Paula Fikkert, who has served as dean of the Faculty of Arts since March 2024, announced today that she is resigning from her administrative position. She did so in an email sent to all faculty staff. She gives two reasons for her planned departure: obtaining an ERC Synergy Grant, which leaves her with too little time to run the faculty, and her dissatisfaction with the way the new strategy of the Executive Board was developed — ‘and the fact that it has not succeeded in connecting that strategy to the university’s core values.’

Creativity and curiosity

“The direction in which the university is moving is no longer determined by our own academics but by consultants,” the linguist writes in the message. “They establish KPIs that are primarily focused on the effective deployment of staff and finances, and the efficient training of students. For me, the strength of a university lies in the creativity and scientific curiosity of the people who make up the academic community.”

As chair of a committee, Fikkert helped develop the university’s vision of ‘Erkennen en Waarderen‘ (Recognize and Reward). In this vision, care for people and a human-centered approach are central. According to the vision, these are essential for enabling people — both staff and students — to function well. “ I find this is not sufficiently implemented in the RU’s plans for the future.” Fikkert writes in her critical email.

Lack of time

She also states that she herself is not setting a good example for the faculty, because she does not have enough time for both her work as a researcher and her role as dean. When she was appointed, she told Vox that she did not want people under her leadership to overwork themselves. From that earlier interview: “The main thing is that I want people to enjoy working here: they shouldn’t become ill from the workload, and the environment should feel safe. I hope that that is something we can accomplish.”

At the time, she had already acknowledged that she was not yet setting a good example for her staff, though she hoped to become one. She has not succeeded in that mission. About six months into her term as dean, she received the prestigious European grant to conduct research into the relationship between sound, writing, and language knowledge. “Over the next five years, I will be working hard on this, and I am looking forward to it, because at heart I am more of an academic than an administrator,” she writes.

Research director

Fikkert succeeded José Sanders as dean in 2024. Sanders later became rector magnificus. By then, Fikkert had already been working at the university in Nijmegen for 25 years. Since 2007, she has been Professor of First Language Acquisition and Phonology at the Centre for Language Studies (CLS) and affiliated with the Dutch Language and Culture program. Previously, she served as research director of the CLS and as a member of the Social Sciences and Humanities board of the Dutch research funding organisation NWO.

Paula Fikkert says that she found the decision to step down as dean a difficult one. She will remain in the position until a successor has been found.