• The University , Employee , People
  • 24/10/2024

Royal honor for TU/e employee Jeanette Schoumacher

Today, TU/e employee Jeanette Schoumacher received a royal honor. During the Drivers of Change exhibition - on display at Dutch Design Week - Schoumacher received the award from Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem. She is being honored for her years of dedication to the university, the city of Eindhoven and her own family.

by
photo Bart van Overbeeke

Schoumacher will retire as of November 1st, after a career of nearly 40 years at the TU/e. The TU/e employee is best known on campus for organizing Introweek for many years. Today she received a so called 'ribbon' for her work. Schoumacher is now 'Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau'. This distinction is awarded to people with merits that have a regional or even national character and significance.

The initiative for the royal honor came from her colleague Marjan van Ganzenwinkel. “I have enormous admiration for her great dedication, including the years of organizing the Introweek, a complex and underestimated project,” says Van Ganzenwinkel. “In addition to her work, she is also a family caregiver for family members. She just does it all. I applied for the award because her work and her dedication should be seen.” 

Jeanette Schoumacher met burgemeester Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

After Van Ganzenwinkel got the idea to apply for the royal decoration, she approached Lucas Asselbergs. Asselbergs is married to Schoumacher and also director of Studium Generale. “Lucas has done most of the work,” says Van Ganzenwinkel. “I see up close how deeply the two of them go for the TU/e and the visibility of the university. They have been putting a lot of time into Dutch Design Week and the past TU/e lustra for decades. They really are community builders and bridge builders.”  

Asselbergs did not doubt Van Ganzenwinkel's initiative for a moment. The recognition for his wife's work is fully justified, he believes. “The organization of the Intro has grown larger and more complex over the years,” Asselbergs outlines. “The influx increased, the number of internationals grew substantially, student associations all wanted their share of the intro, and all kinds of socially sensitive issues arose, for example, around social safety and alcohol consumption. Jeanette was a golden asset for the TU/e in that evolution."  

Van Ganzenwinkel is not only impressed by Schoumacher's track record, she also praises her “warm personality. “Jeanette is sociable, caring and inspiring,” she says. “You can call her day or night. She's always there for everyone.”  

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