109th Dies Natalis

The program includes contributions by:

• Kids Perspective

  During the event children will share their thoughts about life in future cities.

  

• Mariya Gabriel - EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

  Mariya Gabriel is a Bulgarian politician and serving as EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. She is responsible for European Union policies related to Horizon Europe, research and innovation, the Erasmus+ programme, education, culture and sport. During the ceremony she will convey a special video message to the audience.

  

• Annelien Bredenoord – Rector Magnificus Erasmus University Rotterdam

  Annelien Bredenoord is a professor, member of the Dutch Senate, supervisory authority and director and works at the interface of healthcare, technology and innovation, ethics and politics. As Rector Magnificus of Erasmus University Rotterdam she will provide perspective on the theme ‘Building resilient cities and societies’ in the Dies speech.

  

• Mpanzu Bamenga

  The host of the ceremony is Mpanzu Bamenga. This ambitious councillor, activist, politician and founder of the Inclusion Leaders Network, is an advocate for diversity & inclusion. For his efforts against ethnic profiling, he received the title Human Rights Human 2021.

  

• INOYSON 

  Artist INOYSON provides the musical entertainment of the Dies Natalis 2022. This extraordinary Ukrainian artist left the country after the war broke out. In the Netherlands the multi-instrumentalist continues to make music, cooperate with Dutch musicians and introduce us to Ukrainian art and culture.

  

• Ien Ang – Distinguished Professor of Cultural Studies at Western Sydney University, Australia

  Professor Ien Ang is one of the leaders in cultural studies worldwide, with interdisciplinary work in many areas of the humanities and social sciences. Her work broadly addresses patterns of cultural flow and exchange in our globalised world, focusing on issues such as the formation of target groups and audiences, the politics of identity and difference, migration, ethnicity and multiculturalism, issues of representation in contemporary cultural institutions, and urban cultures and art.

  Her books, including 'Watching Dallas', 'Desperately Seeking the Audience' and 'On Not Speaking Chinese', are recognised as classics in the field and her work has been translated into many languages.

  She receives an honorary doctorate because she is a forerunner in interdisciplinary cultural research spanning different areas of the humanities and social sciences. Additionally, she is an inspiration for collaborative cultural research aimed at creating positive societal change. 

  Honorary promotor: Prof. Susanne Janssen – Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication

  

• Ann Masten – Regents Professor, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development, Distinguished McKnight University Professor at University of Minnesota, U.S.A., and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2021

  Masten's research focuses on factors that enhance the development of resilience in adolescents and families. She and her colleagues highlight behavioural-psychosocial and neurobiological characteristics of resilience and how the combination of the two enables a better understanding of resilience. Masten argues that competence and resilience are present in all children, and that all children need basic encouragement and opportunities during development to succeed.

  Masten's book 'Ordinary Magic: Resilience Processes in Development' (quoted 11604x since 2001) provides a guide for policy makers who want to develop support for children who face adversity as a result of poverty, family circumstances or exposure to traumatic violence.

  Her outstanding contribution to the study on the development of resilience and for advancing theory on the positive outcomes of children and families facing adversity is the reason for honoring her.

  Honorary promotor: Prof. Loes Keijsers - Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences