The founding of Rijksuniversiteit Limburg in 1976 was the result of decades of persistent effort. Since the early twentieth century, Limburg had advocated for a university of its own. Often regarded as a peripheral and underdeveloped region, it sought to foster cultural growth, expand educational opportunities for local youth, and stimulate the economy through higher education. The first initiative in the 1920s failed when the Catholic university for which the city of Maastricht had submitted its candidacy was ultimately awarded to Nijmegen. A second attempt in the 1950s proposed a multilingual academic institute in Maastricht focused on European themes, but The Hague dismissed the idea, arguing that such an institution had no place in the academic landscape (Klijn, 2021).
Momentum returned in the 1960s following the closure of coal mines in South Limburg, which left the region in urgent need of economic restructuring. Around the same time, the Dutch government required an eighth medical faculty to meet national demand. Maastricht, despite its geographical distance from the political center, was selected. Its promise of educational renewal aligned with broader development goals (Maastricht University, n.d.-a; Observant, 2021).
Closure of Limburg’s Coal Mines (De Beukel, 2012)
Still, the establishment process faced setbacks. Concerns about demographic limitations and budget constraints nearly derailed the plans. Yet local and national advocates, including politicians, parties, and the Universiteitsfonds Limburg (SWOL), formed a determined coalition. Led by Sjeng Tans, a group of professors began preparing the curriculum in 1973, even before the university was officially approved. By 1974, the first fifty students had started as “course participants” because the institution did not yet exist in law (Observant, 2021).