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Dr. Marca V.C. Wolfensberger

Talent Development
in European
Higher Education
Honors Programs in the Benelux,
Nordic and German-Speaking Countries
Talent Development in European Higher Education
Dr. Marca V.C. Wolfensberger

Talent Development in
European Higher Education
Honors Programs in the Benelux,
Nordic and German-Speaking Countries
Marca V.C. Wolfensberger
Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen
& Utrecht University
The Netherlands

The Sirius Program assigned Marca Wolfensberger to carry out this research.
Cartography: C&M-Carto - Geosciences - UU [8684].

ISBN 978-3-319-12918-1 ISBN 978-3-319-12919-8 (eBook)

DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-12919-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015931650

Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2015. The book is published with open access at
SpringerLink.com.
Open Access This book is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-
commercial License, which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
All commercial rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is
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Printed on acid-free paper

Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media

(www.springer.com)
Foreword

Education is a field that is prone to waves of popular initiatives and priorities, some
of them transformative and lasting, others the source of persistent debate and scru-
tiny, and some gone the way of dinosaurs in the shifting landscape of pedagogical
research and practice. One topic that has received continuous and considerable
attention over many years is how to encourage, support, and reward talent develop-
ment among highly motivated, high-achieving students. Interestingly, much of the
scholarship in the field has been directed at gifted programs for youths in grade
schools and high schools, where issues of differentiation have persisted over time.
In higher education, most of the work has come from the area of honors education
in the United States, with the leadership of the National Collegiate Honors Council
as a chief advocate. Broadened beyond the academic realm, the quest for excellence
has given rise to innumerable centers and consulting services that proport to foster
talent development in personal, social, government, corporate, and other domains.
For example, a simple web search will produce countless links to specialized offices
at dozens of colleges and universities which support talent development in schools
and communities; likewise, the list of organizations and consulting firms that focus
on nurturing creativity, innovation, and all sorts of talent is astonishingly vast.
Undoubtedly, talent development, a drive for excellence not just in academic
accomplishments but also in one’s contributions to society at large, is front and
center in today’s world. Dutch scholar, teacher, and researcher Marca
Wolfensberger—who holds dual appointments at Hanze University of Applied
Sciences Groningen Research Centre for Talent Development in Higher Education
and Society and at Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences—has made great
strides in putting the topic near the top of national concerns not only in the
Netherlands but also in other European countries, complementing the long history
of honors and gifted education research and programming in the United States.
Wolfensberger’s earlier dissertation monograph on Teaching for Excellence: Honors
Pedagogies Revealed (Waxmann, 2012) situated her as perhaps the leading interna-
tional voice on honors, one of the credentials which landed her among a select
group of prestigious National Collegiate Honors Council Fellows. This book, Talent
Development in European Higher Education: Honors Programs in the Benelux,

v
vi Foreword

Nordic, and German-Speaking Countries, adds an important chapter in the growing

studies dedicated to strategies for enhancing teaching and learning in programs
intentionally designed for high-performing students with strong academic records
as well as those who reveal the characteristics and promise of excellence if pre-
sented with the additional or different challenges that promote deeper, more sig-
nificant learning in honors. Springboarding off her close connections within the
National Collegiate Honors Council and her acquired knowledge of more than five
decades of innovations in honors teaching and learning, Wolfensberger’s report of
how honors and the talent development agenda have begun to sprout all over Europe
is an important contribution that reminds us of the obligation we have in higher
education to help all our students reach their highest potential, particularly if they
are among our most capable who deserve the specialized pedagogical approaches
that address their needs. The recent expansions of the National Collegiate Honors
Council in promoting the value of honors education internationally and in building
an increasing professional network of institutions nationwide and abroad are testi-
mony to the rising interests both in the United States and around the world in finding
sound, effective ways of aspiring to excellence in higher education. The book is a
wake-up call in some respects, an affirmation of what European nations are doing to
inspire academic excellence in diverse institutions and what we may look forward
to in the future as the movement spreads throughout Europe and other continents,
where already progress is evident in Asia, South America, Central America, the
Caribbean, and Oceania.
The book is an ambitious undertaking, comprising 5 parts and 17 chapters that
reveal the growing trend in Europe to establish new approaches to policies and pro-
grams for inspiring excellence among motivated, bright students. After inspecting
the special opportunities available to almost four million students at over 300 insti-
tutions in 11 countries, Wolfensberger’s research discloses that at least 72 colleges
and universities have some kind of honors program in Belgium, the Netherlands,
Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Austria. Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Iceland,
and Switzerland do not currently have honors programs, but they are not far behind
the swell of interest in their neighboring countries. Wolfensberger’s discoveries
compel all of us in the higher education honors community to seek more robust
methods of collaboration across our different programs and countries. The National
Collegiate Honors Council is the primary professional honors organization in the
United States, existing since the 1960s, and soon we hope to see more avenues for
student and faculty development opportunities as well as professional and organiza-
tional networking as honors continues to grow across the globe.
As two leaders in the National Collegiate Honors Council, we could not be more
pleased by Wolfensberger’s discoveries. The rich possibilities for study-travel con-
sortiums, faculty and student collaborations, shared research and scholarship, and
combined efforts to influence national policies governing educational strategic
plans and legislative priorities across diverse countries are exciting. Already, in
2012 and 2013, honors teachers, scholars, and students; government officials; and
industry leaders have met in the Netherlands for two major, international confe-
rences on honors, talent development, and excellence in academics and society in
Foreword vii

general. The Sirius Programme network, established in Holland in 2008 with

extraordinary federal funding to promote and nationally subsidize the spread of
honors programs across the country, has seen remarkable success, launching an
abundance of varied honors programs at 14 research universities and 25 universities
of applied sciences. In fact, Dutch institutions constitute about half of all the schools
with honors programs which are the focus of Wolfensberger’s study in 11 countries.
Even with the end of federal funding for the Sirius network, honors research,
curricula, teaching, and learning continue to flourish in the Netherlands, clearly the
front runner in the vanguard of honors education in Europe.
Our international colleagues have learned much from the National Collegiate
Honors Council and the amazing variety of honors programs and colleges in the
United States, but we have much to learn from the diverse cultural characteristics
and operational approaches and standards of honors in Europe. Clearly, in the
European context, research-driven approaches to honors pedagogy and scholarship
are emphasized more prevalently; in the United States, we more often stress qualita-
tive methods of exploring the nature and practice of honors education. One direction
more intentional networking may take is to learn from each other how and when to
apply various research strategies to strengthen the honors enterprise worldwide.
Another particularly fruitful result of our future work together is the clarification of
what we mean by “honors” in the first place. What are the characteristics of honors
teaching and learning? How and why are challenge, risk, interdisciplinarity,
collaboration, reflection, research, ethical conduct, community, integrity, and other
qualities ubiquitously associated with honors at the core of our programs across dif-
ferent nations? Can we develop a common language to define honors, communicate
about it, and assess its added value to higher education? The road ahead presents us
with an exciting threshold, indeed.
As we watch with pride and enthusiasm from the other side of the Atlantic at the
amazing growth of honors abroad, those of us involved in honors in the United
States imagine the opportunities that lie ahead. The potential benefits of interna-
tional collaborations are exhilarating for our students, our faculty, our institutions,
and our countries. What if we could cooperate to design challenging courses that
students from different nations could take in honors programs across national bor-
ders? What if honors faculty could take advantage of visiting professorships and
teaching fellowships elsewhere to develop their teaching and scholarship in honors?
What if we held regular international workshops and conferences to strengthen our
understanding and practice in honors? What if our shared vision of talent develop-
ment and excellence in academics and beyond could help our institutions provide
even better educational experiences for all of our students because of the ways in
which honors serves as a laboratory for pedagogical experimentation and an incuba-
tor for creative research? What if we could collectively organize for political and
economic influence and authority in our different nations’ legislative arenas? All
these “what ifs” and more are now more possible because of the knowledge we have
thanks to Wolfensberger’s research and findings. We, in the United States, have
enjoyed a solid tradition of honors education and studies devoted to giftedness, but
viii Foreword

the current attention to talent development in Europe and elsewhere, to preparing

exceptional college and university learners as well as grade school and high school
pupils, business moguls, and Disney “imagineers,” is an inspiring challenge for all
of us dedicated to academic excellence.

President, National Collegiate Honors Council Barry Falk

Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA, USA
Past President, National Collegiate Honors Council John Zubizarreta
Carnegie Foundation
Columbia College, SC, USA
Preface

In late 2013, the Sirius Programme issued the assignment to Dr. Marca Wolfensberger
for a first report about honors programs in higher education in several northern
European countries. Dr. Wolfensberger is a professor (lector) at the Hanze University
of Applied Sciences in Groningen, where she heads the Research Centre for Talent
Development in Higher Education and Society. She also works at Utrecht University
and is the first European fellow of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC,
the American association of undergraduate honors programs).
Dr. Wolfensberger was commissioned to prepare this report, under the working
title ‘Honors in northern Europe’. The goal was to do explorative research, to find
and describe as many examples of initiatives stimulating excellence in higher
education as possible.
Project leader was Dr. Maarten Hogenstijn, honors graduate at Utrecht University
and self-employed at De Hertaler, working for the Hanze University of Applied
Sciences Groningen on this project. He supervised the data gathering process and
prepared the manuscript.
A number of honors students and alumni from different institutions have helped
to gather data and write preliminary versions of chapters of this book. They are:
• Margit Ruis, Floris van Rees, Nico Brinkel and Florian Sloots (honors students
Faculty of Geosciences – Utrecht University) – chapters Germany and the
Netherlands
• Melina Ghasseminejad (honors alumnus University of Applied Sciences Leiden,
student in psychology – University of Antwerp) – chapter Belgium
• Annemarie van de Vijsel (honors alumnus – Utrecht University) – preliminary
data gathering and chapter Switzerland
• Vincent Warnaar (honors alumnus University of Applied Sciences Leiden) –
chapter Finland
The maps in this book were created by Ton Markus, cartographer at C&M –
Carto – Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University.
As the research process has been a team effort, this book is written in the
‘we’-form.

ix
x Preface

Preliminary versions of this book have been read by experts, in order to double
check the information, check for consistency and completeness. They are (in alpha-
betical order):
• Nynne Afzelius – Academy for Talented Youth, Denmark (chapter Denmark)
• Mag. Susanne Aigner – Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
(chapter Austria)
• Helen Bråten – Norwegian Accreditation Agency (chapter Norway)
• Dr. Ella Cosmovici Idsøe – Stavanger University, Norway (chapter Norway)
• Pierre van Eijl – Utrecht University (chapter the Netherlands)
• Dr. Antoine Fischbach – University of Luxembourg (chapter Luxembourg)
• Dr. Astrid Fritz – Austrian Research and Support Centre for the Gifted and
Talented (ÖZBF) (chapter Austria)
• Esmee Gramberg – Sirius Programme, Netherlands (whole book)
• Dr. Silvia Grossenbacher – coordinator Netzwerk Begabungsförderung,
Switzerland (chapter Switzerland)
• Stefan Hermann – Metropolitan University College Copenhagen, Denmark
(chapter Denmark)
• Renske Heemskerk – Sirius Programme, Netherlands (whole book)
• Nelleke de Jong – Utrecht University, Netherlands (whole book)
• Dr. Elina Kuusisto – Helsinki University, Finland (chapter Finland)
• Prof. Dr. Steven Lierman – Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (chapter
Belgium)
• Dr. Linda Mattsson – Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden (chapter
Sweden)
• Elisabet Mellroth – Karlstad University/Nordic Talent Network, Sweden (chap-
ter Sweden)
• Dr. Jutta Möhringer – Technische Universität München, Germany (chapter
Germany)
• Prof. Dr. Roland Persson – Jönköping University, Sweden (chapter Sweden)
• Uffe Sveegaard – ScienceTalenter/Nordic Talent Network, Denmark (chapter
Nordic countries and Denmark)
• Dr. Meyvant Þórólfsson – University of Iceland (chapter Iceland)
In addition, four anonymous referees at Springer have provided valuable remarks
on an earlier version of the manuscript.
The language use and readability of the manuscript were checked by Professor
Kevin W. Dean and honors alumnus Michael B. Jendzurski from West Chester
University in the United States of America.
Yoka Janssen, Astrid Noordermeer and Sundarajan Chitra at Springer have
helped to guide the process towards publication in a very helpful, constructive and
effective way.

The Netherlands Marca V.C. Wolfensberger

Contents

Part I Introducing Talent Development and Honors

in European Higher Education

1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 3
1.1 Europe and USA ............................................................................ 4
1.2 Three Clusters of Countries ........................................................... 6
1.3 Five Parts........................................................................................ 7
Literature ................................................................................................... 9
2 Developing Honors Education in Specific National Contexts ............. 11
2.1 Defining Honors Programs ............................................................ 11
2.2 Types, Elements and Scales of Honors Programs .......................... 12
2.3 Talented and Motivated .................................................................. 14
2.4 Reasons to Develop Honors Programs........................................... 15
2.4.1 Culture Towards Excellence........................................... 16
2.4.2 Political Views Towards Excellence............................... 17
2.4.3 Educational Philosophy ................................................. 17
2.4.4 Structure and Selectiveness of Education System ......... 20
2.4.5 Competition Between Institutions.................................. 22
2.4.6 Labor Market Conditions ............................................... 24
2.4.7 National Results in Comparative Research .................... 25
2.4.8 Innovators and Pioneers ................................................. 27
2.5 Discussion ...................................................................................... 28
Literature ................................................................................................... 29
3 Methods and Limitations ....................................................................... 31
3.1 Methodology .................................................................................. 31
3.2 Education Systems ......................................................................... 32
3.3 Programs per Higher Education Institution ................................... 33
3.4 Including and Excluding Programs................................................ 36
3.5 Limitations ..................................................................................... 37
Literature ................................................................................................... 39

xi
xii Contents

Part II The Benelux Countries

4 The Netherlands: Focus on Excellence,

Honors Programs All Around ................................................................ 43
4.1 Education System........................................................................... 43
4.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 49
4.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 53
4.3.1 Honors Programs per Higher Education Institution....... 53
4.4 Research Universities ..................................................................... 56
4.4.1 University of Amsterdam ............................................... 57
4.4.2 Utrecht University .......................................................... 58
4.4.3 University of Groningen ................................................ 59
4.4.4 VU University Amsterdam............................................. 59
4.4.5 Leiden University ........................................................... 60
4.4.6 Erasmus University Rotterdam ...................................... 60
4.4.7 Technical University Delft ............................................. 61
4.4.8 Radboud University Nijmegen....................................... 61
4.4.9 Maastricht University ..................................................... 62
4.4.10 Tilburg University .......................................................... 62
4.4.11 University of Twente ...................................................... 63
4.4.12 TU/Eindhoven ................................................................ 63
4.4.13 Wageningen UR ............................................................. 64
4.4.14 Private University: Theological University
of the Reformed Churches Kampen ............................... 64
4.5 Universities of Applied Sciences ................................................... 64
4.5.1 Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences .................. 65
4.5.2 Fontys University of Applied Sciences .......................... 67
4.5.3 HU University of Applied Sciences ............................... 68
4.5.4 Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences .................... 68
4.5.5 HAN University of Applied Sciences ............................ 68
4.5.6 Inholland University of Applied Sciences ..................... 69
4.5.7 Avans University of Applied Sciences ........................... 69
4.5.8 Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen ........ 69
4.5.9 Saxion University of Applied Sciences .......................... 69
4.5.10 The Hague University of Applied Sciences ................... 70
4.5.11 Windesheim University of Applied Sciences ................. 70
4.5.12 Zuyd University of Applied Sciences ............................ 70
4.5.13 NHL University of Applied Sciences............................. 70
4.5.14 Stenden University of Applied Sciences ........................ 71
4.5.15 University of Applied Sciences Leiden .......................... 71
4.5.16 Breda University of Applied Sciences ........................... 71
4.5.17 HZ University of Applied Sciences ............................... 71
4.5.18 ArtEZ Institute of the Arts ............................................. 72
4.5.19 Amsterdam School of the Arts ....................................... 72
4.5.20 HAS University of Applied Sciences ............................. 72
Contents xiii

4.5.21 Marnix Academie ........................................................... 72

4.5.22 Driestar Educatief .......................................................... 73
4.5.23 Gerrit Rietveld Academie .............................................. 73
4.5.24 Hogeschool De Kempel ................................................. 73
4.5.25 Iselinge ........................................................................... 73
Literature ................................................................................................... 74
5 Belgium: Complex System, Differentiated Development .................... 77
5.1 Education System........................................................................... 77
5.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 81
5.3 Honors Programs per University.................................................... 83
5.3.1 Katholieke Universiteit Leuven ..................................... 83
5.3.2 Ghent University ............................................................ 85
5.3.3 University of Antwerp .................................................... 87
5.3.4 Inter-university Program ................................................ 88
Literature ................................................................................................... 88
6 Luxembourg: Small, Multilingual and International .......................... 91
6.1 Education System........................................................................... 91
6.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 95
6.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 96
Literature ................................................................................................... 97

Part III The Nordic Countries

7 Denmark: Strong Focus on Talent Development ................................. 105

7.1 Education System........................................................................... 105
7.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 109
7.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 112
7.4 Honors Programs per Higher Education Institution....................... 114
7.4.1 Aarhus University .......................................................... 116
7.4.2 University of Southern Denmark ................................... 116
7.4.3 Roskilde University........................................................ 117
7.4.4 Copenhagen Business School ........................................ 118
7.4.5 Technical University of Denmark .................................. 119
7.4.6 University College Lillebaelt ......................................... 121
7.5 Programs Outside Formal Higher Education System .................... 122
Literature ................................................................................................... 123
8 Norway: Slow Shift Towards Differentiation ....................................... 125
8.1 Education System........................................................................... 125
8.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 130
8.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 133
8.4 Honors Programs per Higher Education Institution....................... 134
Literature ................................................................................................... 136
xiv Contents

9 Sweden: Incentive to Move Towards More Differentiation................. 139

9.1 Education System........................................................................... 139
9.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 144
9.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 148
9.4 Honors Programs per Higher Education Institution....................... 148
Literature ................................................................................................... 150
10 Finland: Excellent Basics, Selective Continuation ............................... 153
10.1 Education System........................................................................... 153
10.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 157
10.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 160
10.4 Honors Programs per University.................................................... 160
10.4.1 Aalto University ............................................................. 162
10.4.2 University of Turku ........................................................ 162
10.4.3 University of Oulu ......................................................... 163
Literature ................................................................................................... 163
11 Iceland: Getting Back on Track ............................................................. 165
11.1 Education System........................................................................... 165
11.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 168
11.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 170
11.4 Honors Programs per Higher Education Institution....................... 170
Literature ................................................................................................... 172

Part IV The German-Speaking Countries

12 Germany: Foundations Supporting Talents ......................................... 179

12.1 Education System........................................................................... 179
12.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 184
12.2.1 Primary and Secondary School Age .............................. 185
12.2.2 Individual Support from Foundations ............................ 186
12.2.3 Excellence Initiative ....................................................... 188
12.2.4 Excellence in Higher Education..................................... 189
12.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 190
12.4 Honors Programs per University.................................................... 190
12.4.1 Leuphana University Lüneburg...................................... 194
12.4.2 University of Oldenburg................................................. 195
12.4.3 Technical University Hamburg-Harburg ........................ 195
12.4.4 University of Freiburg .................................................... 197
12.4.5 University of Ulm .......................................................... 198
12.4.6 WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management ............ 198
12.4.7 Bonn University ............................................................. 199
12.4.8 University of Paderborn ................................................. 200
12.4.9 Saarland University ........................................................ 200
Contents xv

12.4.10 University of Regensburg............................................... 201

12.4.11 Technical University Munich (TUM) ............................ 201
12.4.12 Elite Network of Bavaria ............................................... 202
Literature ................................................................................................... 209
13 Austria: A Rapidly Expanding Higher Education Sector ................... 213
13.1 Education System........................................................................... 213
13.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 217
13.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 220
13.4 Honors Programs per University.................................................... 220
13.4.1 University of Graz and Technical
University of Graz .......................................................... 221
13.4.2 Vienna University of Economics and Business
(Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien) ........................................ 223
13.4.3 Technical University of Vienna
(TU Wien) ...................................................................... 226
Literature ................................................................................................... 226
14 Switzerland: A Patchwork, Not (Yet) Including Honors ..................... 229
14.1 Education System........................................................................... 229
14.2 Culture and Policy Towards Excellence......................................... 233
14.3 New Developments ........................................................................ 235
14.4 Honors Programs per Higher Education Institution....................... 236
Literature ................................................................................................... 238

Part V Talent Development and Honors in European

Higher Education: A Comparative Perspective

15 A Comparative Perspective .................................................................... 241

15.1 Countries Compared ...................................................................... 241
15.1.1 The Benelux Countries .................................................. 242
15.1.2 The Nordic Countries..................................................... 244
15.1.3 The German-Speaking Countries ................................... 245
15.2 Talent Provisions Throughout Education Systems ........................ 246
15.3 Selectiveness of Higher Education Entry....................................... 247
Literature ................................................................................................... 249
16 Perspectives on Talent Development
in European Higher Education .............................................................. 251
16.1 Five Basic Conclusions .................................................................. 252
16.2 Scale and the Supranational Context ............................................. 254
16.2.1 Research ......................................................................... 254
16.2.2 Rankings ........................................................................ 255
16.2.3 Bologna Process and Horizon 2020 ............................... 255
16.3 Factors at the National Scale.......................................................... 256
xvi Contents

16.4 Ideological Factors ......................................................................... 257

16.4.1 The Nordic Countries..................................................... 257
16.4.2 The Benelux ................................................................... 258
16.4.3 The German-Speaking Countries ................................... 259
16.4.4 Countries Compared ...................................................... 260
16.5 Institutional Factors ....................................................................... 261
16.5.1 Progression in Education ............................................... 262
16.5.2 Recruitment .................................................................... 262
16.5.3 Economy, Business, and Financing ............................... 263
16.5.4 Politics............................................................................ 264
16.5.5 Selection and Flexibility ................................................ 265
16.6 Concluding Remarks...................................................................... 266
Literature ................................................................................................... 267
17 Breaking the Academic Lock Step......................................................... 269
17.1 The Value of Promotion of Excellence .......................................... 269
17.2 A Long-Term View ........................................................................ 271
17.3 Other Perspectives.......................................................................... 272
17.3.1 Students and Teachers .................................................... 273
17.3.2 A Broader Vision on Talent ............................................ 274
17.4 Future Developments and Research ............................................... 274
17.5 Concluding Remarks...................................................................... 276
Literature ................................................................................................... 278

Appendices ....................................................................................................... 279

Appendix 1: List of All Universities in Germany ..................................... 279
Literature ................................................................................................... 283
Appendix 2: Key Links ............................................................................. 284
Appendix 3: Contact Details Honors Programs ........................................ 294
Appendix 4: Interviews with Key Persons ................................................ 305
Roland S. Persson (Sweden): ‘Policy weighs
so much heavier than does fact’ ........................................................... 305
Elisabet Mellroth (Sweden): ‘We don’t talk about
gifted or talented’ ................................................................................. 306
Linda Mattsson (Sweden): ‘They just gave you another book’............ 307
Nynne Afzelius (Denmark): Challenges, Advice and Gathering ......... 309
Uffe Sveegaard (Denmark): ‘They really flourish’ .............................. 310
Stefan Hermann (Denmark): ‘Talent development
is unequally distributed’ ....................................................................... 311
Ella Cosmovici Idsøe (Norway):
‘The new generation is kind of laid-back’............................................ 312
Helen Bråten (Norway): ‘We don’t have that tradition in Norway’ ..... 313
Vigdis Vandvik (Norway): ‘SFU status gives us leverage’................... 314
Grethe Sofie Bratlie (Norway): ‘Ph.D. is the way
of taking care of them’ ......................................................................... 315
Contents xvii

Susanne Aigner (Austria): ‘Guiding the best of the best’ .................... 317
Victor Müller-Oppliger (Switzerland): ‘We are doing too little
at the university level’ .......................................................................... 317
Hans-Joachim Gehrke (Germany): ‘Small legal
restriction is irrelevant’......................................................................... 319
Stephan Bedke (Germany): ‘You have to have an elite’....................... 320
Appendix 5: Lists of Tables, Figures, Maps and Boxed Texts .................. 322
List of Tables .................................................................................. 322
List of Figures ................................................................................ 323
List of Maps ................................................................................... 324
List of Boxed Texts ........................................................................ 325
Appendix 6: Acknowledgements and Thanks ........................................... 327

Index ................................................................................................................. 329

List of Abbreviations and Terms

The list below includes terms that are used in the general chapters of the book and/
or come back in individual chapters. Abbreviations that are used only in a single
country chapter and explained there are not included here.
Benelux This refers to the countries of the Netherlands,
Belgium and Luxembourg. They cooperate in an
intergovernmental body called the Benelux.
Bologna Declaration/Process Series of agreements between European countries
to ensure comparability in the standards and
quality of higher education qualifications, starting
with a joint declaration in the Italian city of Bologna
in 1999.
CEMS-MIM One-year postgraduate, pre-experience degree
program in International Management offered at
29 universities in the international CEMS Alliance.
CV Curriculum vitae, résumé.
ECHA European Council for High Ability, European
organization which aims to advance the study and
development of potential excellence in people.
ECTS European Credit Transfer and Accumulation
System, system introduced in the Bologna process
to make students’ attainments comparable. For
successfully completed studies, ECTS credits are
awarded. One academic year corresponds to 60
ECTS credits.
EHEA European Higher Education Authority, organization
meant to ensure more comparable, compatible and
coherent systems of higher education in Europe,
founded in 2010 and overseeing the Bologna
process.
EU European Union.

xix
xx List of Abbreviations and Terms

Eurostat Statistical bureau of the European Union.

Eurypedia/Eurydice European Encyclopedia on National Education
Systems, common encyclopedia in which European
countries describe their whole education system,
kept up-to-date.
Friskolor Independent schools in the Swedish school system,
some of which are run by private companies.
GDP Gross domestic product.
GPA Grade point average, average of the grades a
student received in a certain period or at certain
examinations, often used as admission criterion for
higher education in general and honors programs in
particular.
HEIs Higher Education Institutions.
IBE International Bureau of Education, the UNESCO
institute specializing in educational contents, methods
and structures.
ISCED International Standard Classifications of Education,
international system used to classify types of
education, developed by UNESCO. It consists of
different levels, running from 0 to 5b.
KMK Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education
and Cultural Affairs of the Bundesländer in
Germany, where education matters are handled and
rules are set.
Länder/Bundesländer The individual states within the federal states of
Germany and Austria.
Law of Jante Concept suggesting that the culture within
Scandinavian countries discourages people from
promoting their own achievements over those of
others. It is taken from a 1933 novel by the Danish
author Aksel Sandemose.
NCHC National Collegiate Honors Council, professional
association of undergraduate honors programs in
the USA.
Nordic Talent Network Network set up in August 2013 to facilitate
cooperation between researchers focusing on talent
and giftedness in the Nordic countries.
NVAO Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie,
independent binational accreditation organization
tasked with providing an expert and objective
assessment of the quality of higher education in
Flanders and the Netherlands.
List of Abbreviations and Terms xxi

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development, international economic organization
of 34 mainly western countries.
ÖZBF Österreichische Zentrum für Begabtenförderung
und Begabungsforschung, Austrian Research and
Support Center for the Gifted and Talented.
PISA Programme for International Student Assessment.
Program run by OECD, which publishes a report
every 3 years on 15-year olds’ achievements on
standardized tests in maths, science and language
in a large number of countries.
Platform Bèta Techniek National Platform Science and Technology in the
Netherlands, organization commissioned by the
Dutch government, the education and the business
sectors to ensure sufficient availability of people
who have a background in scientific or technical
education. It also runs excellence programs, such
as the Sirius Program.
SAT Scholastic Assessment Test, standardized test used
for college admissions in the United States.
SFU Senter for Fremrågende Utdanning, Centres of
Excellence in Education. Program set up in Norway
to contribute to the development of excellent quality
in higher education and to highlight the fact that
education and research are equally important
activities for higher education institutions.
Shanghai list Annual list comparing achievements of universities,
officially known as the Academic Ranking of World
Universities Top-500.
Sirius Programme National program promoting honors in higher
education in the Netherlands.
Three-tier system System introduced in the Bologna process, in
which there are three cycles of higher education.
The first is a bachelor phase, the second a master
phase and the third a Ph.D. phase.
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization.
VET Vocational Education and Training.
 Part I
Introducing Talent Development
and Honors in European
Higher Education
Chapter 1
Introduction

Why and under what conditions are honors programs in higher education developed
across Europe? And what is the current situation regarding talent development and
excellence? These questions came up at meetings of the Sirius Programme,1 a
national program promoting excellence in higher education in the Netherlands.
The attention for excellence is growing in the Dutch higher education system.
Most higher education institutions (HEIs) have now set up honors courses,
programs or colleges (Wolfensberger 2012, p. 15). But this is a relatively recent
development. The first programs started in 1993 (Wolfensberger et al. 2004, p. 120);
their establishment was quite a struggle, as they did not fit very well in the egalitarian
Dutch culture.
Since 2008, the Sirius Programme supports Dutch HEIs in fostering excellence
among their students. The program ‘aims to gain insights into how excellence can best
be supported and to examine what barriers to this currently exist’ (Auditcommission
Sirius Programme et al. 2012, p. 2). At the time of writing, 23 institutions participate
in the program and 19 of those have received grants to develop and support pro-
grams of excellence in the bachelor and/or master phase.2 The Sirius Programme is
financed by the Dutch ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
Over the last few years, Sirius member institutions and program coordinators
increasingly started looking across the Dutch borders for inspiration and cooperation.3
Honors experts in the Netherlands knew from personal contacts that some programs

1
This program resides under the National Platform Science & Technology and is supported by the
ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
2
In total, 24 HEIs have taken part in the Sirius Programme, one of which has ended its participation
early. Four institutions took part, but did not receive subsidies. The programs are regularly evalu-
ated by the Audit Commission of the Sirius Programme. In addition, best practices are described
in a number of (Dutch-language) publications.
3
For instance, in 2012, a group of honors educators from HEIs participating in the Sirius
Programme undertook a 3-day study trip to Denmark, where they were introduced to different tal-
ent support programs in higher education (Sirius Programma 2012).

© The Author(s) 2015 3

M.V.C. Wolfensberger, Talent Development in European Higher Education,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-12919-8_1
4 1 Introduction

do exist in different European countries. In a 2005 report, Dutch researchers found

‘incidental initiatives to offer something to talented students’ in other European
countries (Van Eijl et al. 2005, p. 143).4 A structural inventory of excellence initia-
tives in European higher education had never been made.
This book is a first step to create such an overview. A research team under the
leadership of Dr. Marca Wolfensberger from the Research Centre for Talent
Development in Higher Education and Society at the Hanze University of Applied
Sciences in Groningen (the Netherlands) has reviewed special talent provisions for
almost four million students at 303 higher education institutions in 11 countries.
Furthermore, the honors programs that were found are placed within their national
and international contexts, including the local culture towards excellence and the
structure of the national education system. This could only be achieved with
the help and contributions of local experts. Twenty experts from all 11 countries
have commented on the chapters about their respective country. All these people
made important contributions to the aim of this book: to share knowledge about
talent development and honors education and provide an overview of educational
offers to talented students in the countries involved.

1.1 Europe and USA

We refer to educational offers for talented students in higher education mostly as

‘honors programs’. This book originates in the Netherlands and here, this is a
well-known and accepted term for these offers. In other countries, terminology can
be more contested and the term ‘honors’ might be more politically charged.5 We are
aware of this, but for reasons of clarity we will stick to the term.
What is honors education and where does it come from? The concept of ‘honors’
we refer to in this book is focused on providing extra opportunities to talented
students. It is best known from the American context (see Aydelotte 1944;
Lamb 2012),6 although the concept of ‘honours’ seems to originate from Oxford
University (Lamb 2012, p. 20).7 It is still widely used in higher education throughout

4
The researchers mainly found information about the US, Canada and Australia. They concluded
that apart from the incidental initiatives ‘honors programs are not known in France, Germany, the
UK, Denmark, Switzerland and Belgium (Flemish community)’.
5
For example in Germany, the term ‘honors’ is specifically mentioned in educational law, stating
that it cannot be used on bachelor diplomas. More info on this issue can be found in the chapter
about Germany.
6
Honors education in the US was inspired by the work of Frank Aydelotte. In this book we use
American-English spelling and therefore we talk about honors programs instead of honours pro-
grammes. We make two exceptions. First, if programs have an official name in British spelling, we
use this name. Second, if we quote directly from sources using British spelling.
7
According to Lamb, ‘Oxford is the educational institution that inspired pioneering U.S. honors
educators early in the twentieth century’.
1.1 Europe and USA 5

the United Kingdom (UK) (Lamb 2012, p. 22–26). However, the concept was
awarded a different meaning in the UK over the years. British HEIs now use the
term honours in their undergraduate degree qualification system.8 This is not the
honors education we refer to in this book.
In the United States (US), about half of the 4,000 universities and colleges have
an official strategy of honors education (Wolfensberger 2012, p. 13). A strong
nationwide organization of honors programs exists: the National Collegiate Honors
Council (NCHC) is the professional association of undergraduate honors programs.9
In 2012, the NCHC devoted a special issue of its journal emphasizing honors
programs around the globe, for the first time in its history. Apart from the Netherlands,
European countries were not very prominently represented.10
While there is a lack of specific information about provisions for talented and
gifted students in European higher education, provisions for talented and gifted stu-
dents in the European education systems in general form a topical and hotly debated
subject. In the period from 2000 to 2005, three international overviews of provisions
and policies around this issue were made by scientific researchers (Persson et al. 2000;
Freeman 2002a, b; Mönks and Pflüger 2005).11 However, focus was on primary and
secondary education and little specific information about higher education was found.
In 2006, a European overview called ‘Specific Educational Measures to Promote all
Forms of Giftedness at School in Europe’ was presented in a Eurydice working docu-
ment (Eurydice 2006). Special attention was paid to definitions of giftedness and local
terminology, but the focus centered on primary and secondary education.
A few years of silence followed, but from 2011 international publications on talent
development in European countries started pouring in again. During 2011–2012,
Hungarian researchers, working in the Talent Centre Budapest, wrote a two-volume

8
Generally speaking, there are three classes of honours degrees. On average, a first class honours
degree is awarded to around 15 % of the degree candidates.
9
See nchchonors.org for more information. In addition, HERU (Honors Education at Research
Universities) organizes a bi-annual meeting for honors educators at reserach universities. See for
example heru2015.com.
10
Almost half of this issue was taken up by articles from or about the Netherlands. Other articles
in the journal included descriptions of programs or experiences in the UK, Australia, Brazil, Chile,
China, Mexico and Switzerland.
11
The first was a chapter called ‘Gifted education in Europe: Programs, practices and current research’
in the ‘International handbook of giftedness and talent’ (Persson et al. 2000). This was followed by
British professor Joan Freeman’s two-volume report called ‘Out-of-school provisions for the gifted
and talented around the world’, written for the British department of Education and Skills. Freeman
made a long list of recommendations, including ‘the establishment of a network of models and centres
of excellence around the world’ (Freeman 2002a, b). Two years later, the German education ministry
asked researchers Franz Mönks and Robin Pflüger to do a survey with a slightly different approach,
focusing on ‘gifted education’ for high-achieving children in all levels of education in 21 European
countries. They concluded that ‘there is a dynamic growth of gifted education in Europe’, but most
programs and developments found were aimed at children in primary and secondary education (Mönks
and Pflüger 2005, p. 156). Van Eijl et al. (2005), in a report ordered by the Dutch Council of Education
(Onderwijsraad), described some examples of honors programs at HEIs outside the Netherlands that
were known to them, but found little information about the countries included in this book.
6 1 Introduction

report about best practices in talent support in education in different countries

(Györi 2011, 2012).12 Although they mainly focused on programs in primary and
secondary education, they also provided interesting information about the relations
between policy development and talent programs. In 2013, the Journal for the
Education of the Gifted devoted two issues to the theme ‘International Perspectives
on Gifted Education and Talent Development’. This included articles about the cur-
rent state of affairs in Hungary, Poland, Finland, England, Ireland, the Netherlands,
Cyprus, Austria and more generally about German-speaking Europe.13 The articles
provided useful and relevant insights about gifted education at all educational levels
in some countries, but still no systematic overview of honors programs in European
higher education was available.
In the same year, questions about talent development came up at EU meetings,
more specifically in the European Economic and Social Committee. On its own
initiative, this committee wrote an opinion titled ‘Unleashing the Potential of
Children and Young People with High Intellectual Abilities in the European Union’
(EESC 2013). The committee recognized that providing a challenging education
to these young people is very important. All ten recommendations urgently stress
the need for more action by the EU member states. This is not only because it is
important for young talents themselves, but also ‘to prevent the brain drain whereby
more able people leave for other parts of the world in which to use their talents’
(ibid., section 3.3.8).

1.2 Three Clusters of Countries

The focus of this book is on three clusters of countries in northern and central
Europe (Map 1.1): the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg),
the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland) and the
German-speaking countries (Germany, Switzerland, Austria). These countries are
all somewhat similar to the Netherlands, where this study originates. They are all
relatively rich countries with a well-developed education system and are all quite far
in the Bologna Process.14 Therefore they form relatively comparable contexts for the
development of honors education. Also, the understanding of the concept ‘honors’ (if
present) in these countries refers mostly to the American situation with special

12
The second volume included not only examples from Europe, but also from other countries such
as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Vietnam.
13
Kimberley L. Chandler was guest editor for these issues, which were published as issues 36(1)
and 36(3) of the journal. More information at jeg.sagepub.com.
14
The Bologna Process is a series of agreements between European countries to ensure compara-
bility in the standards and quality of higher education qualifications, starting with a joint declara-
tion in the Italian city of Bologna in 1999. The Lisbon Recognition Convention is one of its main
instruments, creating comparable academic degree standards. See the list of terms and abbrevia-
tions for explanation of terminology.
1.3 Five Parts 7

Table 1.1 Basic characteristics of researched countries (Eurostat 2014)

Country Inhabitants (millions)a GDP per capita in eurosa Unemployment ratea
Austria 8.5 32,200 4.8
Belgium 11.2 29,600 8.4
Denmark 5.6 37,200 7.0
Finland 5.4 30,900 8.3
Germany 82.0 30,200 5.2
Iceland 0.3 32,900 5.3
Luxembourg 0.5 62,600 6.0
Netherlands 16.8 32,700 7.0
Norway 5.0 52,800 3.3
Sweden 9.6 35,300 7.9
Switzerland 8.0 44,600 n/a
a
Population numbers for 2013, GDP per capita for 2012, unemployment for October 2013 (based
on International Labour Organization definition)

‘honors programs’, rather than the British situation, where ‘honours’ is mostly used
as a classification system for degrees.15
Some basic characteristics of the countries are shown in Table 1.1. Germany is
by far the largest country in this study, in terms of population. Luxembourg is the
richest country, measured in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, while
Norway has the lowest unemployment rate (Table 1.1).
More data relevant for the education system in the 11 countries will follow in
Chap. 2.

1.3 Five Parts

The main text of the book is divided into 5 parts, comprising 17 chapters. A sixth
part includes literature and appendixes.
1. Part I: Introducing honors in northern Europe. Here the concept of honors is
explained and a working definition is presented. Also, factors influencing the
development of honors programs are presented and methodological choices are
discussed;
2. Part II: The Benelux countries. This consists of a short introduction and chapters
for each country. This includes overviews of the national education systems,
focused on access to higher education and provisions for excellent students.
The local culture towards excellence is described, as well as government policy
on this issue. Finally, existing honors programs per institution are presented;

15
In this respect, the British Isles differ strongly from the continental European countries. They
were therefore not included in this study.
8 1 Introduction

Iceland
Finland

Norway
Sweden

Denmark

Netherlands

Belgium Germany

Luxembourg

Austria
Switzerland
8684

Map 1.1 Countries in research project Talent Development in European Higher Education

3. Part III: The Nordic countries. This is similar to the country chapters as described
above;
4. Part IV: The German-speaking countries (idem);
5. Part V: Honors in northern Europe: a comparative perspective. In this final part,
the findings in the different countries will be compared and analyzed, learned
lessons are shared and suggestions for further research are made.
Finally, the literature is included, as well as appendixes including key links,
contact details of the different programs and one-page interviews with key persons
involved in honors education.
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