The Netherlands Visiting Professorship

With a view to celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Holland, Michigan in 1947, the Director of the Netherlands Information Bureau in Holland approached President Ruthven about the possibility of establishing a Chair in Dutch culture at the University of Michigan. (Still a good idea!) Further negotiations led to the creation of an ongoing exchange between the University of Michigan and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. This august institution celebrated its 50th anniversary in April, 2001. Currently administered by the Center for European Studies at our International Institute, the "NVP" has brought to U-M distinguished scholars from a wide variety of fields, including Law, History, Architecture, Engineering, and many of the natural sciences. Most of the Visiting Professors gave talks at other universities during their tenure. The NVP surely has accomplished its original intent of creating a broad and deep network of contacts between the Netherlands and the United States, and it has enriched our Dutch program immeasurably.