Leading in times of uncertainty: Reflections on academic freedom and community at Leiden University

First, I would like to say that this series is very aptly named. I may have been president of Leiden University for almost five years, but this great academic institution can only thrive because of the concerted efforts of all its members: my fellow members of the executive board, the Deans, scholars, students and other staff members all contribute greatly to our success. Having the responsibility to make tough decisions can sometimes make a leader feel lonely, but you are, in fact, never truly alone.

Nevertheless, I must admit that we live in challenging times. Like many other university leaders throughout the world, I am quite worried about the current situation. We are being confronted with growing political instability, social unrest, the consequences of climate change and many other important issues that give cause for alarm.

In the past, universities were often proverbial ivory towers, places that were more or less sheltered from the outside world. Luckily, this situation has changed during the last couple of decades. But by getting more connected to the “real” world, universities now find themselves in the very midst of the challenges we all face.

Many universities in the Western world are currently under siege, both from the outside world and from within. If we start with the outside world, the first thing that comes to mind is the current tendency of governments and politicians to curtail academic freedom. The rise of populist leaders and groups has stirred up strong anti-elitist and anti-intellectual sentiments. Because of this, universities have been obvious targets for them to curry favor with their constituents.

In the United States, we see that the current government is actively, and aggressively, putting pressure on the universities. They are openly hostile toward certain courses and scientists. The Trump administration is not only using threatening language but also withholding important grants to enforce university policies that are in step with its own convictions and world view. Since many universities are dependent on governmental grants, several of them have decided to surrender and give in to Washington’s decrees.

We hear the worrisome stories of academics who no longer feel safe, of data that may no longer be obtainable. The federal government has even had the gall to send foreign institutions questionnaires about specific cooperation with American scientists and faculties. People are getting afraid, and rightfully so

But back home, in the Netherlands, we too experience growing pressure from politicians. The outgoing government, for instance, has forced us to severely curtail English-language programs. The idea behind this is that Dutch universities should be primarily cater to Dutch students and Dutch society. This, in my opinion, is a prime example of backward thinking. The world, and especially the academic world, has become a global society. Scholars and students alike travel around the world, sharing ideas and cooperating on new fields of research.

For us in Leiden particularly, this feels like a gigantic step in the wrong direction. We have had an international scope ever since our university was founded in 1575. Scholars from all parts of Europe came to Leiden, home of the first university in what is now the Netherlands, because of the liberal policies in its predecessor, the Dutch Republic.

And the university may have changed through the centuries, but this aspect has not. I dare say that our knowledge of Asia, and especially the Far East, is almost unparalleled in the world. Naturally, our scholars and experts come from all over the world. By denying them the chance to give lectures in English, our government seriously undermines the quality of our work in the future. When you look at the current geopolitical situation for instance, we need experts on the Middle East, China and the Korean peninsula.

Having said that, the Dutch universities decided to compromise and make some sacrifices themselves. By doing this, we hoped that the government would reconsider other planned cutbacks.

In our case, we decided to scrap the English-language Psychology course from our curriculum. It was a very difficult decision, to say the least, but sometimes you simply have to make such a sacrifice to prevent bigger problems for your organization.

So yes, I think that these tendencies can have big consequences for the academic world in the West, and therefore, for the Western world in general. Just look back on our history, and you see what the academia has meant for the development of this part of the world. The liberal democracies have benefited greatly from the spoils of academic freedom. Numerous scientific breakthroughs were possible because of the freedom our scientists had to pursue the research they found the most promising or interesting. Governments should trust that scientists and scholars know how to handle their responsibilities.

The world as we know it, with all its technological achievements, advancements in the fields of social studies, human rights, global economic cooperation etc., would not exist if it weren’t for universities. We should not forget that.

And then, there is also the growing pressure from within our own community. Like at many other campuses in the West, we have had our fair share of protests, demonstrations and even occupations during the last couple of years. In addition to concerns like the effects of climate change, the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Palestine has become a great bone of contention on our campus. Groups of students and staff members demand that we choose a side during this conflict. But this is not how a university works. We are not a political organization.

This does not mean that we are indifferent toward this conflict, far from it. On many occasions, the Executive Board has commented on the disastrous humanitarian aspects of this conflict. We have condemned the capture and killing of innocent civilians by the Hamas forces on Oct. 7, 2023. And we have done the same concerning the enormous number of civilian casualties due to the Israeli military operations.

Nevertheless, the ongoing troubles in the Middle East have had a great impact on our university. Both students and staff have shared that they no longer feel safe on campus. We also see that groups of people are unwilling to engage with other groups, just because they have differing opinions of the conflict. And while I find it heartbreaking that members of our community may not feel safe or secure on our campus, my biggest worry concerns the possible fracturing of our community into different camps. Naturally, we are currently doing everything we can to prevent this from happening.

Last spring, I decided to leave the university. On Sept. 1, I laid down the office of the presidency. Although I have many warm memories of my time in Leiden, I felt that it was time for the next step.

I recently published a book called “Nature in the Garden”, in which I write about the importance of biodiversity around the house. I expect that biodiversity and nature will become very important topics for me during the next couple of years, but we shall see what the future has in store for me after Leiden.

I can look back on a rather tumultuous, but also a very inspiring tenure at Leiden University. And obviously, I could not have done this job alone. And maybe that is the key to our current challenges. Especially in these times of deep division, it is of paramount importance that academic communities continue to engage in meaningful debates. It’s both easy and dangerous to stop talking to people whose ideas differ from your own. But people, and especially scholars, should force themselves to continue the conversation. I strongly believe that we can find a lot of answers and solutions to the problems we face today if we do this.