Dr. Margrethe Jonkman Elected As New Aurora President
VU Amsterdam’s Dr. Margrethe Jonkman has been elected as the new Aurora President for the next 12 months.
The official Aurora Presidency handover took place during the 2026 Aurora Annual Conference, held in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Aurora network. The opening session marked this milestone by reflecting on and celebrating the longstanding collaboration among Aurora’s member universities. The conference was hosted by the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, and began on 18 May.
Margrethe Jonkman, Aurora President. © Photo credit: eventfotograf.in
During the conference, Margrethe highlighted the importance of sustaining strong inter-university collaboration in the context of rapidly evolving international and societal developments. Furthermore, the conference provided a platform for discussions regarding joint educational projects, knowledge exchange, and Aurora’s strategic direction leading up to the application for funding renewal in 2028.
Left to right: Janette Walde, Vice Rector for Teaching and Students at Universität Innsbruck, and Margrethe Jonkman, Aurora President and President of the Executive Board of VU Amsterdam. © Photo credit: eventfotograf.in
Margrethe was kind enough to answer a few questions about her new appointment:
What are your main priorities as the new President of Aurora in the coming year?
I am grateful to my predecessors and all the work that has been done in the past ten years. My priorities for the coming year begin with securing the extension of Aurora’s flagship programme Aurora 2030, ensuring that its next phase continues to strengthen the values that unite our alliance. With our alliance we can further strengthen our university network, building on a resilient Europe. We see significant potential for our shared work on global citizenship—building on the energy generated by the symposium at VU in May—by drawing on the diverse innovative pedagogies that already distinguish Aurora. Take community service learning, Seizmic, LOUIS, and other collaborative educational initiatives across the alliance.In addition, I would like to explore opportunities to broaden Aurora’s international engagement, including the possibility of deepening connections with partners in the Global South, to reinforce and extend our European collaborations beyond Europe. Together, these priorities reflect my ambition to shape a network that is outward‑looking, socially engaged, and globally connected.
What challenges does Aurora face in delivering on its strategic priorities for diverse education, research innovation, and societal change?
Delivering on Aurora’s strategic priorities will, however, require navigating a number of significant challenges. Geopolitical tensions continue to affect academic cooperation and mobility, while budget cuts across universities place pressure on our capacity to innovate and sustain long‑term transformation. These realities make it even more important to maintain focus on our core mission: diverse, inclusive education; fostering innovation; and driving societal change. With Aurora we need to move forward with confidence and determination.
What is your favourite memory working in an international educational setting?
One of my favourite memories goes back to my student years, when I completed an internship in India. It was an eye-opening experience because it made me realise that the way I viewed challenges and opportunities was just one perspective among many. Working and learning in a different cultural context taught me to listen more carefully, question my assumptions, and appreciate different ways of thinking. That lesson continued throughout my later global role in a corporate environment. Collaborating with colleagues from diverse cultural backgrounds was not always easy, but it consistently broadened my perspective and helped me grow, both professionally and personally.
Read more about Dr. Margrethe Jonkman here.