As many of you know, I have been on annual contracts with NCOI Higher Education since I retired from Wageningen University, 8 years ago. Looking back on these 8 years, I have only one word that expresses my feelings: gratitude. After 18 intensive years as Head of the chair group Education and Competence Studies at Wageningen University, and before that, 16 vibrant years at the University of Twente, my role of consultant was rewarding. Advising staff of NCOI and its various subsidiaries, providing scientific foundations for various practices, doing some practical research on study completion, chairing Academic Board meetings, participating in numerous auditing, curriculum, and calibration meetings, supervising and assessing over 100 master students, setting up an alumni network: it was genuinely a great pleasure. I would like to extend a big thank you to the staff of NCOI Higher Education and many of the businesses within Salta Group, first and foremost Eric Verduyn, Director Education of Salta Group. It has been an absolute pleasure to work for him. Furthermore, the NCOI colleagues around the Academic Board of NCOI: Justus van Ebbenhorst Tengbergen, Director Portfolio management and control at Salta Group and Martine Pieters, Director Education and Compliance at Salta Group. And last but not least, the previous colleagues in the Academic Board, Prof. dr. Mandy van der Velde, Prof. dr. Arie Dijkstra, Prof. dr. ir. Eric van Berkum and Prof. dr. Meindert Flikkema. Wishing you all lots of success in the coming years.
