A Word of Welcome from the Dean
| Dear Guest,
KU Leuven is a modern university offering an ideal research and
learning environment, strongly rooted in tradition but with its
sights set firmly on the future. The aim of the University is not
merely to train professional experts, but also to foster critical
thinking, intellectual openness, a genuine taste for culture, and a
sense of civic responsibility. At present, KU Leuven caters to more
than 40,000 students, around 15% of whom are international students
from over 145 countries. In terms of scholarly output, KU Leuven is
consistently ranked among the top European universities in European
surveys. Likewise, several quality assurance reviews have shown that
KU Leuven's teaching is on a par with internationally respected
institutions in a large number of fields. Our academic reputation
attracts students and scholars from across the globe, creating a
vibrant, multicultural atmosphere.
In recent years several independent accreditation commissions ranked our faculty among the best in terms of quality of teaching and research. In our teaching and research programs we deal with relevant problems and try to tune in on recent events. In doing so we always emphasize the importance of good student coaching, which guarantees continued high quality teaching fed by top fundamental research at our Faculty. One of the Faculty’s most important assets is its vast national and international network. We maintain strong links with the business and financial community by organizing regular workshops with captains of industry and the European Commission, situated only half an hour from our campus. Many of our alumni work at European institutions, and many of our colleagues act as advisers to various European bodies and international companies. We are also in close collaboration with the Vlerick-Leuven-Gent Management School. We have a wide international student exchange network. Not only do we participate extensively in the Erasmus programme, but we also have numerous agreements with leading universities outside the EU, such as the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago Business School, and Cornell University in the USA, the University of British Columbia, Queen's University, the University of Toronto, and the Université de Montréal in Canada, the IIMs of Calcutta and Bangalore in India, the Chinese University and the City University in Hong Kong, the Singapore Management University, and 65 universities throughout Europe. Finally, it is useful to stress our unique geographic position. Leuven is a dynamic, vibrant city in the centre of Belgium, only a twenty-minute drive from Brussels, the capital of Belgium and of the European Union, and less than two hours from Paris and Amsterdam. Our faculty is at walking distance from the new scientific park in Heverlee, also called the Silicon Valley of Belgium. The city of Leuven offers a wealth of cultural and recreational opportunities, including a lively nightlife, while also enjoying easy access to beautiful countryside. The city has an impressive collection of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical monuments, among which the fifteenth-century Gothic city hall is the most splendid. We hope you will have a pleasant time in Leuven! Prof. Dr. Luc Sels, Dean |
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