Wednesday 12 December 2018 marked a special day for Erasmus School of Economics. On that day in 1968, exactly fifty years ago, Fred Friedeberg successfully defended his PhD on campus Woudestein. An anniversary that is a cause for celebration itself, and even more so when taking into account Fred was the first alumnus to have his PhD defense at the newly opened campus.
To honour this memorable day, Assistant Professor Jurjen Kamphorst, lecturer of the bachelor one course microeconomics, freed up some time in his lecture in the aula filled with first year students to teach them something about academic traditions. ‘Have you ever seen a small procession of people in gowns coming from the stairs across the aula? Those people are the professors that interrogate the PhD candidate. For us as a University, a defense is always a reason to throw a little party.’
Dean Philip Hans Franses, who was also present, handed over a special tie to Fred Friedeberg. ‘Normally only Professors receive this tie’, he said. ‘But for you, we would be more than happy to make an exception.’ Dr Fred Friedeberg was accompanied by his paranymphs, who also stood next to him during his defense 50 years ago.
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Only a few months after Campus Woudestein opened its doors in September 1968, Fred Friedeberg earned his PhD in the new housing of Erasmus University Rotterdam. He successfully defended his dissertation, entitled “The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development of 1964: The Theory of the Peripheral Economy at the Centre of International Political Discussions”. After that, he continued his career as trade-advisor at Unilever.