‘Not just a ‘broodje kaas’ in the canteen’

TU Delft’s international recruitment officer, Marlies Overbeek, outlines the university’s international vision and discusses what is needed to create a truly global technological university here in Delft.

Globalization has by altering the concepts of time and space, and has also altered the international labor market. In the higher echelons of this new labor market calls are now being made for a new class of highly educated professionals. Professionals who can easily communicate with people from different cultures, who are able to adapt to and understand a different environment in a very short time span, and who are able to translate local issues into global opportunities and vice versa.

In short, these are professionals who can compete on a global level with their worldwide competitors. For the universities, which are the main providers of highly educated professionals, this new and ever demanding labor market offers two options: internationalize or be left behind.

Marlies Overbeek, TU Delft’s international recruitment officer, affirms that although TU Delft has had a strong international orientation since its founding, the university needs to further internationalize, because indeed TU Delft cannot “survive in this dynamic, increasingly global environment as a provincial university.”

“The Internet, advances in communication technologies and the increasing globalization of our environment have been embraced by TU Delft as opportunities to internationalize its education,” Overbeek adds.

To achieve a leading position in the global market, universities have to compete vigorously for gifted, clever and socially intelligent students and staff. To do this, the most important rule that universities must follow is to attract top-rank staff and to recruit the most talented students.

Overbeek agrees and points out that TU Delft’s strategy with respect to the enrollment of new international students is “to recruit the best talent from the global pool of graduate students, in order to be a leading university of technology in an international arena.”

One of the most important activities that the TU undertakes in recruiting prospective students is presenting the university at education fairs around the world. Overbeek clarifies that although the image of TU Delft is not presented differently in different countries, they do apply a different approach in the way they contact prospective students. “At the human interaction level we do take cultural differences into account,” she says

Students that visit the TU Delft stand at an education fair in, for example, Indonesia, have often already made up their minds about which university they want to go to. They therefore come to the TU stand with specific questions about graduate studies at the TU Delft.

Overbeek: “The majority of prospective students visiting the TU stand at education fairs in this country seek assurances that studying in the Netherlands is a possibility for them as opposed to studying in, for example, the USA, UK or Australia. They are often familiar with the MSc program’s content, but may be unsure as to how to proceed with respect to the application procedure.”

Because of the presence of some leading universities in the UK, British nationals are, in contrast, less aware of the possibilities that Dutch universities offer. They are therefore also often less prepared. Overbeek states that because of these differences it’s very important to “treat each student with respect and consideration. Devoting time in explaining the scholarship and working possibilities is a must.”
International mindset

One of the most important strategies that universities follow to attract top rank staff and students is building and maintaining many strategic alliances and student exchange programs with other leading universities worldwide. Alliances that among other things facilitate the mobility of staff and students.

TU Delft has therefore numerous cooperation agreements in place with other universities, both on the university and faculty level. The list of prestigious universities that cooperate with the TU Delft include MIT, Tsinghua University, Institute of Technology Bandung, Imperial College London, and the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich.

“In building upon these and many bilateral and network alliances, such as the IDEA league of European technological universities, TU Delft is ensuring that its education is of superior quality and content and therefore recognized as eminent at the international level,” Overbeek explains.

But internationalization is much more than student and staff mobility and the maintenance of strategic alliances, according to Overbeek: “For me, an international campus has to do with a lot of other things as well, which are maybe less ‘formal’ but equally important.”

Overbeek indicates that mixed project groups of international and Dutch students, a Chinese professor giving lectures at the TU, and student associations in which Dutch and international students both join, are examples what will make the university really international.

“Internationalization is ultimately an international mindset by everyone involved in our university,” Overbeek says. “And of course as well those little things that make life easier, such as sign postings in English and not just a ‘broodje kaas‘ in the canteen.”

With students from over 100 nationalities, TU Delft is quite successful in attracting students from all over the world to its campus. But as students from abroad currently only make up approximately 10 percent of TU Delft’s total student body, international students are still very much a minority group.

Overbeek maintains that a truly international campus is only possible if the international student community is indeed no longer a minority group. A substantial increase in the numbers of international students will have two important effects. Besides the fact that all academic issues will become increasingly intertwined, international as well as Dutch students will learn to appreciate the added value of working in an international environment.

Overbeek: “An international mindset by everyone is achieved when all students when working together learn to appreciate each other the way they are, with respect to each other’s competencies, and most importantly that they learn to appreciate different perspectives. These are all competencies that are very much appreciated and very valuable in our increasingly globalized world.”

Marlies Overbeek. (Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)

Globalization has by altering the concepts of time and space, and has also altered the international labor market. In the higher echelons of this new labor market calls are now being made for a new class of highly educated professionals. Professionals who can easily communicate with people from different cultures, who are able to adapt to and understand a different environment in a very short time span, and who are able to translate local issues into global opportunities and vice versa.

In short, these are professionals who can compete on a global level with their worldwide competitors. For the universities, which are the main providers of highly educated professionals, this new and ever demanding labor market offers two options: internationalize or be left behind.

Marlies Overbeek, TU Delft’s international recruitment officer, affirms that although TU Delft has had a strong international orientation since its founding, the university needs to further internationalize, because indeed TU Delft cannot “survive in this dynamic, increasingly global environment as a provincial university.”

“The Internet, advances in communication technologies and the increasing globalization of our environment have been embraced by TU Delft as opportunities to internationalize its education,” Overbeek adds.

To achieve a leading position in the global market, universities have to compete vigorously for gifted, clever and socially intelligent students and staff. To do this, the most important rule that universities must follow is to attract top-rank staff and to recruit the most talented students.

Overbeek agrees and points out that TU Delft’s strategy with respect to the enrollment of new international students is “to recruit the best talent from the global pool of graduate students, in order to be a leading university of technology in an international arena.”

One of the most important activities that the TU undertakes in recruiting prospective students is presenting the university at education fairs around the world. Overbeek clarifies that although the image of TU Delft is not presented differently in different countries, they do apply a different approach in the way they contact prospective students. “At the human interaction level we do take cultural differences into account,” she says

Students that visit the TU Delft stand at an education fair in, for example, Indonesia, have often already made up their minds about which university they want to go to. They therefore come to the TU stand with specific questions about graduate studies at the TU Delft.

Overbeek: “The majority of prospective students visiting the TU stand at education fairs in this country seek assurances that studying in the Netherlands is a possibility for them as opposed to studying in, for example, the USA, UK or Australia. They are often familiar with the MSc program’s content, but may be unsure as to how to proceed with respect to the application procedure.”

Because of the presence of some leading universities in the UK, British nationals are, in contrast, less aware of the possibilities that Dutch universities offer. They are therefore also often less prepared. Overbeek states that because of these differences it’s very important to “treat each student with respect and consideration. Devoting time in explaining the scholarship and working possibilities is a must.”
International mindset

One of the most important strategies that universities follow to attract top rank staff and students is building and maintaining many strategic alliances and student exchange programs with other leading universities worldwide. Alliances that among other things facilitate the mobility of staff and students.

TU Delft has therefore numerous cooperation agreements in place with other universities, both on the university and faculty level. The list of prestigious universities that cooperate with the TU Delft include MIT, Tsinghua University, Institute of Technology Bandung, Imperial College London, and the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich.

“In building upon these and many bilateral and network alliances, such as the IDEA league of European technological universities, TU Delft is ensuring that its education is of superior quality and content and therefore recognized as eminent at the international level,” Overbeek explains.

But internationalization is much more than student and staff mobility and the maintenance of strategic alliances, according to Overbeek: “For me, an international campus has to do with a lot of other things as well, which are maybe less ‘formal’ but equally important.”

Overbeek indicates that mixed project groups of international and Dutch students, a Chinese professor giving lectures at the TU, and student associations in which Dutch and international students both join, are examples what will make the university really international.

“Internationalization is ultimately an international mindset by everyone involved in our university,” Overbeek says. “And of course as well those little things that make life easier, such as sign postings in English and not just a ‘broodje kaas‘ in the canteen.”

With students from over 100 nationalities, TU Delft is quite successful in attracting students from all over the world to its campus. But as students from abroad currently only make up approximately 10 percent of TU Delft’s total student body, international students are still very much a minority group.

Overbeek maintains that a truly international campus is only possible if the international student community is indeed no longer a minority group. A substantial increase in the numbers of international students will have two important effects. Besides the fact that all academic issues will become increasingly intertwined, international as well as Dutch students will learn to appreciate the added value of working in an international environment.

Overbeek: “An international mindset by everyone is achieved when all students when working together learn to appreciate each other the way they are, with respect to each other’s competencies, and most importantly that they learn to appreciate different perspectives. These are all competencies that are very much appreciated and very valuable in our increasingly globalized world.”

Marlies Overbeek. (Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)