![\"Jan-Albert](\"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Jan-Albert-Dop.jpg\")
Philadelphia, a few hours from Manhattan. As one of a select group of foreign students, I was received in a manner of which I still think every foreign student is entitled to.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I started my university career as a Fulbright student for one year at one of those very special small-scale colleges of a high academic level in the United States: Ursinus College, close to Philadelphia, a few hours from Manhattan. As one of a select group of foreign students, I was received in a manner of which I still think every foreign student is entitled to.<\/p>\n
Back in the Netherlands I came to live in quite an international house, with people of often a totally different background than my primarily Dutch background. After the US, I considered the Netherlands rather confined, and more than often I visited the International Students Club of the Leiden student union Minerva. They had better stories to tell.<\/p>\n
Although I obtained a doctorate in cultural history, I had my career mainly in the business sector. I was lucky to be able to work for international companies such as McKinsey & Company and Heineken, supported by my wife who owned a thriving business as a translator for international companies and institutions.<\/p>\n
About halfway my career, Webster University opened a branch in Leiden, where I have been living ever since. I thought this an amazing idea, having an international college in Leiden, with a Liberal Arts programme and with students from all over the world. Later on, I became a deputy professor corporate strategy and ultimately I became a director. So delightful, having these young people from all over the world.<\/p>\n
As a director of Webster I was actively involved in the Dutch Council for Training and Education (NRTO), first as a substitute member, later as a regular member and as such I became committed to the National Commission from the start. I was able to continue this after my retirement. Why? All too often, we observe that young people from abroad, once here, are left to their own devices. That’s a disgrace. It can be different, but that requires another line of approach from the educational institutes: one that focuses on the individual student. As a member of the National Commission, it is my ambition that anyone who comes to study in the Netherlands will have the same positive experience as I once had.<\/p>\n
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I started my university career as a Fulbright student for one year at one of those very special small-scale colleges of a high academic level in the United States: Ursinus College, close to Philadelphia, a few hours from Manhattan. As one of a select group of foreign students, I was received in a manner of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":919,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions\/919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}