Board President Jan Mengelers recently let it be known at a meeting of the University Council that the primary reason for this turnabout is that " TU/e must move with the times and must do more to involve the city of Eindhoven." He emphasized that Founders' Day and other academic ceremonies are being moved to another date and that "abolition is not the right word". In response to questions from the Board whether this marks the end of a tradition spanning decades, he answered that "we are creating a new tradition ".

Hanneke Koppers, head of the Communication Expertise Center, says that "by clustering all activities, festivities, and financial resources TU/e sees greater opportunities for putting on a much talked-about event that no one will want to miss”. The first edition of MomenTUm is scheduled for September 7th 2018, with the market hall in MetaForum as the venue. This day will be a somewhat smaller affair than in 2019 - at least for the collective graduation ceremony.

A tally is currently being made of the departments to be involved. Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering have already committed to participating in 2018. Whatever happens later in the day, it is the intention that students first receive their university diploma at their own department and that each department continues to decide the details of this event. A joint graduation ceremony for all Bachelor's students, at which at least the name of the graduating student is called out, will in principle follow later in the day.

The procession will stay

A project group working in conjunction with the Federation of Study Associations Eindhoven (FSE) will plan how the day will proceed. Koppers: “It would be only natural to invite a speaker and to award an honorary doctorate and the academic annual awards. These elements can be interspersed with theater, dance, music and video. A full-on student party will be held in the evening.”

It has been proposed that graduating Bachelor's students will attend in gown and beret. Whether this clothing will be purchased or rented is not yet known. And there are other matters to be organized. “Including how we will deal with departments that currently hold graduations multiple times a year. It is up to the department to decide how they want to proceed.” The procession - of professors who in keeping with tradition walk through the city center on Founders' Day - will continue to play a part in the new arrangements. Exactly how, admits Koppers, remains to be decided.

According to the head of CEC, reactions have been largely positive. “Students are looking forward to organizing this with the university. But they have already requested that there be enough room for family, friends, and guests on a day like this. The departments are very keen to keep the intimate scale of their own graduation ceremonies, and feel it is important that they occupy a prominent position in the collective graduation ceremony.”

Source Artist Impression | Artishock / events and marketing.