STAR (student association)


STAR is a study association for business administration students of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University at the Erasmus University Rotterdam based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. STAR was founded in 1977 and currently has 6,500 members. STAR has 52 committees and an annual revenue of €1.1 million. The three core values held by STAR are Social, Academic and Career Start Support.
Well-known events organized by STAR include their anniversary celebration, the STAR Party. This festivity is a student-organized party in the Netherlands and attracts thousands of students, peaking at 4,850 visitors in 2007. Another notable event is their annual Academic Conference, where distinguished academic, business, and political leaders discuss current global issues.
The STAR Party and the Academic Conference are part of the STAR Management Week. This 2.5 week long event is considered as an interface between students, academia, and their corporate network.
Other events organized by STAR include the Erasmus Recruitment Days and STAR Erasmus Consulting. The Erasmus Recruitment Days, co-organized by STAR and the EFR, is the largest campus recruitment event in the Netherlands. In 2018 there were approximately 1600 participating students and more than 120 companies present. The STAR Erasmus Consultancy Project offers companies and non-profit organizations tailor-made contract research in an emerging market country every year.

Mission

The Study Association STAR aims to provide development opportunities for Rotterdam School of Management students, the business school of Erasmus University Rotterdam. These development opportunities are staged on and of the university and together with the faculty, the university and other organisations who take interest in RSM students.
The student population of the RSM consists of international students, divided over the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science International Business Administration and Master of Science in Business Administration education. Study Association STAR provides services for the entire population of RSM.

History

STAR was established with the namechange, when the association went more international. Formerly STAR was known as Sviib, which was the student association for business administration students founded in 1977. Sviib is the abbreviation of 'Studievereniging Interuniversitaire Interfaculteit Bedrijfskunde' and was established by early business administration students. At the time, business administration was a post-doctoral study, mainly for graduates in engineering. The business administration study, or IIB, offered by the Nederlandse Economische Hogeschool was a joint venture with the Delft University of Technology. In 1984, this was fully incorporated in the Erasmus University Rotterdam as the Faculty of Business Administration for undergraduates and Rotterdam School of Management for graduates. Ten years later, in 2004, these two departments merged into Rotterdam School of Management Erasmus University.
The above-mentioned Faculty of Business Administration at the Erasmus University Rotterdam consisted of two studies for undergraduates: Business Administration and International Business Administration. The latter had its own dedicated student association, named BActive. BActive was found in 1999. The fusion took place in August 2005.

Future

Considering the origin of the RSM students and the direction in which the RSM is moving, Study Association STAR strives to be a truly international organization. Re-positioning and outlining its services and back office to be both open and attractive to international students as well as national students, will meet this goal. Also, as the RSM networks with other prestigious universities, Study Association STAR will engage in networks with other student and study organisations.

Organization

STAR is the largest student-led organization in Europe and the organization is extensive. STAR organizes over 450 events throughout each academic year. An extensive organizational structure has grown over the past decades.
The organization applies a hierarchical structure in which the STAR Board holds executive power. The STAR Board is responsible for the continuation and daily operations. The STAR Board consists of 9 full-time members, which are newly recruited every year around August on the basis of competence and excellence. Because members of the Board are students of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, they receive a 12-month scholarship for their full-time input. A General Assembly of Members is in place on a semi-annual basis, where the STAR Board reports its status on various topics. Reports include the association's financial and strategic position.
Long-term strategy is closely guarded by the STAR Supervisory Board, an entity consisting of prominent senior members of the organization of prior years. Whereas the financial health of the organization is closely monitored and audited by the Verification Committee, consisting of former treasurers of the STAR Board, which is deemed necessary with its €1.1 million revenue per year.
The Committees and Master Study Clubs embody more than 250 students that are dubbed 'Active Members'.

Committees

The following list is an overview of STAR Committees :
The organization also includes so-called 'Master Study Clubs', which are dedicated to specific Master of Science majors offered by the Rotterdam School of Management. There are a total of 11 Master Study Clubs that cover most of the MSc. majors.