Wim J. Nijhof
Hall of Fame Class of 2003
Wim J. Nijhof is a distinguished European scholar and writer of adult and continuing education, vocational education and corporate training. Dr. Nijhof took workplace training to the forefront of the Dutch scholarly community. He is highly recognized in the Netherlands, throughout Europe, the United States and Asia for his work in expanding the scholarly base and literature in adult education, vocational education and human resource development.
Dr. Nijhof is currently Professor of Education at the new University of Twente in the Netherlands that he helped found in 1962. From 1972 to 1981 he was a professor at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Dr. Nijhof's introduction of workplace training to the Dutch scholarly community began during the late 1980s and resulted in initiating the first Dutch university program in human resource development in 1990. His work has resulted in every first tier university in the Netherlands having a corporate education or human resource development graduate program.
Nijhof's work in adult and workplace learning at the University of Twente consistently receives top scholarly ratings for being among the first tier in the Netherlands. He also created a graduate level partnership between the University of Twente and the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Nijhof has been a visiting professor at several universities: the University of Prague; the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland; Institute of Advanced Studies, Vienna; University of Minnesota; Southern Illinois University; and Wissenschaftliche Beirat Universitat, Magdeburg.
Dr. Nijhof is a widely respected published author, having written 31 books and eight of 59 book chapters. Some of his published books are Developments in Vocational and Adult Education, Flexibility in Training and Vocational Education, Effective Performance and Corporate Training and Bridging the Gap Between Work and Education.
Dr. Nijhof's outstanding leadership at the University of Twente was recognized with the Human Resource Development Outstanding Academic Program Award by the Academy of Human Resource Development.