Harriët Schelhaas new Dean of Erasmus School of Law

Further shaping the next phase of ESL development

Both the advisory committee and the faculty council are positive about the appointment. There is great confidence in Schelhaas to further shape the next phase of development of the ESL faculty. Ed Brinksma, chair of the Executive Board and chair of the selection committee, is pleased with this appointment and looks forward to working with the new Dean: "Harriët Schelhaas not only has an excellent academic record, but also has years of experience as a lawyer. Since she has been working as a professor at ESL since 2015 and has been active as vice-dean since 2020, she is extremely well informed about the ins and outs of this faculty in the areas of education, research and certainly also management. With this solid foundation, she will provide excellent leadership to Erasmus School of Law."

Harriët Schelhaas on her appointment: "I am very much looking forward to starting as Dean of Erasmus School of Law. I experience it as a young, not very hierarchical, open and dynamic faculty with a high no-nonsense level, which suits me. We have many students with an immigrant background, which makes us a good reflection of society and we fulfill a regional function in education. In education and research, we have a lot of contact with practice and, as lawyers, we think along with social problems. Based on the credo 'Where Law Meets Business', I would like to further link the enormous expertise of this faculty to practice and to the EUR Strategy 2024. I look forward to doing this in close cooperation with the other faculties of EUR and feel honored to be able to further shape this as Dean."

Nine years of Deanship

Schelhaas succeeds Prof. Mr. Dr. Drs. Suzan Stoter, who was appointed Dean on January 1, 2013 and was the first female Dean of EUR. She has dared to make a major overhaul of education in 2013 and switch to small-scale, intensive education in the bachelor's program. The appeal of ESL is strong, as evidenced both by increasing student numbers and by the fact that much research talent is attached to the faculty on its distinctive profile. Typical of Suzan Stoter's Deanship, following in the footsteps of founder Piet Sanders, is her strong commitment to connecting the arts and sciences. Suzan Stoter will not be leaving the faculty and university. Currently, the Executive Board is looking at ways in which she can further utilize her administrative experience for EUR.

About Harriët Schelhaas

Schelhaas has been Professor of Private Law at Erasmus School of Law of Erasmus University Rotterdam since 2015. In addition, as of 2020, she is vice-dean of undergraduate programmes at ESL and thus responsible for the undergraduate programmes Criminology, Tax Law and Law. She studied in Leiden and was then Assistant in Training and Associate Professor at Utrecht University. There she also did her PhD research on the penalty clause in European contract law. After this, Schelhaas was a lawyer for ten years at the law firm Stibbe in Amsterdam, where she further developed her expertise in commercial and international contract law. At ESL, Professor Schelhaas focuses her undergraduate and graduate teaching and research primarily on the law of obligations and in particular commercial contract law.

Schelhaas is (final) editor of various national and international academic journals, such as the European Review of Private Law, Kluwer's Green Series on the Law of Obligations, the Juridisch Tijdschrift Contracteren, the Maandblad voor Vermogensrecht and the Boekenraad Privaatrecht of Ars Aequi. She is also (co) author and editor of a number of books. Schelhaas is also a deputy judge at the Court of Appeal in Arnhem/Leeuwarden.