Royal distinction for dr Vincent Hunink

This morning dr Vincent Hunink, Assistant Professor of Early Christian Greek and Latin, was surprised and addressed on the twentieth floor of the Erasmus Building by Mayor Hubert Bruls. On the occasion of King's Day and because of his exceptional scientific and social achievements, Vincent received a royal distinction. The faculty warmly congratulates him on this award!

Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau

Vincent Hunink is an internationally recognised researcher and Assistant Professor of Early Christian Greek and Latin at the Faculty of Arts. He is awarded the distinction for his unprecedented and tireless efforts to make classical culture accessible to a wide audience. Bridging the gap between science and society is especially important in a subject such as classical languages and history. Indeed, classical history has shaped society and had a profound influence on today's culture, legal system, political systems and contemporary ideas about the organisation of society. Hunink ensures that important knowledge about the past, which is indispensable for understanding how contemporary society was shaped, is made accessible to a wide audience, young and old, in an effective and playful way.

His greatest achievement, and the reason why he particularly deserves a royal distinction, are his many translations of Latin literature, completed partly within his appointment as assistant professor, but largely also in his spare time. In addition, Hunink has contributed to writing dozens of exams for secondary school pupils, he has been a member of numerous editorial boards of magazines for translating and writing about classical culture, and he is selflessly committed to helping young translators through his Carptim foundation. He also contributes in other ways to making ancient culture accessible to a wide audience, particularly through his many ancillary activities, which also greatly serve academia by helping to bridge the gap between science and society. In 2020, he won the Faculty of Arts' Education Award.