The theme of TU/e’s lustrum year 2021, during which the university celebrates its 65th anniversary, is Heroes Like You. Heroes for Heroes is inspired by this. With this initiative, Eindhoven University Fund (UFe) and TU/e bring together the heroes of today – alumni and other professionals with ties to the university – and the heroes of the future: the students.

The goal is to raise extra recourses, with the specific aim of providing students with an opportunity to develop their full potential. The distribution of the gifts – which may include materials or financial contributions to students who, for example, suffered study delay through no fault of their own – will be determined by an independent committee.

The fund comes highly recommended by Executive Board president Robert-Jan Smits: “Studying at TU/e is about more than gaining knowledge. It’s also about putting that knowledge to use to help solve problems in society. We started Heroes for Heroes because we want to help our young heroes at TU/e, the heroes of the future, and to continue to offer them the chance to develop their talents. Anyone who believes in the development of young talent can take part and make a contribution.”

Immortalized

Since the university celebrates its 65th anniversary, donors are asked to contribute 65, 650 or 6500 euros. However, donors are free to choose any amount. People who donate 65 euros or more will receive a miniature and see their names become immortalized on the campus.

Joep Huiskamp, who is a member of both the lustrum committee and the art commission, can’t reveal too many details about this. “We are talking to a possible designer for the object, which will mark the lustrum year, and on which the names of the donors will feature. What the object will look like, and how the names will be incorporated, still remains undecided.” Huiskamp expects the design to be presented in mid-October.

What has been determined, however, is the object’s location: near the entrance of the former Pavilion building. “That building is currently being demolished, but some parts will remain, including the entrance with the typical canopy and a piece of wall with the motto Mens Agitat Molem. That’s where the object will be located.”

Eindhoven University Funds stresses that the donations will be spent exclusively on the fund and not on the object.