Speakers mentioned many successes many times. The number of new students that has been rising for years thanks in large part to the introduction of the Bachelor College, and the start of the Graduate School. Substantial research grants and bringing research institute DIFFER to campus. The successful and ever-growing cooperation with the industry regarding the funding of Ph.D. positions, and the high rankings in Elsevier and the Selection Guide for Higher Education.

Van Duijn looked back at his early years as a Rector, and his worries about student performance. He praised the efforts the entire organization put into the realization of the Bachelor College once again, and concluded: “TU/e is solid as a rock”.

His successor Frank Baaijens agreed with that statement, yet his maiden speech included some comments. He worries about freedom of research, for example. “We currently depend on external funding mostly. When submitting their research proposals, researchers often play it safe and go for something that was successful before. However understandable, it stands in the way of innovation.” The increasing bureaucracy is another thorn in Baaijens’ side.

Amidst all the retirement and installation madness, honorary promotor Bert Blocken, professor of Building Physics at Built Environment, awarded an honorary doctorate to Canadian professor Theodore Stathopoulos, an authority in the field of urban physics and wind engineering.