"When I was a visiting student at Berkeley. I once explored why
the Netherlands are lagging behind other European countries in
attracting foreign talent. I cited the following numbers from the
Nuffic 'Mobility Statistics' of 2008.
Foreign students as a percentage of the total student population
in…
Netherlands: 5.6%
EU average: 7.2%
Sweden: 9.2%
Germany: 11.5%
The most recent numbers are the following:
Netherlands: 6.4%
EU average: 8.0%
Sweden: 10.3%
Germany: 11.3%
Lagging behind
The Netherlands are certainly not lagging behind in terms of
supply: it offers over 1,000 educational programs taught in
English, twice the amount of any country in Europe other than
Britain. I suggest that part of the explanation why the Netherlands
fails to attract foreign talent is the cost of tuition in the
Netherlands, which is among the highest in Europe.
For Chinese students, Indians, and other non-EU citizens in
particular, tuition fees at some universities surpass that of their
American counterparts-e.g., the University of Amsterdam charges
between 9,000 and 25,000 Euros for its various programs. Maastricht
University charges Saudi-pre med students a whopping 32,000
Euros.
Another part of the explanation may be due to our strict
immigration policies. But a large part, I believe, is cultural. I
wrote about this in ScienceGuide during my first stay in
Berkeley:
"What, I think, stands out is the ease by which I have
settled here in Berkeley. Not through the help of some
'internationalization' agency or the warm guidance of a 'foreign
student councilor.' The ease by which I have settled comes simply
from the fact that everyone seems to accept my presence as a
natural fact. One of my clearest memories is that of a mother
crying, long and intense, as she was struggling to say goodbye to
her son, who was about to start his studies here at Berkeley. An
American mother, I should add, of an American student. It was this
sight that made me realize I am not alone here.
There are very few local students here; undergraduate and
graduate students alike come to study at Berkeley from all over
country. And while a Dutch student at the University of Amsterdam
might still spend most of his time with his Amersfoort friends, or
even travel to Middelburg over the weekend to visit his parents
(and do his laundry), there is no way a Berkeley student would
still hang out regularly with his friends in Wisconsin, Madison,
Miami, Florida or New York City, New York. The logical consequence
is that it is less of a challenge to 'build up a new life' when
everyone around you is doing the same thing."
Opening up closed networks
Starting anew is rooted in U.S. culture and is an important
ingredient of an American student's college experience. It is not
so of the Dutch. But that can change. Whether such change can be
accommodated may prove vital in the development of both Dutch
'export' to top universities all over the world, and the ability of
the Netherlands to attract the best and brightest from abroad.
Professor James Kennedy (UvA) described filling a vacancy in
Dutch Academia as a process of finding the most collegiate
candidate within one's network of contacts. A positive way to
reframe this is to say that Dutch academics are very much concerned
with teamwork, and look for candidates to express qualities in line
with their expectations. Whatever way you phrase it, however, this
preoccupation values qualities in candidates other than those of
academic merit, and favors the familiar over the foreign and
unfamiliar.
That same process, ironically, also penalizes returning Dutch
scholars for having left 'the network' instead of being rewarded
for their experiences abroad. Whether this accounts holds true or
rests on exaggeration, its consequences are very real: even the
perception of a closed network is enough to deter talent.
Transparency in hiring procedures and vacancies postings are called
for. Tenure tracks are well-advised, as are regular, consistent and
consequential teaching and research evaluations. As former U.S.
Ambassador Cynthia Schneider, now a Professor at Georgetown
University, reminds us the disgraceful underrepresentation of
(Dutch) women among the higher rungs of academia shows we still
have a long way to go."
Jonathan J.B. Mijs
mijs@fas.harvard.edu
Deel 1 en 2 van Mijs' verslag leest u hier en hier