Rob Mudde to step down after the summer

Mudde's departure comes about a year before his planned retirement. It was a difficult but well-considered decision, he says. “It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye earlier than planned. To this day, my work has been a real privilege, which I have always carried out with great passion and which has given me equal satisfaction. The downside is that it has begun to take its toll on my health. I have been struggling with this since the beginning of last year. I would have liked to have served out my term to the end. However, partly on medical advice, I cannot help but conclude that I can no longer carry out my role with the same energy as before – energy that the job requires. I am aware that my departure comes at an unfortunate time, when social safety deserves all our attention. I would like to emphasise that this difficult decision was not taken overnight. It has been on my mind for some time.”

In close consultation with the Executive and Supervisory boards, it has been decided that Mudde would finish the academic year 2023-2024. Mudde: “It is important that the Supervisory Board is in a good position to recruit my successor and that I can give them a cordial handover. Until then, I will continue to perform my duties as board member. I wouldn't miss the start of the academic year for the world. I look forward to welcoming another cohort of new students to our university.

Chair of the Supervisory Board Tijo Collot d'Escury: “With Rob's departure, we lose a very experienced and inspiring director and a valued colleague. On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to thank Rob for his enormous commitment to our university and his inspiring leadership, especially in the area of education and educational innovation. This has resulted in so many extraordinary achievements. I would mention, for example, the renewal of the educational programmes to continue to meet the profile expected of the TU Delft engineer of the future, the reassessment of the educational mission and profile, and the great strides made in the field of open education and lifelong learning.”

Rector Magnificus and President Tim van der Hagen speaks of a sense of melancholy. “With Rob's departure we lose an able administrator, a passionate resident of Delft, an inspired teacher and, above all, a very warm person and a beloved colleague. We would have liked to have had Rob in our midst for even longer as a board member, but we fully understand and respect his decision.” Vice President Operations Marien van der Meer agrees: “I have come to know Rob as someone with a keen eye not only for content and quality, but also for the person behind the performance and the well-being of colleagues and students. He will be missed.”

The Supervisory Board will begin preparations for the recruitment of a successor. Employee and student participation will be involved in the process. Until a successor is appointed, Rob Mudde will continue in his role as board member. He calls for more connection, dialogue and mutual understanding during this period and beyond. “The better society we want to contribute to as TU Delft actually begins at home. Above all, we should try to continue to approach each other on the basis of trust and to assume the best in people”, he says.