His Majesty King Willem-Alexander is the honorary guest on Friday 8 November 2013 on the occasion of the Dies Natalis, the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Erasmus University Rotterdam in the De Doelen concert venue and conference centre. The university is conferring eight honorary doctorates on prominent scientists from all the disciplines at the university. On the same occasion Professor Henk Schmidt will retire as rector and be succeeded by Professor Huibert Pols.
The hundred year old university is conferring eight honorary doctorates, one from each faculty or institute. The honorary doctors are Professor Steven D. Levitt (proposed by Erasmus School of Economics), Professor Dr Cass R. Sunstein (proposed by Erasmus School of Law), Professor Dr Craig J. Calhoun (proposed by Faculty of Social Sciences), Professor Dr Brian J. Druker (proposed by Erasmus MC), Professor Dr Philip S. Kitcher (proposed by Faculty of Philosophy), Professor Arjun Appadurai (proposed by Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication) Professor Dr Don C. Hambrick (proposed by Rotterdam School of Management and Professor Dr R. Chambers (proposed by International Institute Social Studies).
On 8 November 1913 the Netherlands School of Commerce, the first predecessor of Erasmus University was founded in what was then the Doelen. Sixty years later on 8 November 1973, again in the Doelen, Erasmus University was officially opened, a merger of the Netherlands School of Economics (the successor to the Netherlands School of Commerce) and the Rotterdam Medical Faculty.
Erasmus University began with 55 students studying commercial sciences, temporarily accommodated in two rooms of the former Stock Exchange. Today the university has 25,000 students on 20 bachelor’s programmes and 50 master’s programmes. The theme of the centennial is 100 Years Impact, the influence and significance of Erasmus University for society and the development of science. During the academic year a series of activities will be taking place on this theme. Detailed information can be found at www.eur.nl/100.