Any Other Business
Front's Initiative Proposal Edubadges for Student Board Members
Front believes that the University should support students who want to go the extra mile. For this reason, in February 2021, Front submitted an initiative regarding the certificate of recognition for student board members, as on the one hand it is an incentive to participate in extracurricular activities and on the other hand it contributes to recognition and appreciation.
Although the initiative came into force this year and the first certificates have been issued, we see a future in awarding digital certificates through Edubadges. Therefore, we asked the Executive Board to see the value of Edubadges and to expand this by including recognition and appreciation through the awarding of Edubadges. To realise this, Front, through an initiative, asked the Executive Board to set up a working group to be able to initiate and enable the ultimate goal of awarding Edubadges to student board members.
Elaboration memo Research Infrastructure - For advice
This elaboration memo was written in response to the strategic plan 'Weaving Minds & Characters' and is sponsored by Paulina Snijders and Lex Meijdam. A working group of representatives from TiSEM, TLS, TSHD, TSB, LIS and AS wrote the note. An open consultation was used to obtain input from the organization about
the needs and requirements with regard to the research infrastructure. The memo ‘Research Infrastructure’ sets out a programme for the development of the research infrastructure of Tilburg University. The programme aims to strengthen our position as a valuable and trustworthy research partner, employer and an attraction pool for researchers. The programme includes five thematic lines: data, research IT, labs, multidisciplinary cooperation and research support and offers a phased approach to advance the research infrastructure building on the research data workflow, taking the needs of researchers and the current developments within the different disciplines of Tilburg University as a starting point.
The University Council gave unanimous positive advice on the elaboration memo.
Elaboration memo Socially Safe Learning and Working Environment - For advice
Social safety is one of Tilburg University's focal points described in detail in the Strategy 'Weaving Minds & Characters'. This elaboration memo describes that we aim for a socially safe learning and working environment built on openness, integrity, trust and transparency. To achieve this, one of the prerequisites is
social safety. To ensure this, this goal is underpinned by three pillars, including a) structure, b) culture and c) system. Within these pillars, the current measures and future plans to be achieved are described in detail. In this, the university states that we need to do this together, from lecturers and deans, to students and associations, to developing a different organizational culture. In short, social safety is an important condition for good research and teaching, as people are more effective, creative and courageous in this environment. The university wants to take responsibility, lead and contribute to this. However, it is and remains everyone's responsibility.
The University Council gave unanimous positive advice.
Elaboration memo Strategy Student Housing - For advice
Tilburg University's Strategy 2022–2027 emphasizes the importance of sufficient qualitative and quantitative student housing. Tilburg University is actively contributing to increase the offer of student housing by deploying a project organization. The goal is to work together with the covenant partners and other market parties to achieve the desired student housing. Amongst Tilburg Municipality, Tilburg University, Fontys and Avans Universities of Applied Sciences, the Student Council, and the housing corporations WonenBreburg and
TBV Wonen, a covenant was signed in 2020 with the aim of better matching the supply and demand of student housing. The concrete outcome: the realization of 2,850 to 3,500 additional student housing units in Tilburg and the surrounding area by the year 2025. Given the great importance for Tilburg University to provide timely, qualitative sufficient student housing for its students, Tilburg University is actively contributing to this by deploying a project organization.
Some concrete results/actions:
Currently,
- 423 units have been realized
→ e.g. The Rumour (60 units), Data Center (96 units)
- 450 units are in progress, and
→ e.g. Reitseplein (450 units)
- 450 units are being researched/prepared
→ e.g. Meerkoldreef (250-500 units)
The remaining task of 2,177 units is to be completed with affordable units in particular up to the rent limits for rent allowance (“kwaliteitskortingsgrens”) and/or as non-self-contained units.
Stimulating (temporary) 'house sharing constructions' (landlady/landlord, host family): amongst others, publication of Hospi Housing concept within TiU and Tilburg Municipality.
Discussing the option, where possible, of housing two students in one room. We know this dorm set-up from our own experience with Prisma and Beekse Bergen and it is already known abroad (dormitories), for example.
Front stressed the importance of finding longer-term, permanent solutions, creating student housing with communal areas rather than just studios. In addition, we emphasized that the houses must remain affordable, so that it remains accessible for every student to live in Tilburg.
The University Council gave unanimous positive advice.
Enrollment and Tuition Fee Regulations 2023-2024 - For advice
This proposal has been drawn up in close cooperation with the Schools, AS, ES, M&C and F&C. The institutional tuition fees are in accordance with the fees shown in the previous Regulations (2022-2023), except for the Global Law Bachelor of TLS for which the fee will be € 11,100 in 2023-2024. An indexation of approximately
9,6%, based on the consumer price index, has been applied to the institutional tuition fees of the newly added academic year. See the table in the memo for an overview of the proposed institutional tuition fees. Schools may opt to offer a student a discount on the institutional tuition fee (waiver) based upon established quality criteria. This discount may however never lead to a tuition fee that is lower than the statutory tuition fee. In accordance with legislation, the weighted fee for pre-Master programs and educational modules is limited to a proportionate part of the statutory fee (€ 2,314) calculated in EC. The level of this weighted fee in an academic year is based upon the number of credits still to be earned by the student.
The University Council gave unanimous positive advice.
Elaboration memo TUNED IN - For advice
Strategy 2022-2027 expresses the ambition to support lecturers even more and better than today in the design and implementation of their education and to provide them with innovation opportunities to strengthen their education and continue their professional development.
To translate these ambitions into concrete actions, the Bax Committee was established. This Committee wrote the Blended Learning Program 2022-2027, which further defines blended learning, covers an ambitious timeline, and proposes to establish TUNED IN (the Tilburg University Network of Educational Development and Innovation). Furthermore, it details how blended learning can be embedded within the Tilburg Educational Profile, which design principles Tilburg University thinks are in place in good (blended) education, how Tilburg University can increase its expertise in educational design, how this expertise can be shared with as many lecturers as possible, what kind of support infrastructure would be most suitable for this task.
Following this vision, a working group was formed to translate the Vision into an organization and a budget. Every party voted positive, if there will be a review after a year about where all the money goes to and what the updates are. Front also stressed the importance of the interim solution of making recorded lectures available for students 2 weeks in advance for exam weeks. We proposed this via a letter to the Executive Board in the previous University Council.