“My predecessor Lundqvist has done a great many good things. The university’s finances seem to be in good shape. It appears that there are no highly urgent problems that I need to devote myself to at once. Nevertheless, my experience has taught me that there is always something about to happen in complex organizations like this.”

Peels has been quite busy over the past seven weeks, visiting Departments and talking to various people. “I have now been to six of the nine Departments and I can say that my first impression is very positive. There are still a lot of subjects that need to be dug into, though. Such as, what is the position of TU/e at a national level? What effects can be expected from the reports that have been published recently, like that by the Veerman Committee and the latest report published by the Innovation Platform? Besides, there will be a new government before long; what plans and measures can we expect from the new politicians, and in which areas will there be cutbacks over the next few years? In the run-up to the elections everybody is claiming that they attach great importance to the knowledge economy, but that is today. How are they going to live up to those promises once they are in power?”

“When I look at the research areas and at the check-ups that have been conducted there, I am impressed. Particularly when I see which scientific heavyweights were on the review committees. Surely the fact that those people have great admiration for what is achieved here can be regarded as a highly reliable standard for the quality level. Especially if you also consider how many awards and grants are gained here. In spite of all those achievements people will say to me regularly: still we are one of the smaller universities of the Netherlands. Then I think: true, if you measure it against the number of students, yet I think that the quality which is available here is far more important. If we do not show that better, we will not be doing justice to our university.” (HK)/.