PhD candidates of PE-RC are organized in the PPC. Members represent all research fields and categories of PhD candidates within the graduate school. The main objective of the PE-RC PhD Council is to advise the PE-RC PhD Programme coordinator, as well as the PE-RC Board and Commissions, both at their request and on its own initiative. Additionally, PPC serves as a “Knowledge and Experience Base” for new PhD candidates. The PPC does so by organizing the annual PE-RC Day and by assigning “Buddies” to facilitate the arrival and quick acclimatisation of new PhD candidates at the PE-RC Graduate School. The PPC meets about once a month. If you're interested in joining the PPC, or just looking for more information, please contact our chair Flavia Geiger, or our PR spokesperson Lennart Suselbeek.
| Chair | Flavia Geiger |
| Vice chair | Bas Allema |
| Secretary | Anna Visser (parting member) |
| Vice secretary | Maryia Mandryk |
| Public Relations (PR) representative | Lennart Suselbeek |
| PE-RC day representatives | 1. Bas Allema |
| 2. Tullu Bukhari | |
| Buddy representatives | 1. Roland Klefoth |
| 2. Anna Visser (parting member) | |
| Education coordinator PE-RC | Claudius van de Vijver |
| General member | Daniela Ballari |
Committees in which the PPC has a delegate position
RESPONSIBILITIES PER PPC POSITION
Chair
- Prepares and sends around agenda for PPC meetings
- Structures and chairs PPC meetings
- Acts as PE-RC board delegate
- Serves as contact person for general PPC information
Secretary
- Makes notes during PPC meetings and sends around minutes of meetings
- Collects and records incoming and outgoing postages
Public Relations (PR) representative
Updates information sources about PPC, such as the website
Serves as a spokesperson for PR related issues
PE-RC day representatives
- Responsible for “PE-RC day” arrangements
- Creates shortlist and planning of “PE-RC Day” tasks
- Delegates ”PE-RC day” tasks to other PPC members
- Keeps track of status delegated “PE-RC day” tasks
Buddy representatives
- Assigns a buddy to new PhD candidate
- Creates shortlist of buddy tasks / responsibilities
- Keeps track of buddy system performance
Members
- Assist in all the above tasks, upon request
The PE-RC PhD Council (PPC) would like to introduce a “buddy system” to welcome newly arriving PhD candidates at Wageningen. With this buddy system, we aim to facilitate the settling of a new PhD candidate at Wageningen, to make him/her feel welcome and at home quickly. First of all, we want to guide PhD candidates through their first days after arrival in Wageningen and provide them with clear information about administrative issues that need to be organized during the first days and weeks. Secondly, we want them to find their way more easily in Wageningen and in the Dutch way of life. The “buddy” will be a fellow PhD candidate who supports the new PhD candidate on these issues. The “buddy” will primarily act as a resource person, rather than someone who will be directly involved in actually tackling the issues for the PhD candidate.
To identify the main problems as encountered by new PhD candidates, we recently sent a questionnaire around to all current PhD candidates of PE-RC. We wish to thank everyone that filled out the questionnaire. For those of you who have not yet filled out the online questionnaire, we would like to ask you to still do so by clicking here. It will only take you a few minutes, while your comments could assist many new PhD candidates!! If you have any questions or specific points of attention regarding the buddy system or the issues that you experienced, please contact Roland Klefoth.