This letter provides a strong recommendation for Sébastien Willemart's application to the M.A. Erasmus Mundus Master in Sustainable Territorial Development program. The assistant professor has known Sébastien for two years as a dedicated student who demonstrated deep understanding, diligence, and enthusiasm in his courses. Sébastien constituted an invaluable member of project groups, showing an ability to bridge differences and channel discussion productively. His strong command of English and analytical skills make him well-suited for the international program. The professor recommends Sébastien without reservation and believes the program will provide excellent preparation for his career goals.
1. Visiting address T +31 43 3883476 www.maastrichtuniversity.nl
Grote Gracht 90-92 F +31 43 3884917 secr.philotss@maastrichtuniversity.nl
6211 SZ Maastricht
Bank account: 065.76.18.705 KvK nr.: 50169181
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6200 MD Maastricht VAT identifier EU
The Netherlands NL0034.75.268.B01
Department
of
Political
Science
Maastricht,
17
March
2014
Subject:
Letter
of
Reference
for
Sébastien
Willemart
Dear
Madam
/
Dear
Sir,
In
my
position
as
Assistant
Professor
in
European
Studies
at
Maastricht
University,
I
am
delighted
to
support
the
application
of
Sébastien
Willemart
as
a
candidate
for
admission
to
the
program
M.A.
Erasmus
Mundus
Master
in
Sustainable
Territorial
Development.
I
got
to
know
Sébastien
as
his
instructor
in
the
EU
politics
course
in
year
1
of
his
BA
European
Studies
and
also
served
as
a
project
advisor
for
a
group
paper
he
was
working
on
together
with
a
small
group
of
four
students.
I
have
known
Sebastien
for
two
years,
as
a
dedicated
student.
As
his
mentor
I
have
had
an
opportunity
to
observe
his
participation
and
overall
progress.
I
had
first
met
Sébastien
in
my
capacity
as
tutor
of
the
European
Studies
programme
during
the
course
‘Policy
Domains’,
which
takes
place
in
the
second
year
of
the
programme,
where
he
together
with
four
other
colleagues
conducted
his
first
independent
research
on
EU
policy
making
in
the
area
of
the
Neighbourhood
Policy
(Title
of
their
paper
‘Democracy
Promotion
in
Ukraine:
A
Chance
for
Network
Governance’;
Final
grade:
8).
Not
only
did
I
immediately
sense
the
interest
that
Sébastien
took
in
the
policy
process
and
its
different
stages,
I
also
realised
his
capacity
of
fast
comprehension
and
his
ability
for
analytical
and
reflective
thinking.
He
constituted
an
invaluable
and
highly
motivated
member
in
this
international
group
of
students.
He
showed
that
he
is
capable
of
sensing
group
dynamics,
bridging
differences
and
managing
to
channel
the
creative
energy
of
his
peers
into
particular
directions
while
being
simultaneously
open
to
criticism
and
ready
to
rethink
his
own
ideas.
In
accordance
with
the
so-‐called
Problem-‐Based
Learning
method,
Sébastien
acted
as
discussion
leader,
a
task
that
included
a
preparation,
implementation
and
post-‐
discussion
of
a
topic
under
scrutiny.
In
this
context,
he
paid
special
attention
to
sound
group
dynamics
with
the
aim
no
to
get
lost
within
the
theoretical
concepts,
but
rather
strive
for
novel
solutions
based
on
overall
consensus.
Sébastien
showed
a
fluent
and
academic
command
of
the
English
language,
which
is
primordial
to
working
in
an
environment
of
different
nationalities
and
the
handling
of
academic
literature
from
English
speaking
academia.
M.A.
Erasmus
Mundus
Master
in
Sustainable
Territorial
Development
2. Students
in
the
European
studies
programme
acquire
a
broad
knowledge
about
policy
processes
in
theory
and
practice
during
their
academic
career.
They
are
trained
to
provide
high
quality
work
within
tight
schedules.
In
courses
such
as
“Great
Expectations”
they
are
familiarised
with
the
workings
of
the
EU
institutions
and
their
administrative
capacities.
“European
Law”
adds
to
this
experience,
giving
a
legal
background
for
the
institutions’
interplay
while
“Policy
Domains”
and
“Practicalities
of
Policy
Making”
provide
a
sort
of
“flesh
to
the
bone”
experience
as
students
analyse
policy
processes
from
formulation
to
evaluation
in
a
concrete
matter.
While
he
was
studying
my
courses,
I
considered
Sébastien
as
an
outstanding
student
who
demonstrated
deep
understanding
of
the
subject
matter.
Also,
he
possessed
immense
diligence
and
enthusiasm
for
his
studies.
In
addition,
Sebastien
expressed
himself
very
clearly
in
his
research
paper,
following
structured
objectives
and
exposing
new
ideas.
He
was
able
to
think
outside
the
box
and
to
arrive
to
clear,
original
and
competent
conclusions.
It
should
go
without
saying
that
and
he
has
remarkable
synthetizing
talent.
Sébastien
plans
to
orient
his
research
on
foreign
economic
aid
and
sustainable
development
strategies.
Due
to
Sébastien
general
academic
as
well
as
his
individual
profile,
I
strongly
recommend
him
without
any
reservations
for
admission
to
the
program
M.A.
Erasmus
Mundus
Master
in
Sustainable
Territorial
Development.
At
the
same
time,
the
program
will
provide
Sébastien
with
the
highest
skills,
experience
and
qualifications
for
increased
responsibilities.
In
view
of
his
future
career
plans
in
the
diplomatic
service
or
in
an
international
institution
as
advisor,
I
consider
this
Master
program
to
be
an
excellent
opportunity
in
order
to
reach
these
aims.
Please
do
not
hesitate
to
contact
me
in
case
you
require
further
information
about
Sébastien
or
about
the
European
Studies
programme
of
Maastricht
University.
Best
wishes
Dr.
Heidi
Maurer
Assistant
Professor
Maastricht
University,
Department
of
Political
Science
PO
Box
616,
6200
MD
Maastricht,
Grote
Gracht
90-‐92,
6211
SZ
Maastricht,
The
Netherlands
Phone:
+31
43
38
82016
Email:
h.maurer@maastrichtuniversity.nl
