We had hoped that the Green Carpet would be white by now. But everything is still brown. Yet it is very clear how our new campus is taking shape. The central area has changed from a car desert into a meeting space—right in the middle of which is our new MetaForum, opened this year. This lies at the crossroads of all routes. It's nice to see everywhere people discussing, writing and thinking.

Close by is the new Ceres building, which houses i.a. Bert Meijer’s Institute for Complex Molecular Systems. He managed to get an NWO Gravity grant, alongside Groningen and Nijmegen. Nearly 30 million euros. Formerly, Ceres was the boilerhouse of the campus. The energy is still flowing in all directions. We are proud of this inspiring scientific powerhouse.

This year, we were awarded “Best University” by the magazine Elsevier and “Best University of Technology” by the education guide Keuzegids. And that was before our Bachelor College started. The new course is much better suited to the needs of society and the interests of students. The first year attracted more students than ever—and a lot of women. That shows we are on the right track.

It is inspiring how everyone has worked on all these changes. The enthusiasm is contagious. The new course is an intensive collaboration across faculty boundaries. The new buildings connect people. The new research catalyzes progress.If we rest under the tree, we can look forward to a good new year. This year we laid the foundation for it.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and an exciting new year.

Hans van Duijn
December 21, 2012