Political science student Dikran Kassabian has been appointed as student assessor of the University of Amsterdam by the Executive Board. Kassabian is the successor of Rijk van Beek and will start on September 1st for a period of one year.
A student assessor has been active each year since 2015. The student-assessor attends board meetings, advises the board and sets student-related topics on the agenda. In addition, the student assistant maintains close contact with the Central Student Council (CSR), students and student associations. Kassabian will be the sixth student assessor of the UvA.
The appointment committee is excited about Kassabian as student assessor: "We are pleased that in this special time of online learning we managed to attract good candidates for the position. In the end, we chose Dikran. He is an ambitious student with a passion for participation and democracy. In the interviews he impressed us with the calm way in which he expresses his ideas. Moreover, he has a special set of experiences to bring in. We look forward to working with him," said Karen Maex, rector magnificus and chair of the appointment advisory committee.
Kassabian grew up in Syria and experienced that students cannot have an input at the university. He is therefore highly motivated to start the position of student assessor: 'I value a democratic decision-making process and will do everything to strengthen the position of the student council and to ensure that the student perspective is presented in the meetings.' As far as Kassabian is concerned, this academic year will be very important for the UvA, in which we will not only return to the campus but also face challenges in the areas of social safety, sustainability and diversity: 'I want the UvA to remain a place where everyone is welcome and where a diversity of backgrounds and opinions is seen as a strength.
About Dikran Kassabian
Dikran Kassabian (25) was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria and has been living in the Netherlands since 2015. Kassabian is following two study programs: He is a second-year student of Political Science with a specialization in International Relations at the UvA and a fourth-year student of Civil Engineering at TU Delft. He is also a debate coach and works as an interpreter at various events.
