Severine Vermeire elected first female rector of KU Leuven
Doctor and professor of medicine Severine Vermeire was elected as the new rector of KU Leuven on Tuesday, receiving 51.9 per cent of the votes. She is the first female rector in the university's history.
Vermeire, a gastroenterology specialist, won the election against vice-rector Tine Baelmans, receiving 1,088 weighted votes to Baelmans' 984. "With a difference of 5 percentage points in the number of votes, I have received a clear mandate from KU Leuven's staff," she said.
Vermeire will be the first female rector in the university's 600-year history. She is also the first rector from the biomedical sciences group since Mark Waer, who headed the university from 2009 to 2013.
"We need to trust our people more. That is the style I want to promote"
"This means a lot to me," said Vermeire. "It is important that the university has a place in society, and today's society is colourful and diverse. If your board mainly consists of white men, you cannot convey that. You need to have enough women and people from other cultural backgrounds on the board."
Tackling workload
Vermeire presented herself as a "breath of fresh air" with an "innovative leadership style" that involves "less control". “We need to trust our people more,” she said. "That is the style I want to promote. In recent years, we have gone overboard with meetings, committees and memos. People are groaning under the workload. I will tackle that as a priority.”
Vermeire's term of office will start on 1 August. She will have 45 days to select her team of vice-rectors. Current rector Luc Sels was not eligible for re-election as he has already served the maximum two four-year terms.
#FlandersNewsService | Severine Vermeire © PHOTO KU LEUVEN ROB STEVENS
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