‘With boundless enthusiasm, great ideas, and a good deal of knowledge, expertise, and determination, the recipients, each in their own field, have made important contributions to the UvA,’ says Verbeek. ‘We are very grateful to them for all they have done and are emphasising that by awarding them Honorary Medallions.’

The recipients

Ernestine Baake, head of the Department of Records and Information Services (DIV) / chief archivist

With her vision and unwavering commitment, Ernestine Baake has been of inestimable value to the archiving and information management of the UvA, and thus to the history of the UvA. She transformed the DIV from a classic archive into an UvA-wide information management hub. Not only did she professionalise the department, she also expanded its sphere of influence by convincing colleagues – deep within the faculties and services – of the importance of archiving.

Baake led major digitisation projects and was at the forefront of the UvA's policy in the field of archiving and information management. Baake worked to ensure that the UvA archive was indexed and made suitable for public access, so that it would be available for research. This was done in close collaboration with the Amsterdam City Archives. Within the UvA, Baake has always made connections and cross-connections in multiple ways, always with two goals in mind: securing UvA archives and accelerating the digital transformation of the entire university. Her pioneering role was also visible in cross-domain projects within the UvA and in various cross-university initiatives, including within the national consultation body of information professionals from Dutch universities and UMCs.

Dr Gabor Linthorst, internist-endocrinologist / former director of education for the Bachelor's degree in Medicine

With great expertise, enormous dedication and endless enthusiasm, Gabor Linthorst played an essential role in the renewal of medical education at the UvA. He started with the development and implementation of the new Bachelor's curriculum in Medicine and managed to achieve a major improvement in quality. His great passion for education is also evident from the initiative he introduced for medical interns within the Department of Internal Medicine to spend four months focussing exclusively on all aspects of education. This helped to make many of the interns enthusiastic about education as a core task and the initiative was later adopted by other specialisms within Amsterdam UMC.

Linthorst's unifying leadership was also evident during the corona pandemic: in addition to all his efforts to ensure that education could continue, he gave the necessary extra attention to patient care – bringing the two together in his famous weekly updates for students, giving them insights into the reality of healthcare. His great commitment to education and students is also reflected in Linthorst's many other extracurricular activities, such as the 'Dr House evenings' that he organises, and his involvement in the 'Selection Kick-Off’, an initiative to offer students who do not have access to commercial training agencies help with preparing for the selection process for studying medicine.

Prof. Marita Mathijsen, emeritus professor of  Modern Dutch Literature

Marita Mathijsen is one of the most influential Dutch scholars of her generation. As a scientific figurehead, she has been of great value to the UvA. She authored an extensive and impressive oeuvre on Dutch nineteenth-century literature, including the compelling work Historiezucht, the popular biography Jacob van Lennep: Een bezielde schavuit and the innovative etnobiography Een vrije geest: Het bijzondere leven van Betje Wolff. Her books find their way not only to colleagues and students, but also to the general public.

Mathijsen knows better than anyone how to make scientific content accessible and stimulate public interest in literature. In doing so, she makes an important contribution to the valorisation of scientific knowledge. Mathijsen continues to do this, even long after her retirement, through public activities for and at the UvA. The lecture series on literature that she has organised for the Illustere School of the Faculty of Humanities for fifteen years now, leads to full halls year after year. When the university went into lockdown during the corona pandemic, Mathijsen initiated the online lecture series Dit hebben wij in huis!, in which UvA experts gave public lectures to people at home via Zoom. The fact that Mathijsen is also an Amsterdam scientist par excellence, who connects the UvA and the city, is evident from the initiatives she took for a statue of Jacob van Lennep on the Haarlemmerplein and the commemorative stone for Betje Wolff and Aagje Deken in the Nieuwe Kerk.