Penny Sheets Thibaut takes the reins from Henrik Bodker as Head of the Board of Studies

At the Board of Studies meeting in September, Penny Sheets Thibaut officially became the new Head of the Board. Here we catch up with Penny to talk about her plans for the future.

Henrik and Penny at the Board of Studies meeting in Prague.

Henrik Bødker took over as Head of the Board of Studies after Hans Henrik Holm retired 5 years ago. During this time, Henrik has steered the board through challenging waters, navigating the difficulties brought to the programme thanks to Brexit and putting together the new application for EU funding which has now been approved for the next 5 years.

At the Board of Studies meeting, which was held in Prague this year, Henrik announced that he was stepping down from his role of Head of the Board of Studies. He was thanked for his hard work on behalf of the programme by all Board members who were present. Inger Munk also gave a short speech and presented Henrik with a present - a wooden Dachshund - because Henrik used to own a real Dachshund himself.

On presenting the gift, Inger said that a Dachshund “is intelligent and clever, it is courageous and on the alert. It is lively and at the same time, proud, distinguished and dignified,” which goes some way to summing up Henrik and his work as Head of the Board. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Henrik for all of his hard work on behalf of Mundus Journalism and wish him all the best in his future endeavours. 

The new Head of the Board, is Penny Sheets Thibaut. Penny, who is from Minnesota, has been teaching at the University of Amsterdam since 2011 and is looking forward to taking the reins. We caught up with her to find out more about her, her work with Mundus Journalism and her plans for the future.

Mundus Journalism: What are you most looking forward to as the new head of the Board of Studies?

Penny: I think I'm most looking forward to being really centrally involved in the programme - from meeting more students, faculty, and staff across our existing and new partners, to helping implement the new version of the programme, which we received funding for this summer and will start next year. 

It's amazing to start to understand (in just one month on the job!) how many moving pieces there are, and how complex the regulation of the whole Consortium can be at times. At the same time, being centrally involved means you get to see the dedication and commitment that so many people have to Mundus Journalism on a daily basis, which is one of the best things about this programme.

Mundus Journalism: For those mundusians who don’t yet know you, could you please tell us about you, your work and how you got involved with the Mundus programme?

Penny: I'm originally from the great state of Minnesota in the US.  After I finished graduate school in Seattle, I moved to Amsterdam for my job at the University of Amsterdam, in 2011. At UvA, I teach and do research in the Political Communication and Journalism group in the Department of Communication Science. 

Right away in my first semester on the job, I got a taste of Mundus, because I was asked to help out with one of the courses back then. I got hooked on the Mundus vibe and diversity, and over the next few years I became more and more involved, helping Andreas Schuck, my colleague and Programme Manager of the Amsterdam specialism, with evaluating applications, advising the students in our programme, and eventually attending Board meetings as well.

Mundus Journalism: What will you bring to the role that is different to Henrik?

Penny: Hm, this is a tough one...I guess I'm not really sure!  Henrik did a great job, so I don't know that I hope to bring THAT much that's different.  But, it's the first time the Head of the Board has been at an institution outside Aarhus. We decided as a Consortium that that was a good move as it'll not only share the workload, but help us to share ownership of the larger strategic vision for the programme across our partners as well. So I hope I can bring a fresh perspective in that sense.

Mundus Journalism: What are your wishes for the future of Mundus Journalism?

Penny: Well, I can think of several!  But number one would be to develop a system where we can offer scholarships to more students from more parts of the world. 

One of the biggest joys for all of us involved is to see the transformative power this programme can have for our students, regardless, whether they are scholarship students or self-funded.  But we also know that for many of our scholarship students, this is really a life-changing opportunity that is only possible because of that funding. So to offer that opportunity for more students, if possible, would be ideal, and is a big priority of ours.

We wish you every success in your new role, Penny! If you'd like to know more about Penny and her work on the Amsterdam specialisation, you can find out more, here.