History

1913: Netherlands School of Commerce
1939: Netherlands School of Economics
1966: Medical Faculty Rotterdam
1973: Erasmus University Rotterdam
Family tree
Rectores magnifici

The 'Founding Fathers', from left to right: J.A. Ruys, C.A.P. van Stolk and W.C. Mees
Photo: Collection Historical Photo-archive EUR

1913: Netherlands School of Commerce

Erasmus University Rotterdam has been in existence in its present form since 1973. Its history, however, dates back to 1913, the year in which the Netherlands School of Commerce (Nederlandsche Handels-Hoogeschool, NHH) was founded through private initiative with broad support from the Rotterdam business community.

1939: Netherlands School of Economics

The statutory recognition of higher education in commerce and economics as an academic discipline resulted in 1939 in a change of name. The NHH became the NEH (Nederlandse Economische Hogeschool) or Netherlands School of Economics.

The growing complexity of society led in the 1960s to the arrival of the faculties of Law and Social Sciences, followed in later decades by Philosophy, History and Arts, and Business Administration.

1966: Medical Faculty Rotterdam

From 1950, the Foundation for Higher Clinical Education used its best efforts to get a full academic medical study programme established in Rotterdam, and with success. In 1966 the government established the Medical Faculty Rotterdam, which was housed next to Dijkzigt Hospital. Together with the Sophia Children's Hospital and the Daniel den Hoed Clinic, it forms the University Hospital Rotterdam, which as of 1 January 2003 bears the name Erasmus MC.

1973: Erasmus University Rotterdam

In 1973, the Medical Faculty Rotterdam and the Netherlands School of Economics merged to become Erasmus University Rotterdam – the first university in the Netherlands named for a person, a man to whom Rotterdam owes the reputation it has held for centuries in the academic world, Desiderius Erasmus.

In 2009, the International Institute of Social Sciences became part of Erasmus University. ISS is an internationally renowned institute in the field of development studies and international cooperation.

Family tree

Rectores magnifici

EUR		NEH		NHH
2009-2013	prof.dr. H.G. Schmidt	1971-1973	prof.dr. C.J. van der Weijden	1938-1939	prof.dr. Z.W. Sneller
2004-2009	prof.dr. S.W.J. Lamberts	1970-1971	prof.drs. H.W. Lambers	1937-1938	prof.dr. N.J. Polak
2000-2003	prof.dr.ir. J.H. van Bemmel	1968-1970	prof.mr. W.J. Slagter	1936-1937	prof.dr. P.E. Verkade
1993-2000	prof.mr.dr. P.W.C. Akkermans	1967-1968	prof.dr. A.I. Diepenhorst	1935-1936	prof.mr. F. de Vries
1989-1993	prof.dr. C.J. Rijnvos	1966-1967	prof.drs. R. Burgert	1934-1935	prof.mr. C.W. de Vries
1986-1989	prof.dr. A.H.G. Rinnooy Kan	1965-1966	prof.ir. T.J. Bezemer	1933-1934	prof.dr. W.E. Boerman
1983-1986	prof.dr. M.W. van Hof	1964-1965	prof.dr. J.H. Kuhlmeijer	1932-1933	prof.dr. Z.W. Sneller
1979-1983	prof.dr. J. Sperna Weiland	1960-1964	prof.drs. H.W. Lambers	1931-1932	prof.dr. N.J. Polak
1975-1979	prof.dr. B. Leijnse	1959-1960	prof.dr. J.H.van Stuyvenberg	1930-1931	prof.dr. P.E. Verkade
1974-1975	prof.dr. P.W. Klein	1958-1959	prof.drs.H.W. Lambers	1929-1930	prof.mr.dr. H.R. Ribbius
1973-1974	prof.dr. C.J. van der Weijden	1957-1958	prof.drs. Ch. Glasz	1928-1929	prof.mr. F. de Vries
		1956-1957	prof.dr. J. Wisselink	1927-1928	prof.mr. H.W. Drucker
		1955-1956	prof.dr. W.E. Boerman	1926-1927	prof.dr. W.E. Boerman
		1954-1955	prof.dr. B. Pruijt	1925-1926	prof.dr. Z.W. Sneller
		1953-1954	prof.dr. B. Schendstok	1924-1925	prof.dr. N.J. Polak
		1952-1953	prof.dr. J.H. Kernkamp	1923-1924	prof.dr. P.E. Verkade
		1951-1952	prof.dr. H.J. Witteveen	1922-1923	prof.mr.dr. H.R. Ribbius
		1950-1951	prof.drs. H.W. Lambers	1921-1922	prof.mr. F. de Vries
		1949-1950	prof.drs. Ch.Glasz	1920-1921	prof.mr. W.H. Drucker
		1947-1949	prof.mr. Ph.A.N. Houwing	1919-1920	prof. J.G. de Jongh
		1945-1947	prof.mr. C.W. de Vries	1918-1919	prof.mr.dr. N.W. Posthumus
		1944-1945	prof.dr. G. Gonggrijp	1913-1918	prof.mr.dr. G.W.J. Bruins
		1943-1944	prof.dr. J.F. ten Doesschate
		1940-1943	prof.dr. G. Gonggrijp
		1939-1940	prof.dr. W.E. Boerman