Unexpectedly, too soon, and with great sadness we have had to say goodbye to our colleague Simon Palser who passed away on 20^th October 2024. Simon was a fresh and welcome face in the purely technical world of Aeronautical Engineering - as a non-techie he brought a personal touch that complemented us techies. A teacher of communication, Simon helped our students develop the skills they needed to build relationships - understanding that good communication doesn't always come naturally to technicians.

As internationalisation coordinator for the Aeronautical Engineering programme, he had a keen involvement in our international student community. A Briton in the Netherlands, he understood what it was like to live in another country, with a different culture and a foreign language, and so he drew on his own experience to make his international students feel at home when far away from family and friends. That made him particularly well-liked among this cohort, but the Dutch students were also very fond of him. Simon felt personally responsible for the well-being of all his students, and for him their success meant getting to the finish line regardless of who they were or any difficulties they had to overcome in the process - he walked beside them every step of the way.

Each year Simon was Master of Ceremonies for the students’ graduation, and he conducted this in his own unique way laced with his very British sense of humour. Many Aeronautical Engineering alumni and their families will remember his performance at that special moment in their lives, and without him this event will never be the same again.

Simon was also Master of Ceremonies for the entire programme - on trips abroad with colleagues to visit programme partners or to establish new partnerships, it was Simon who made sure everything went according to plan. Where we, his colleagues, dived straight into the engineering content it was Simon, with his charm, élan and sense of interpersonal relationships who made sure we achieved our goals. He managed the whole process so naturally that he was often mistaken for the Director! 

He liked to call himself 'Inholland Man’ and, in August of this year, he had been working here - and at its predecessors - for 25 years: as a lecturer; as chairman of the examination board; as internationalisation coordinator and, in recent years, as a member of the HMR. After starting in Rotterdam, he worked at various locations until he landed with us in Delft about 10 years ago. 

In Simon, we found a wonderful colleague from the non-technical side. He could be persistent and did not always make things easy, because he had only one goal: to provide good education and an environment where all our students felt at home. 

The international community found today at Inholland Delft is really to Simon’s credit - he brought numerous different cultures together and created a place where everyone is allowed to be who they are. The enrichment that this has engendered in so many lives deserves our thanks.

For us it is still barely comprehensible that Simon will no longer walk in the door or stand next to our desks with a story, a joke or an interesting question. But in our minds Simon will, in his own unique way, forever remain the Master of Ceremonies of our programme.

Should you feel the need to talk about Simon or express your sympathy, please avail of the following resources:
From 22nd of October and onwards, room 2.83 has been set up in Delft in memory of Simon. Furthermore, you can contact Antoine Gerritse (06 15279902) or Antoine.Gerritse@inholland.nl, should you have any further questions.

Ben je docent of opleidingsmanager bij Inholland en wil jij je inzetten voor meer gelijke kansen binnen je opleiding? Wil je ervoor zorgen dat er een sterker ‘thuisgevoel’ is onder de studenten? Wil jij dat studenten elkaar helpen om hun weg te vinden binnen Inholland en hun opleiding?  

Dan nodigen we je graag  uit voor de Onthulling-sessie waarin het Do It Yourself- pakket (DIY) wordt toegelicht. Het pakket is samengesteld op basis van twee jaar ervaring en onderzoek naar studentcoaching​communities. De online sessie vindt plaats op dinsdag 29 maart van 15.00 tot 16.30 uur.  Naar de online bijeenkomst!

Do it Yourself pakket
Het DIY-pakket is te gebruiken door alle opleidingen van Inholland en laat zien wat er allemaal komt kijken bij het opzetten van een studentcoachingprogramma. We hebben het DIY-pakket opgesplitst in de volgende onderdelen: 

• De theoretische verkenning.
• Een beschrijving van de methodiek voor de coachingcommunities.
• Een beschrijving van de organisatorische opzet.
• De uitkomsten van een evaluatieonderzoek dat is uitgevoerd naar aanleiding van de tweejarige pilot. 

Deze delen zullen wij presenteren en vrijgeven voor iedere opleiding om te gebruiken en te benutten naar eigen inzicht.

Ervaringen delen
Studentcoaches, docenten en projectleiders van Students4Students komen aan het woord om hun  ervaringen en waardevolle momenten die zij hebben meegemaakt te delen. Je krijgt een inkijkje in hoe de coachingsessies er aan toe gaan en wat de meerwaarde hiervan is voor onze studenten. Maar ook: hoe werken docenten en studentcoaches samen en wat leren zij van elkaar? En: waarom doen studentcoaches mee aan dit project en wat levert het hen op voor hun eigen persoonlijke en professionele ontwikkeling? 

Kortom: een interactieve sessie waar veel ruimte is voor gesprek, vragen en het bespreken van echte casussen. We hopen je op 29 maart te zien!  Mocht je vragen hebben over deze sessie gelieve dan contact op te nemen met Marette Ebert of Zulia Rosalina. 

Dit is een initiatief van de onderzoekslijnen Diversiteitsvraagstukken, Jeugd & Samenleving, De Pedagogische Opdracht en Dynamiek van de Stad.

Daags voor de onthulling ontvang je een mail met aanvullende informatie en de link om het evenement online bij te wonen. 

Pub quiz
We divided the whole group of students in different teams to play a special pub quiz: the best way to get to know each other and find out more about the Netherlands and Haarlem. Kenneth & Andor, students of MEM (Creative Business), were the best quizmasters ever! Team Sweden won the pub quiz and received a basket full of nice typically Dutch products. Swapfiets was also present and gave away two bicycle subscriptions for three months. During the day it was possible to take a picture in the Photobooth in the lounge. A perfect reminder of a new beginning!

ESN Haarlem and Creatrix Populus
Students of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) and Creatrix Populus were also present at the Welcome Drink. ESN Haarlem organises events and fun stuff like cultural activities, international dinners, city trips and more for the international students of Inholland Haarlem. Creatrix Populus is the Student Association of Creative Business. They organise crazy activities, interesting guest lectures, parties and special study trips. To join these networks is the best way to meet new people and make new friends.

Next event: bike tour on 27 September
On Friday 27 September Inholland Haarlem and Swapfiets will organise a bicycle tour in Haarlem for the international students. The tour will start at 4.00 pm just outside Start Up Campus Haarlem (SUCH: opposite the building of Inholland Haarlem). The bicycle tour includes short cycling lessons, a brief explanation of traffic rules and an hour-long cycling past beautiful places in Haarlem. We will end up in the city centre. Therefore we advise you to take your personal belongings with you. Sign up quickly. There are only 30 tickets (and bikes) available.