Dozens of people sang along with ‘Io vivat’ in the Blauwe Zaal of the Auditorium this afternoon, followed by speeches that all incorporated the theme ‘Appetite for Ambition’. The Rector, Dick Benschop (CEO of Shell Netherlands), and the young, successful entrepreneur Danny Mekic’ all stressed the importance of ambition. They also pointed out that pursuing them isn’t always easy. Van Duijn: “Ambition means making choices. You have to stay focused on your goals, and the resources you need to attain them.” Benschop tells his audience that ‘ambition originates from the heart, but can’t do without your head’. According to Mekic’, it’s important to know what you want first and then look for your ambition. “And that can be pretty difficult in a world that’s changing rapidly.”

Their message is supported by videos of three TU/e students and a TU/e alumna who’ve all had to make choices on the road to success. Among them is rower Lisa Scheenaard, who came in fourth at last weekend’s World Championships.

Van Duijn reviewed successful events like the RoboCup, and looked ahead to a ‘challenging’ academic year. “There’s still a lot of work to be done to further develop our Bachelor College and Graduate School.”

Van Duijn also announced a major partnership with Shell. Click here for the article we wrote on that. The Rector had students guess the new name for the TN and EE building by showing them a formula. It took them a while, but them one student figured it out; Flux.

The afternoon also saw the presentation of the Education Awards. Dr.ir. Seth Brussaard won best bachelor lecturer, prof.dr.ir. Peter Baltus won best master lecturer.

Rob Ritzen (TU/e alumnus) and Sanne Mallant sang a song from student musical Scarlet Pimpernel and Khadija Mulder of FSE – which organized the event – acted as master of ceremony. After the talks, the bands Groove Department, 30 past 7, and the SOG Band performed at MetaForum, followed by DJ John & Mr Smith.