Radboud without Borders: 2004 to now

A new direction was set in the fields of research and education, the keyword of which was 'quality'. The university should not necessarily become 'bigger' but 'better'. Interdisciplinary research institutes saw the light of day, and structural, administrative support was provided to staff when submitting research applications and to PhD students on their research projects. Facilities such as computer labs and libraries were improved, and a Humanities Lab with eye trackers was set up. An increase in contact hours and a tightening of compulsory attendance at lectures aimed to improve the quality of teaching; the preparation for teaching examinations was also structurally addressed. The quality strategy generally led to good results, with further bureaucratisation and entrenchment of education on the other side of the coin. In 2004, the term 'Catholic' dropped from the university's name. Internationalisation was booming, and the name 'Catholic University' did not sound as good as desired. In contacts abroad, Nijmegen scientists and students encountered unnecessary difficulties; the name choice of 'Radboud University' solved that problem.