International Office with any comments to contribute.
