Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Petra De Sutter won Ghent University’s rector election with strong support from all groups, replacing Paul Van de Walle. She promises accountability, safety, and change after recent scandals.
Petra De Sutter won the rector elections at Ghent University. She won with strong support, getting the most votes from professors, students, and academic and administrative staff. The elections happened after some scandals that affected the university’s image.
The old rector, Paul Van de Walle, wanted to be re-elected, but De Sutter won instead. Many people thought De Sutter would bring new ideas after Van de Walle’s time in charge when some felt more could have been done to fix problems. De Sutter promised not to allow bad behaviour, especially from students.
Who is Petra De Sutter, the new rector leading UGent change?
De Sutter ran her campaign with honesty, promising a safer place at Ghent University and that she would make sure people were responsible for their actions. They wanted new leadership to make the university safer and more responsible. Officials mentioned that it was hard to know what almost 53,000 voters at Ghent University would do, but De Sutter got a lot of support.
Petra De Sutter is leaving national politics to become a top leader in education. De Sutter was well-known in the Groen party and was Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister before. She decided not to become party chair. Now, she’s leaving federal politics, but she will still be involved in her local area, Horebeke.
She will need permission from Ghent University to keep this local role because being the leader usually means working full-time and not being involved in politics. De Sutter used to be a professor and researcher at Ghent University.
De Sutter is starting her new role with Herwig Reynaert by her side, as Ghent University faces some tough challenges, including debates about pro-Palestinian protests. It’s still unclear whether she’ll make big changes or just small ones.
Reynaert, who knows a lot about how universities are run, will support her for the next 4 years. They plan to keep the university top-notch while dealing with student activism, global politics, and public scrutiny.
