Programme​​​​​​​​​

UM 50 Alumni Homecoming - 23 May 2026

Main event programme

Date: 23 May 2026

14:00 - 15:00 | Walk-in and registration

15:00 - 15:10 | Opening

15:10 - 15:30 | To be announced

15:30 - 18:30 | Festive Reunion with food, drinks, music, entertainment and several fun activities

18:30 - 18:55 | Closing Act

18:55 - 19:00 | Closing remarks

*While the main event area is reserved exclusively for alumni, the surrounding Tapijn park will be full of activities for partners and children, including a picnic meadow, an outdoor movie theatre, sports and movement activities, entertainment, and a variety of children’s activities.

Before the general programme at the Tapijnkazerne we have faculty specific programmes prior to the main event.

Below you can find the programmes of the faculty specific events.

Faculty programmes

Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience

Date: 23 May 2026

Location: Universiteitssingel 40, Randwyck, Maastricht

13:00 - 13:30 | Walk-in with coffee, tea, vlaai

13:30 - 13:35 | Opening by André Aleman - Dean Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience

13:35 - 14:15 | Lecture by Prof. Dr. Anita Jansen: New Science of Mental Disorders

14:15 - 14:45 | Shuttle bus to Tapijnkazerne 11

Time to be decided | Shuttle bus back to Universiteitssingel

Lecture by Prof. Dr. Anita Jansen: 'New Science of Mental Disorders'

Over the past 50 years, clinical psychology has grown rapidly—much like Maastricht University itself. Today, the science behind clinical psychology is thriving, and this has led to real improvements in mental health care. At the same time, major challenges remain. Long waiting lists, high costs, limited access to care, and the role of insurance companies continue to put pressure on the system.

Beyond these structural issues, there is another important question: how good are our treatments really? We now have so-called “evidence-based” treatments that perform better than many alternatives, but they are still far from perfect. Mental health treatments can—and should—be much better.

At the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, we are leading a national consortium of top researchers who have received substantial government funding to study new ways of diagnosing and treating mental health problems. Our goal is simple but (very) ambitious: to improve how we understand mental disorders and how we treat them.

In this lecture, we will take a closer look at the limitations of current diagnostic methods and treatments. We will also offer a behind-the-scenes look at our research on symptom networks—an innovative approach that we believe holds promise for developing more effective, personalized treatments in the future.

School of Business and Economics

Date: 23 May 2026

Location: Tongersestraat 53, Maastricht

13:00 - 14:30 | Free visitation hours to the building for a Trip down Memory Lane

14:30 - 14:45 | Walk to Tapijnkazerne 11

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Date: 23 May 2026

Location: Grote Gracht 90-92, Maastricht

12:30 - 14:15 | Free visitation hours to the building for a Trip down Memory Lane

14:15 - 14:45 | Walk to Tapijnkazerne 11

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Date: 23 May 2026

Location: University College Maastricht, Zwingelput 4, Maastricht

11:45 - 12:15 | Walk-in

12:30 - 13:00 | Battle of the Studies Pub Quiz | Back to the Future Style

13:00 - 14:30 | Lunch with food trucks and social gatherings per study programme

14:30 - 15:00 | Walk to Tapijnkazerne 11

Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences

Date: 23 May 2026

Location: Universiteitssingel 40, Randwyck, Maastricht

11:00 - 11:30 | Walk-in with coffee, tea, light lunch

11:30 - 11:40 | Opening by Annemie Schols - Dean Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences

11:40 - 14:15 | To be announced

14:15 - 14:45 | Shuttle bus to Tapijnkazerne 11

Time to be decided | Shuttle bus back to Universiteitssingel

Faculty of Law

Date: 23 May 2026

Location: Bouillonstraat 3, Maastricht

12:00 – 14:30 | Open House @ Faculty of Law – Welcome back to the Faculty of Law in Maastricht with coffee, Limburgse vlaai and time to reconnect.

14:30 – 15:00 | Walk to Tapijnkazerne 11

Open House @ Faculty of Law:

• Memory Lane: 45 Years of the Faculty of Law

  A walk-through exhibition with photos, study materials and stories from the faculty’s past.

• Plenary Lecture (max 30 min)

  An (emeritus) professor reflects on legal thinking then and now at the Faculty of Law.

• Self-guided tour

  Explore the building at your own pace through a fun scavenger hunt with small challenges

Why you should attend?

A homecoming like this happens only once in a lifetime. This is your chance to reconnect with former classmates and rediscover the friendships you made in Maastricht.

Enjoy a festive day filled with great food and drinks, music, entertainment, and fun activities. No lectures, no obligations, just UM alumni coming together to celebrate, laugh, and relive the memories of their student days.

Join us on the 23rd of May and be part of an unforgettable UM reunion.