Leon often remembers his mother's story. “She wanted to study and become a teacher, but she never had the opportunity to do so,” he says. Instead, she encouraged her children to study. “In the process, she instilled in me from an early age an awareness of the importance of education. An awareness I have never lost.”
As the ninth child from a South Limburg family of 10, Leon thus encountered inequality of opportunity at an early age. “In those days, it was not an obvious thing for women to study,” he explains. “My mother passed on her own unfulfilled desire to study to us. I later carried that premise into my work in education, and I am reflecting it now with the establishment of my own fund.”
Formed in Nijmegen
His mother's drive brought Leon to the Nijmegen Catholic University, later Radboud University, where he started studying Sociology in 1975, followed by Interdisciplinary Educational Science from 1980 onwards. “It was a fun time,” he says, looking back. “With great lecturers, who mostly taught me to think critically.”
He then started his career, which took him into management positions within higher and secondary vocational education. For the last 12 years, for example, he was the director of the Koning Willem I College in 's-Hertogenbosch. “My qualities were mainly in management and organisational development. Getting people on board with organisational change, looking at how we could improve education. I knew this work suited me better than teaching.”
Close to the finish line
His working life ended in early 2024. That got Leon thinking. “What will happen when I'm no longer here? What do I want to leave to society? Radboud University has been important to me; it was where I laid the foundation for the later steps in my life. And my wife worked there for many years. Because of that special connection, I decided to leave part of my estate to the Radboud Fund.”
Conversations with Lisette Pals of the Radboud Fund helped him further flesh out his ideas. “She informed me about the possibilities,” Leon reflects. “Those were pleasant conversations, which helped me establish what I found important. For me, that is that Dutch and international students who are close to the finish line get the opportunity to complete their master's programme. So stopping them from dropping out for various reasons, such as a personal setback or financial concerns. Because with the harbour in sight, talent must not be allowed to run aground.”
For this purpose, Leon founded the Leon Römkens Fund, which is part of the Radboud Fund. For the next five years, he will deposit a fixed amount in the Fund annually, with the intention of continuing to do so in the years that follow. Moreover, after his and his partner's death, a higher, set amount from his estate will also go to the Leon Römkens Fund. “I have complete trust in the infrastructure within this University,” Leon stresses. “I leave it to the University to decide which students are eligible for support.”
Tone in debate
And yet, equal opportunities and education are not the only reasons why Leon set up his own fund. “I worry about the times we live in,” he confesses. “And particularly about the tone of the current debate, in which science is quite often portrayed as ‘just another opinion’. It is precisely the task of science to critically distinguish facts from opinions, and what is and is not factually based. With my fund, I am investing in equal opportunities, because equal opportunities are important, also for strengthening science. And scientific research is essential for society to avoid relying on ‘fake news’ and unsubstantiated information, such as what someone thinks or calls out on social media.”
Leon stresses that scientific research in informed decisions is indispensable for society. “And the more students complete their master's programme, the better. Everyone should be given that opportunity, no matter where your cradle was. That is a core issue in the sociology of education, but it is still relevant today.” To those who are also considering making part of their estate available for science, Leon can highly recommend the Radboud Fund. “Lisette helped me set a goal, design my own fund, and anchor it legally. This saved me a lot of work. I have personally always reaped the benefits of my own education. With this fund, I can give something back to Radboud University and to science.”
Who gives to science, invests in the future
Does Leon's story make you think? Would you like to know more about bequeathing to research within Radboud University or Radboudumc, or to the education of young talented people? Then contact Lisette Pals of the Radboud Fund: 06 52754659 or lisette.pals [at] ru.nl (lisette[dot]pals[at]ru[dot]nl)