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Wageningen University is a world renowned university.
A university that educates people and develops knowledge with the aim of effectively contributing to the quality of life.
Where quality of life is measured not only in terms of sufficient safe and healthy food and water, but also in terms of living, working and recreating in a terrestrial and aquatic environment that has been developed in a balanced fashion and that has great biodiversity.
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Aim
The Wageningen University Fund aims to maintain and strengthen the unique character of Wageningen University.
Since 1951, the Fund has been organising and financing activities that support excellent research and education and stimulate the academic development of students. This concerns activities that are not funded by the regular budget of Wageningen University.
Executive Committee
Ir. Jan Karel Mak, Chair
Ir. Geu Siebenga, treasurer (Director of Marketing Agricultural Companies ABN AMRO)
Ir. Hans van den Hombergh (vice president Business Development Actamax Surgical Materials LLC)
Ir. Janine Quist (project- en account manager Aequator Groen & Ruimte bv)
Dr.ir. Marga Herweijer (chemistry lecturer in training)
Prof.dr. Martin Kropff (rector magnificus Wageningen University) ex officio.
Dr.ir. Nettie Buitelaar (Leiden - Life meets Science)
Prof.dr.ir. Rudy Rabbinge (member Doctorate Board Wageningen University). ex officio.
Prof. dr. Tiny van Boekel (chair KLV)
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'The Fund truly does not fill gaps in the University budget’
Ir. Rob Tazelaar (Tropical rural economics 1962) has chaired the Executive Committee of the Wageningen University Fund from 2002 until 2010. Many people remember him from the 1980s when he was a member of the Dutch Parliament or from his role as chairman of the product boards for Livestock, Meat and Eggs, a position that he held until his retirement.
‘I became involved with the Fund based on the idea that I wanted to do something in return for the university. For that matter, this was the idea behind the Fund itself when it was established more than 50 years ago. Here in the Netherlands, making donations to fund special activities at the university where you studied is not nearly as common as in the United States, and this is reflected in the amounts of donations that the Fund receives’.
'With the money that the Fund receives, it does not fill "holes" in the budget to fund activities for which the university does not appear to have any money. The idea behind the Fund is to provide added value to the university. It therefore concerns promoting special initiatives and activities and presenting awards’
A good example of such activities is financing endowed chairs. Because society and the business community look at the university differently than scientists. By means of an endowed chair, we can develop a field of study for which the university does not have any funding. If the chair turns out to be a success after five years, then the university takes over the funding of the chair.’ (M.B.) |