Recap Opening Academic Year 2025 - 2026

On Wednesday, 3 September 2025, the opening of the 2025-2026 academic year took place at Campus Fryslân in Leeuwarden. It was a festive gathering and a moment to reflect, make connections and look ahead. Read more about the ceremony below, which featured inspiring speeches and a great atmosphere.

After the traditional cortège the ceremony was held in a packed Auditorium at the Beurs.

What else was on the programme?

The official programme was opened by Vice-Dean Dr Indira van der Zande, who gave a short welcome speech to greet the guests.

The Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. Tjalling Halbertsma, opened the 2025–2026 academic year with a warm welcome and emphasised the motto of Campus Fryslân: “Global Challenges, Local Solutions”. He mentioned successes such as innovations in speech technology, awards for education and research, and new scholarships. He also announced a new master's programme in the field of security, resilience and governance, led by Prof. Natascha van der Zwan. Finally, he underlined the importance of cooperation and the ambition to make this year the best yet. Read the entire speech by prof dr Tjalling Halbertsma here.

Maya Motzkau, the new Student Assessor, spoke about the unique community of Campus Fryslân, where human connection, cooperation and openness are central, and emphasised her role as student assessor in representing the voice of students and working together to build a strong and inclusive campus. Read Maya Motzkau's entire speech here.

Prof. Beatrice de Graaf then gave the keynote lecture on the history of resilience, from local vigilante groups and city walls to national defence and contemporary democratic resilience. She emphasised that true resilience must always be collective and inclusive, rooted in solidarity, democratic values and community spirit, and should not be reduced to purely individual self-reliance. Read Prof. Beatrice de Graaf's full speech here.

The keynote lecture was followed by Fryslân poet Arjan Hut with his poem “Alles goed” (All is well). Read the fulll text here.

Dr Indira van der Zande then concluded the official programme. The day ended with drinks for all the guests.

Many thanks to everyone who attended this event, and we look forward to the new academic year!

The photos of the ceremony were taken by Fotobureau Hoge Noorden.

All speeches

• Speech by prf. dr. Tjalling Halbertsma, dean of Campus Fryslân
• Speech by Maya Motzkau, student-assessor
• Keynote lezing by prof. dr. Beatrice de Graaf
• Poem by Poet of Fryslân Arjan Hut

The Opening of the Academic Year in the news

• Leeuwarder Courant, 3 September, ‘Terrorism expert Beatrice de Graaf kicks off academic year in Leeuwarden: “Then there was more violence”’ [in Dutch]
• Friesch Dagblad, 3 September, After a “bitter year”, Campus Fryslân looks ahead to more collaboration with universities of applied sciences [in Dutch]