The state of Higher Education in Apeldoorn (April 2010)
...laying a road to an Apeldoorn University?
A discussion note
Higher education has long been the subject of intense debate in the municipality of Apeldoorni, a fast growing newtown on the edge of the central Netherland region. Due to Dutch government policy, formed during the past twenty years,Apeldoorn has struggled to attract and establish state funded higher education to the city, and even now that Apeldoornhas achieved a status of top 12 Dutch cities it does not have its own, state funded, multi-discipline, higher educationinstitute. In 2009, a project, instigated by the Apeldoorn municipality, which would enable three regional state-funded Universities of Applied Science to establish a new institute, named “Kenloo” ii in the city failed after being unable to attractnew students to the four niche programmes it was offering. A rather strained situation occurred between the municipalityand the instigators of Kenlooiii (The Stichting HBO Consortium Apeldoorn), as different parties blamed each other for thecollapse of the project. As it seemed, a great setback for the higher education ambitions of the city of Apeldoorn.
However if we look carefully at these ambitions, then we can establish that what Apeldoorn does have is the departmentof hospitality from nearby Saxion Universities iv, which has successfully located in Apeldoorn and grown to over 600students. The city also houses the headquarters of the Police Academy, which offers higher education to the branch inApeldoorn and throughout the country and the Theological University with a student number of around 100. There isalso an institute, called ProgreSZ vthat offers programmes for the social security sector at higher education level, andthe Professional Photography College vi has recently registered the name Hogeschool Apeldoorn and made clear itsintention to seek accreditation of bachelor level programmes.
Apeldoorn is clearly growing its higher education offerings vii and it seems that even without Kenloo, Apeldoorn hadstarted to fulfil its ambitions and create an atmosphere that would lead to new opportunities.
After the demise of Kenloo the municipality, urged on by employers and employer’s organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce and VNO-NCWviii, started to look for alternatives, and in early December (2009) started talks with a privately funded, state-appointed and accredited University of Applied Sciences, Wittenborg ix, based in nearby Deventer. In March 2010 it was announced that Wittenborg would move its entire operation, including the Business School to the “Kenloo” location in the splinter new ROC Aventus x (College) building, next to the station. xiThe school would move immediately, and be supported and facilitated by the city council, including support in the realisation of housing for many of the 150 foreign students who currently make up 75% of the school’s student numbers. Wittenborgset out a strategic paper in which it described its ambitions to develop new programmes at both Bachelor and Master level and grow to 600 students in 5 years, with an emphasis on programmes for Dutch students. With this previouslymentioned mix of state funded and privately funded higher education, Apeldoorn could be set to embark on thedevelopment of its ambitions to found an Apeldoorn ‘University’.
In many countries, notably the US, privately funded higher education is the norm, however often a combination of statefunding, corporate donators and privately funded institutions bind together to create a synergy that allows meaningfulhigher education programmes to exist. In Apeldoorn it will be no different, and as the political debate intensifies inthe coming year regarding the funding of adult higher education, even the borders between state and privately fundedhigher education will become less rigid, as will the differences between teaching (HBO) and research(WO)Universities. A University could be seen as an umbrella for a host of departments and faculties, eithergrouped into branches and fields of expertise and managed centrally, or a number of quite distinct colleges and institutions operating under the flag of a single institute or ‘’University’’ and it is this that Apeldoorn could move towards.xii, crossing the borders of the so-called Dutch “Binary system of Higher Education”. xiii
The move to establish Wittenborg in Apeldoorn is the start of a process which should enable already establishedinstitutions to grow and work together and act as a catalyst to attract more institutions to the city, so as to enable thedevelopment of a plan to create a single Apeldoorn University campus within the heart of the city. Currently much talk isfocussed on a number of issues – the need and requirements of the city of Apeldoorn, its population and thecompanies and organisations based in the region, and the actual location and centralisation of such a ApeldoornUniversity, around the railway station at the heart of the city. The Photographic College has already situated itself on the North side of the station, at the edge of an area that could possibly be developed, and Wittenborg, now in the ROCAventus College building on the opposite site, a move which creates a positive inclusiveness of college and highereducation and the start of an Apeldoorn University campus.
An 'Apeldoorn University' could be created by forging an alliance between several Apeldoorn based institutions, withstate funded and privately funded combinations, with niche and broad based programmes, with different targetgroups, such as school leavers, foreign students, adult learners and in-company schooling. The programmes at thedifferent schools could include both professional taught degrees and academic research degrees. A number ofessential criteria would need to be reached: its content and focus, its campus location and its services and facilities.
The content and focus in Apeldoorn, would be dependent on factors such as scale as well as supply and demand,dependent on the economic climate in the region, and of course funding, either private, public, or a mix. Scale wouldmean that the programmes taught and types of students in a city University Campus would mean that a medicalinstitute for instance, with its requirement of a teaching hospital would not be possible, however that programmes in the fields of finance, management, economy, social sciences, information technology and information services,would be ideal in a city campus. These areas also seem to fit into the supply and demand chain affected by the requirements of regional employers; however this still needs to be unequivocally established.
Institutes would need to be funded, either privately or through corporations or the state, and there would have to be asuccess factor that included accreditation, and a clear need for the programme by students, employees andemployers. It’s no good launching a University on the basis of unrealistic marketing and sales figures orundeveloped products that fail to attract students.
The campus location would need to be central, close to the railway station and close to the city centre. Its optimal construction would be a complex of institutions linked by student accommodation and student facilities, including libraries, sports and recreation facilities and that these were within walking distance of the education and learning centres, as well as local and national transport and the city centre itself.The area to the north of the railway station would be an excellent choice, and enable the inclusion of the ROC Aventus College on the other side of the railway, linked as it already is, both physically to the station and educationally through the location of Wittenborg within its walls. Wittenborg is also already in discussions with local housing developersregarding the creation of purpose built student hostel accommodation and also solutions that include affordable social housing in combination with student accommodation.
From the above its can be seen that there is a relatively simple way to start the creation of an ApeldoornUniversity, allowing various institutions to develop higher education products in line with the needs of supply anddemand, and that if this is carefully managed and structured, that the process itself will actually enable Apeldoorn toattract more participant institutions. Institutes such as Wittenborg and Saxion, offering broader undergraduateteaching degrees should work together with the more specialised institutes, promoting higher education inApeldoorn. Furthermore; companies and organisations in the region should be stimulated to participate and worktogether in their own fields of expertise and education to reach the goal of an Apeldoorn University. However, the key to success of the creation of one umbrella institute is in its management and a central role for the coordination of thisproject lies with the municipality and local government itself.
In the coming five years there is a tremendous opportunity for Apeldoorn to promote itself as a centre of expertise andknowledge, both in the Netherlands and the international stage, and attract students from across the country and theglobe. It’s time the ambition moved from the dream stage. For now Wittenborg is pleased it can join the development of Apeldoorn’s higher education, and its staff and students will work on developing the ideas and goals described in this paper.
Peter Birdsall, Chairman,
Wittenborg Business School and University of Applied Sciences
April 2010
ii Kenloo comes from Kennis (knowledge) and Loo (the Royal Palace at Apeldoorn)
iii Stekker uit Kenloo & Balen van valse start Kenloo
iv Saxion Hospitality Business School
v ProgreSZ - Hogeschool voor sociale zekerheid
vii Het aanbod voor HBO-studies in Apeldoorn groeit!
viii VNO-NCW - The voice of Dutch business
x Dutch vocational education and training (MBO)