When prof.dr.ir. Hans van Duijn said they were considering forcing several departments to hire female UDs only at the University Council meeting in April of last year, it caused quite a stir. Now that idea is off the table. In 2013, according to numbers provided by Personnel and Organization, TU/e welcomed 16 new female UDs, and 18 men. Women made up 47 percent of the total, then. In 2012, for example, there were 21 new UDs of which only two were women. In the first quarter of 2014 there were no new female UDs, but none of them left either. The same period saw five male UDs come. Three left.

The (university-wide) fifty-percent rule has not been implemented as such at every individual department, says Board member mr. Jo van Ham in an e-mail response. He says that for every department there are different factors that play a role for the realization of a fair male/female ratio. It depends on the strategy, and financial development of a department, for example. The expected number of faculty members leaving or taking up a new position is important, too. The table below presents an overview of the 2013 targets and results per department. The targets have been determined by the departments, based on situation and context, and have been established in consultation with the Executive Board.

Van Ham stresses that the quality of new candidates is still top priority, and decisive. He also says that previous agreements with current faculty about promotions will not be violated. To endorse women in UD positions, TU/e has stated that in 2014 and 2015, too, 50% of new associate professors must be women.

The table below shows the targets (in percentages) of departments at the end of 2013 and their eventual results. Source: Personnel and Organization.