Profile outline Board of Trustees

20 Sep 2007

The transitional provision contained in Nuffic’s articles of association, as amended on 1 November 2001, state that: “contrary to the provisions of paragraph 1 of article 6, the Board of Trustees will initially consist of three persons, until 1 May 2002 at the latest”.

This meant that by 1 May 2002, a Board of Trustees would be appointed:

  1. which would consist of at least five members, although the exact number would be determined by the Board of Trustees itself (art. 6, par. 1); and
  2. the Board of Trustees’ composition would take account of the various aspects which, given the objects and resources of the foundation, the Board of Trustees would have to deal with (art. 6, par. 2); and
  3. the Foundation and the members of its governing bodies must not have any relationship, be it direct or indirect, with the administration of institutions to which the Foundation provides products or services (art. 2, par. 6).

On account of the size of the Foundation, it was decided that the Board of Trustees should consist of five members.

As a whole, the Board of Trustees possesses a wealth of competence in the following areas:

  • governance and law, both national and international
    because the Foundation operates in the Netherlands at a juncture with public administration bodies, higher education institutions and social organizations, and internationally because of the current and expected increase in international institutional and contractual partnerships
  • finance and economics
    because of the size and the diversity in source and destination of the resources which the Foundation uses for its activities;
  • human resource management en employment law
    because of the size and the composition of the workforce, both in the Netherlands and at the overseas offices, and because of the labour market in the Netherlands and abroad, especially the EU, on account of the interests of students, graduates and employers in the services provided by the Foundation;
  • national and global developments in education
    because these are the core fields in which the Foundation is active.

The Board of Trustees seeks to maintain a balance between the number of male and female members.
 

Working methods, support and remuneration of the Board of Trustees

  • The Board of Trustees meets four times a year (the articles of association prescribe a minimum of two meetings), one of which is dedicated to the long-term plan and the budget, one to the annual accounts and report, one to contacts with the management and the Works Council, and one to the performance of the Executive Board.
  • The Board of Trustees is provided with secretarial support.
  • The members of the Board of Trustees each receive an allowance of €2,500 a year, while the Chair receives €3,500.
  • The agenda of the first full meeting of the Board of Trustees (June 2002) included a draft set of regulations for the conduct of the Board’s business.