Recap 100th Dies Natalis

Speech Amber Stoelman

Amber Stoelman, Master’s student in Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Politics, is committed to defending children’s and human rights and is campaigning for a better protest rights in the Netherlands. Today, she dwels on the theme ‘a significant impact’. She emphasises the privilege of studying and doing research and (continuing to) create a positive impact: “At the end of the day, students also shape the future, and what we as students learn here, we also take with us to the future. So by showing what sustainability, social responsibility and social safety are, we can be meaningful for future generations of students and for society. Especially now, but also in the next 100 years and beyond.”

Listening scales as a gift to Nijmegen

Daniël Wigboldus presents a gift to the city of Nijmegen during the anniversary celebrations. Together with various parties, two listening scales will be built at the Lentse Warande, representing the university's core values: curious, reflective and connected. Curiosity due to the first listening bowl, where you scan QR codes to learn more about the past, present and future of the special environment, nature and culture. Reflection thanks to the second listening scale; you also get more knowledge and stories about, for example, climate, society and ourselves through the QR codes. 

In this way, with the help of everyone who wants to participate, past, present and future are connected, the invisible is made visible, and the connection between the university and its surroundings is propagated, as a gift to the city of Nijmegen.

Conversations with King Willem-Alexander

During the break of the academic celebration, King Willem-Alexander entered into conversation with employees and students of the university. He joined three conversations with the themes of sustainability, artificial intelligence and the Dutch identity.

Handing out the honorary doctorates

Mary Beckman

Mary Beckman fundamentally changed the study of speech. The tradition was that the physics of speech and formal theories about the organisation of sounds, syllables, words, etc. were investigated completely separately. Beckman has shown that the two actually have a huge influence on each other and cannot be investigated separately. Through her own experiences with English and Japanese, she stressed during her speech, she became aware that language cannot be studied in isolation by growing up with such rhythmically different languages.

Geert Corstens

“You only miss the rule of law when it is no longer there.” These are the words with which Geert Corstens, professor of criminal law and former chair of the Supreme Court, concludes his acceptance speech. He is receiving an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Law for his demonstrable commitment to ensuring good access to justice for all and standing up for the rule of law. Because of, among other things, his widely used book 'The Dutch Criminal Procedure Law', he is still considered an authority. Moreover, he still regularly makes scientific contributions on threats and protection of the rule of law, and is committed to making difficult ethical issues widely discussable, both in a Dutch and European context.

Marc van Ranst

Marc van Ranst received the honorary doctorate thanks to his courageous role as one of the Belgian government's key advisers during the covid crisis. Thanks to his extraordinary dedication to science communication, he bridged the gap between complex medical information and the general public. His scientific advice and views make him an important example of a committed scientist who has a 'significant impact' despite threats and fierce criticism. Prof Chantal Rovers ended her laudation with the laudatory words: "His communication skills and tireless efforts to share factual information widely helped to reduce fear and confusion in those uncertain and difficult times for all of us. His contribution to the fight against COVID-19 therefore deserves the highest praise."

Fabiola Gianotti 

Fabiola Gianotti was project leader and spokesperson in the ATLAS experiment in which, under her leadership, the Higgs boson was discovered (better known as the particle accelerator in Geneva). Moreover, she has been the first female general director of CERN since 2016 and is seen worldwide as a figurehead of particle physics. In addition, Gianotti is also making efforts to remove barriers for female scientists in a field predominantly composed of men. In his laudation, Prof Nicolo de Groot therefore praised Gianotti for being awarded an honorary doctorate: “She is a tireless champion of scientific education and she has inspired countless young people to choose scientific careers.”

Sandra Graham

Sandra Graham has been awarded an honorary doctorate for her leading research on ethnicity and diversity in education and also its impact on the motivation and social development of children adolescents. This discussion is historically prominent in the United States, but also increasingly relevant in Europe, as Professor Toon Cillessen explains in his laudation: “Dealing with others who are different from yourself starts in childhood. Understanding the developmental roots of inclusive behaviour can be the key to jointly solving problems and conflicts in adulthood.”

Stella Nkomo 

Stella Nkomo has made her life's work of combating racism and gender inequality in the context of management and organisations. Her advocacy of a new paradigm for diversity and inclusion fits perfectly with Radboud University's 'Significant Impact' strategy, which is why she received her honorary doctorate during the 100th Dies Natalis. She acknowledged the importance of her research in her acceptance speech: "Receiving this degree is not only a recognition of the work I have contributed to understanding the complex effects of social differences in the workplace, but it also indicates the importance of race, gender, class and other social identities in the field of management and organisational studies. I began my doctoral studies with the aim of researching the experiences of black managers in corporate America. Instead, I was told that I needed to do research on important topics if I wanted a PhD. Racial inequality in the workplace was not an important topic for the field of management and organisational studies at that time."