Landscape Architect Meets Staff Lawyer

It is great to see where they come from since Michiel and Paul both did not study at BUas, though it feels like they did.

Michiel Mulderij obtained his Master of Science degree in Landscape Architecture at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). After that, he worked as a landscape architect in Dubai for two years and another six years in Singapore. He was also a lecturer of Landscape Design at Ngee Ann Polytechnic there for a while.

Paul Schuurmans worked as a PE teacher after his studies at the Academy for Physical Education (in Dutch abbreviated to ALO) and then read law at the Catholic University Leuven. He worked as a legal assistant at a law firm and as a staff lawyer at the judiciary.

And then you ended up as lecturers at Breda University of Applied Sciences?

Paul: “I was already working in education because I completed my ALO studies, but I knew very soon that I wanted to move on to further study. In 2019, I obtained the Master of Laws degree in Leuven and I became a lawyer. But I always thought: I’ll be back. Back to education, but back to PE lessons? No, not for me. Coincidence had it that my boss at the law firm was a lecturer at BUas, and he left. Then I applied for the job. The funny thing is that I had already cooperated in his lessons indirectly because I always provided input for his PowerPoint slides from practice. That’s how I saw my own slides again! I thought it was remarkable that I did not start teaching in a Law programme, but that I started teaching Applied Law as part of a logistics course. It was something completely new to me, even though I was a specialist in corporate law”.

Michiel: “I already switched to education in Singapore. Paul genuinely had that ambition, and I did not. My parents both worked in education and I always said that I would never do that! But things turned out differently. There was an education institute of Landscape Design & Horticulture literally next to my house, and I delivered my CV there. I had to fly frequently as a landscape architect; I worked 60 hours a week, and I was pretty much fed up with that. In addition, I had a family by then, so this was a great next step. At a given moment, I wanted to go back to the Netherlands. Marc Holvoet, a former fellow student of mine, shared a vacancy of BUas on LinkedIn and then I applied. From day 1, I was perfectly happy there”!

You both switched to degree programme manager after four years. How does that feel? Do you miss teaching?

Michiel: “We are both still lecturers. That is a must for me. To manage effectively, you need to stay in touch with students, or else you run the risk to be alienated. I sometimes feel that I do not do enough of it, of teaching. The students work on a lot of projects, which is rather intensive in terms of supervision, and now I can’t do that alongside my management duties anymore. When I see those lecturers working in our labs, I start to feel the urge to teach again. I sometimes remark jokingly that I need to make myself as redundant as possible, so I can go back to teaching. But it’s also great to be able to contribute to education at a strategic level. I was already a project leader in educational development and chair of the board of examiners, so the move to degree programme manager felt very natural”.

Paul: “I felt that the move to degree programme manager came too soon, but my colleagues said that this role would suit me fine. I was a full-time lecturer by then. Before that, I worked as a staff lawyer for a few days a week. But every time I was at BUas, I thought, it just feels right that I’m here, and then I entirely opted for education. The two different roles suit me well. In the classroom, I’m simply the lecturer, not the degree programme manager. It’s mainly about having fun and learning with the students. It’s not about standing in front of the class and evaluating. Discovering things together works much better than having formal discussions with students about the direction of the study programme”.

What is it like being a degree programme manager?

Paul: “I have not been one very long, so I still have a lot to discover. I hope I can facilitate the team to the best of my ability, so together we can provide excellent education”.

Michiel: “It is indeed about facilitation. We both work in a highly-educated team. Most colleagues hold a master’s degree. That is different from a factory, where people are often links of a chain and need to be given instructions. We mainly need to create space and give a little push here and there. It’s not that different from the classroom. Take AI, for example. We can and must use it in education, but we don’t say: this is how it must be done! We encourage the team to do it and discover it for themselves. Just give it a try. If people are given autonomy, they feel a sense of ownership”.

And what does it bring you? 

Michiel: “I’ve managed many projects, but not so much the HR side of them. That’s a new dimension for me. Previously, such a project team was already set up, but now I can put it together myself. Everyone has their own development needs, and you want to take all of that into account. And that makes it even more interesting”.

Paul: “That HR side is also new to me. If the team needs some extra manpower, you are going to look at what exactly is required. How do we get our team up to full strength to get the job done”?

Michiel: “Exactly. And the output depends on how somebody is feeling. I walk around a lot and talk to people. That’s also part of it; you need to be visible, and approachable”.

Paul: “As a degree programme manager you may work less closely with colleagues in some areas, but you do get to know them better”.

What do you consider the greatest challenges?

Paul: “I’ll start with uncertainty as a result of government policy. Budget cuts, the Balanced Internationalisation Act (WIB); these are the realities we are facing. And even though nothing is clear yet, it is already having an impact on enrolment numbers”. 

Michiel: “And in any case, we’re facing shrinkage due to demographic developments. Academic study programmes are popular, but our study programmes offer graduates more opportunities on the job market”.

Paul: “Young people tend to start working sooner, after secondary vocational education (mbo) or an Associate degree because the job market is favourable”.

Michiel: “You see many institutes diversifying, by offering more Ad tracks, for example. We want to focus on being the best at what we already do; with a great deal of freedom of choice for students at the heart of this. Ultimately, that’s a more sustainable choice, I believe”.

And if we zoom in on your disciplines?

Paul: “Logistics is containers, ports, warehouses, that’s what many people think. And that’s indeed how a large part of the industry works. Our graduates are more than welcome there, but logistics goes much further than that. Just think of logistics at events and in healthcare. It's all part of our study programmes, and we need to raise awareness of that much more”.

Michiel: “The Netherlands is in lockdown owing to the nitrogen problem. There is an enormous housing shortage, which means work for us, but we’re in a quandary. People need a roof over their heads, so it’s not a question of whether something will happen, but when. The climate crisis means that cities need to be more adaptable and more resistant to extreme weather, which are also challenges”.

And finally, what about Artificial Intelligence?

Michiel: “AI may certainly help us generate ideas for solutions. Development is progressing rapidly, but we don’t know yet what we can do with it all. And neither does the industry. Nevertheless, we need to prepare our students for it. They also want to get started and they learn quickly”.

Paul: “At the same time, we must be careful not to take too big steps. The basis needs to be solid; we still need to teach our students to think critically for themselves. We are not abandoning traditional education, but it feels like we’re pioneers, which makes it even more fun”!

Would you like to talk to Michiel ([email protected]) and Paul ([email protected]) about the challenges in education and industry or would you like to contribute to our students’ future in any other way? Perhaps you have a good placement position or graduation internship? Please let us know.