Photo Roelof Kleis The jury of the competition to find a name for the Dialogue Centre has to start afresh. The Executive Board has rejected both the proposed names.
In line with the protocol, the jury, led by Communications director Inge Wallage, proposed two names to the Executive Board. But the board says neither name sufficiently reflects the functions the new building will have, explains jury spokesperson Eddy Teenstra. He won’t say what the names were.
The Dialogue Centre, which is under construction, will replace the Aula in the town centre. Besides PhD defence ceremonies and inaugurations, it will also host receptions and meetings. The building is intended to provide a meeting point for WUR and the wider community. In 2017, board President Louise Fresco managed to get two million euros out of the government for the construction.
After summer
In imitation of the process of naming Aurora, the education building, staff and students were invited to think up a name for the Dialogue Centre. The response in March was 218 different names sent in by 233 people. But now that the proposed names have been rejected by the Board, the jury will start again. That won’t happen until after the summer, says Teenstra, what with holidays and other things.
The competition entrants were informed about the delay by email last week. The email said that the jury needed more time to complete the process with all due care. The competition will not be relaunched, says Teenstra, who thinks the suggestions sent in should offer enough choice to find a suitable name.
