Victor Bekkers will step down as dean Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences from January 2025

Victor Bekkers has was first appointed as Dean ESSB per 1 January, 2018. He was appointed for a second term by the Executive Board in November 2021. Over the past seven years, ESSB has experienced a significant transformation based on a clear strategic vision. Initial efforts were to focus education and research much more on societal issues, without sacrificing quality. Cooperation with social partners plays an essential role here. In this regard, ESSB has made an important contribution to the impact ambitions of the university. The faculty has also continued to develop as a more team-oriented faculty. Especially in large organizations there is a need for the human dimension, and in this way efforts have been made to organize 'small within large'. 

Victor Bekkers: "When I turned 60 last September, I took stock. How do I want to fill in the remaining period until my retirement? It is with much pleasure and great passion that I have led ESSB these last years. It has grown into a large, successful, and resilient faculty. The foundations have been laid for a new phase. Having taken stock, I indicated my intention to step down at the end of 2024 and return to the heart of the faculty." 

Duing the coming period, Victor will continue his work as Dean and complete a number of pending files, including the further development of his team-based faculty and implementing the ESSB 2024-2026 strategic plan: Joining Forces. He looks forward to continuing to work on the further development of ESSB for the rest of this year.

After his deanship, his research will mainly focus on the legitimacy of the state as a guiding institution in our society that, due to the influence of different kinds of social developments (such as climate change), has become stuck between a call for more state intervention on the one hand, and a lack of trust on the other hand.

Innovative, knowledgeable and stable

Annelien Bredenoord, rector magnificus EUR: "Victor has managed the faculty in an innovative and knowledgeable manner over the past few years. He managed to strike an exceptional balance between an innovative, ambitious strategy and a stable course. In addition, over the past seven years he has played an important pioneering role in areas that have been important for the entire EUR. For EUR, he was one of the quartermasters of Resilient Delta, one of three convergence initiatives. His multi- and interdisciplinary view of science fits well with the realization of the ambitions of EUR and ESSB." 

"He also played an important role as academic lead for the development and implementation of Recognition & Reward within EUR. In doing so, his faculty served as an important "living lab" for the development of more differentiated careers, a more qualitative approach to assessment and the development of team science. The ideas developed there, have found their way not only within EUR but also beyond. As Executive Board we fully understand that after so many years of administrating, he wants to be able to concentrate on education and research again, even though I will definitely miss him as Dean”.  

About Victor Bekkers

Victor Bekkers graduated cum laude in political science and public administration at Radboud University Nijmegen, after which he obtained his PhD from Tilburg University. After working at Tilburg University for several years, he exchanged this job for various positions in the business world. For several years, Bekkers combined this with the endowed professorship of ICT infrastructures in the public and private sector at the EUR. Since mid-2002 he has been a professor of Public Administration, in particular the empirical study of public policy, at ESSB. His research and teaching focused mainly on the role of ICT and innovation in policy and governance processes. From that expertise, he also regularly advised governments. For the last seven years he has been Dean of the faculty. 

The Executive Board will very soon start the procedure for the recruitment and selection of a new dean.