This is not the first time students have mingled with chicly dressed visitors while eating or studying in the Auditorium. Official meetings are held in the Blue Hall often. But Thursday afternoon was different. If you looked closely, you could actually spot Eindhoven Mayor Dijsselbloem. Or Peter Wennink, former CEO of ASML, now chairman of the TU/e Supervisory Board. There was even a royal visit.

Yet, this is not the first time Prince Constantine has visited the university. For example, he opened building Neuron in 2023. As special envoy of Techleap, he helps improve the business climate for tech companies. And therein lies a clear link to the TU/e. That these and other people of note are present at the farewell meeting of the college president is typical of Robert-Jan Smits. He has opened the university's door to the region.

From the beginning of his presidency six years ago, Smits has been committed to cooperation with industrial partners. This allows the research done at TU/e to be brought to society faster, says Smits. That he has achieved a lot, is something full professor Aida Todri agrees with. She mentions in one sentence: research initiative Future Chips Flagship, project Beethoven, the new clean room and the Summer and Winter School for international students.

Carlo van de Weijer, director of The Eindhoven AI Systems Institute (EAISI), appreciates Smits' confidence in the relatively new institute. According to De Weijer, he sees the potential of AI, which can accelerate innovations and multiply the productivity of researchers. University professor Maarten Steinbuch points to Smits' essential support for the fourth-generation university, a network university that works with external partners to find academically savvy solutions to fundamental issues.

Great achievements require vision, perseverance, pragmatism and empathy, says Silvia Lenaerts. For that reason, the rector magnificus compares her colleague to the Roman emperor Augustus. And cooperation partner Mayor Dijsselbloem praises Smits for his perseverance in putting the Brainport region on the map in The Hague. Besides an honorary medal of the university, which Smits receives from the hands of Peter Wennink, he is appointed Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau.

Smits himself presented a glass gavel to his successor Koen Janssen during the handover ceremony. Glass, because, according to Smits, this material symbolizes transparency and connection because of its conductive properties. Janssen realizes that his new role comes with great responsibility. “It's impressive what you've done, Robert-Jan. From students to professors to the CEO of ASML, they all know you.”

Questionmarks

While Smits takes the audience on his TU/e journey through ten photos, three first-year Electrical Engineering students sit at a table right next to the Blue Hall. They have no knowledge of the farewell event. They are watching a livestream from Nintendo about new games. The name Robert-Jan Smits, raises some questions at first, but then something begins to dawn on them.

“He may have been the guy who gave a speech at the beginning of intro week,” says one of the students, Kathalijne. Sitting across from her is Isa. “I don't actually know anything about him. Is he retiring? Nice that he can work on other things again.” The third student, Salim, has seen his name pass by once in reports of his retirement. “It looks like he will be missed,” he said. “I hope the new person is as good, too.”

Fresh wind

Smits' farewell is a special moment, thinks senior policy advisor Jolanda Habraken of General Affairs. “You can see that his departure is causing a lot of movement within the university. It has great impact. Smits put the university on the map for the outside world by strengthening ties with the business community in the region and promoting the TU/e's importance to Europe. This has made the university more outward-looking.”

Habraken sees Smits' departure as a good thing. “It's time for some fresh air, for someone who can look forward with fresh eyes again.” She hopes Smits successor Koen Janssen will take on a connecting role. “Especially in these exciting times, with changing allies and pressure on academic freedom, we need someone who can keep everyone here together.”

Knuckleheads

In the Senaatzaal, Wim van de Donk, president of the Executive Board and rector magnificus of Tilburg University, shows a gift that he brought. It is a book about the foundation of Tilburg. Van den Donk has known Smits since his previous position as Commissioner of the King, when Smits was at the European Commission.

After Smits took office as president of the Executive Board in 2019, Van de Donk became one just over a year later. “We were constantly able to pull together. We were real knuckleheads. The relationship between our universities was also very much strengthened during that time.”