DAE: Agreement

In a surprising turn of events, the Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) has reached an agreement with Masters Heads Jan Boelen, Joost Grootens and Louise Schouwenberg, who will remain at the DAE. Starting in the new academic year, Boelen, Grootens and Schouwenberg will return as Heads of Master Programmes under the conditions that were applicable to the Master Programmes within DAE to date. Below is a statement issued today by the Academy.

Read more on the DAE resignations, Hella Jongerius' reaction, and Louise Schouwenberg's letter to the students.

Agreement with Master Heads
Design Academy Eindhoven puts interest of students first and reaches agreement with departed heads of the Master Programmes.

On 5 July 2012, the three heads of the DAE Master Programmes, Jan Boelen (Social Design), Joost Grootens (Information Design) and Louise Schouwenberg (Contextual Design) resigned from their positions at Design Academy Eindhoven, out of discontent with the educational reform plans under development. Educational and organisational aspects were expected to prevail over the artistic autonomy and the content for which department heads and mentors are responsible. Moreover, according to the three heads, the plans would not be in accordance with the special character unique to a Master Programme of Design.

As the students, the tutors and the Board of the DAE all want to retain the three heads for their educational institute, they have been actively seeking a solution to break this impasse since their resignation. On Thursday 19 July an agreement was reached concerning the key points of contention.

Starting in the new academic year, Boelen, Grootens and Schouwenberg will return as Heads of Master Programmes under the conditions that were applicable to the Master Programmes within DAE to date. In the course of the year they will hold regular meetings about the future of the Master Programmes with Igor van Hooff, member of the Executive Board, and Dr T. Wagemakers, currently member of the Board of Trustees of DAE, who will join the Executive Board as interim director and be in charge of the Educational Reform portfolio. With the interest of its students always foremost, Design Academy Eindhoven will continue to develop its unique educational model.

All parties involved look forward to a positive extension of their collaboration, operating in full confidence that DAE will continue to be the artistic haven it always has been.

Photo above: Noortje De Keijzer's "My knitted boyfriend" pillow, presented at the Design Academy Eindhoven exhibition at the Salone del Mobile 2012.