PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Student
Mark Franken is in his last year of his Public Administration degree course. "I chose this study because of my broad interest in the subject. 2010 was a very unusual year. In the first half of the year, I followed public administration courses in diverse subjects; I like the mix of politics, economy, law, sociology and research methods. In addition to my regular course load, I was also on the Board of my (Christian) student association, RSK, and I was member of the University Council. After the summer holiday, I went to India to do a research project about the motivations of teachers at a school in the slums of Bangalore. This project was a combination of field work for my minor in sustainable development and research for my bachelor thesis. Over the past year I have been able to benefit from all the opportunities the University offers for developing the skills, knowledge and experiences that are needed to find a good job in the field of public administration."
Tanja Gellweiler-Woeltjes Senior policy advisor at Ministerie van BZK
Vera van Venrooij Communication staff member Public Administration (till 1-05-11)
Alumnus
Marike Bonhof (36) is mother of two sons and lives near Amsterdam. She chose to study Public Administration because of her broad interest in society. "I began my career at the Ministry of Finance and I have been working for the Municipality of Amsterdam since 2005. At the moment, I am Deputy Director of Finance and Operations at the Municipality's development and real estate company. 2010 was a turbulent year for us. The effects of the economic and real estate crises became manifest. This year, we had to revise roughly 250 projects in order to avoid financial calamity. This meant: fewer houses, fewer offices and hence fewer and more modest projects. It is a crisis with different viewpoints and stakeholders. The Public Administration programme, with its diverse perspectives in economics, sociology, law and politics, has helped me to understand this complex problem, and has taught me to connect with diverse people and issues. For me, looking at issues from different perspectives has become second nature. In my working experience I have learned that this is a very valuable asset."
Advisory Board of Practitioners
When you take Public Administration in Twente, you have made a choice for the programme with the longest tradition in the Netherlands. Often the link between the student and programme continues to be a special one. That's certainly true of René Westra, now Director of the Court of Appeal in Arnhem. As a member of the Advisory Board of Practitioners for the last three years, he has been dedicated about taking up national policy issues. René also considers it important for practicum placements and final projects to really offer something extra. "The programme is well set-up, but it could be made even more attractive. That's why I am calling on other alumni throughout the country to create interesting opportunities. We can support the ambitions of students who would like to spread their wings. It is just one of the ways to hold on to a generic study. Even though people study in two phases these days, the fundamentals should not be allowed to become too narrow. Public Administration is a very interesting study, especially when you understand the fundamentals."