“I’m very excited to continue my work for RSM’s bachelor programmes. From my own academic journey to now directing and leading these programmes, my primary focus lies in creating an inclusive and impactful academic ecosystem that further empowers our bachelor students, ”says Klitsie.
Having navigated through the very programmes she’ll now direct, Klitsie’s ambition is to enhance the educational journey for students in RSM’s business administration programmes through the new education strategy. “My attention will especially go towards making sure our bachelor offers the right balance between broadness and depth, while also being mindful of workload for students and staff.”
Programme innovations
As the academic director, Klitsie is responsible for the academic and strategic direction of the BSc International Business Administration (IBA) and BSc Business Administration / Bedrijfskunde (BA) programmes.
“We are extremely pleased to appoint Jacomijn as academic director. As an alumna of the school and the former associate director for bachelor programmes, she truly understands the programme and what drives our bachelor students – from our mission to the courses and opportunities we offer,” says Prof. Michel Lander, dean of education at RSM.
“I look forward to working with her on some important innovations for the programme – creating a smarter academic year, establishing an integrated quantitative track, redefining the professional develop track for our bachelor students and enhancing her role as a strong liaison to our programme managers in the educational services team.”
Incorporating modern approaches to learning
The bachelor programmes, offered in both Dutch and English, have been undergoing several curriculum innovations in the recent years and Klitsie is committed to continuing this.
As associate academic director, she was part of the rollout of the ‘Boost the Bachelor initiative’, which is a curriculum revision that allows students to complete their programme with a track of multiple connected specialised courses.
“As the academic director, I look forward to continuing these sorts of projects with the instructors of several of our bachelor courses so that we can create connected learning lines that can help us scaffold competency development for all of our bachelor students.”
Klitsie takes over the role from Prof. Mirko Benischke, who served as academic director since 2020.
“Mirko Benischke has done a tremendous job. From guiding the programme through the pandemic period to taking on additional management responsibilities and being instrumental in a variety of curriculum innovations such as shortening of our academic year and the capstone in year one organised together with faculty, he has shown a true commitment to creating a positive and enriching learning environment for our students, as well as for the faculty and staff who have had the pleasure to work with him,” explains Lander.
Klitsie agrees: “I will have large shoes to fill. Mirko has introduced many initiatives for small-scale education in our large programme. Before that he navigated several cohorts through Covid times, with all the last-minute measures that involved. Most importantly though, his witty way of getting things done is iconic.”
Jacomijn Klitsie
Jacomijn Klitsie is a senior lecturer in RSM's Department of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship and academic director for bachelor programmes. She holds cum laude bachelor and master degrees in international business administration and strategic management, both from RSM. With a background in strategy consulting at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, she transitioned to an academic path, earning a PhD in strategic management.
Jacomijn's research focuses on strategic renewal, institutional change mechanisms, and the role of communication in these processes. She has presented her work at various international conferences and was a visiting scholar at the Judge Business School of the University of Cambridge in 2015. In addition to her research, Jacomijn has been actively involved in teaching, contributing to courses such as Strategic Business Plan and Introduction to Business, and supervising numerous master thesis projects.