At the New Year’s reception, Noëlle Aarts, recently appointed as professor at the Strategic Communication Group, was chosen by the student council as the best teacher at Wageningen University. The choice came as a surprise to Aarts. ‘I was so honoured to have been nominated; I’d never expected to win.’ The student jury praised Aarts for her critical approach, her openness to her students, her dynamic lectures and her focus on collaborating with them rather than simply transferring knowledge. ‘Students who attend Noëlle Aarts’s lectures are treated as equals and encouraged to ask questions or to drop by her office,’ the jury stated. ‘She’s open to their ideas and challenges them to be creative.’ Aarts’s own research is often inspired by the input from her students, the jury added. When asked what she was going to do with the award of 2500 euros, Aarts was quick to answer. ‘I think it would be wonderful to use the award money to invite another good speaker to address even more students.’ The other nominees for Teacher of the Year were Huub Savelkoul, Arie Terlouw, Arie Nieuwenhuizen and Maria Forlenza.