Petrus Wilhelmus Catharina "Piet" Akkermans (1942,

Oosterhout Oosterhout (; from ''ooster'', "eastern", and ''hout'', "woods") is a municipality and a city in the southern Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in . Population centers The municipality of Oosterhout includes the following pla ...

- 17 June 2002,

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population. The area of the whole city a ...

) was a Dutch classical scholar and academic administrator. Akkermans was rector of the Erasmus University in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

from 1993 to 2001 and rector of the

College of Europe The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...

for one year, until his death in 2002. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

while in a meeting at the College in Garenmarkt.

Biography

After graduating from Gymnasium-A at the Onze Lieve Vrouwelyceum in Breda in 1961, Akkermans obtained a doctoral degree in Greek and Latin language and literature at the

Catholic University of Nijmegen Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, nl, Radboud Universiteit , formerly ''Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen'') is a public research university located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The university bears the name of Saint Radboud, a 9th century ...

. He became a teacher of classical languages in Rotterdam and simultaneously studied law at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. He obtained his doctorate at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

with the thesis ''The human right on education and the Dutch Constitution''. Akkermans continued his academic career as professor of public and administrative law at Erasmus University from 1984; then Dean of the Faculty of Law at Erasmus University (1986-1989 and 1991-1993); then Rector of Erasmus University (1993-2001) Akkermans became rector of the

on July 1, 2001, but died of a heart attack on June 17, 2002. During the cabinet formations, the Van Kooten and De Bie duo regularly performed a type of 'Professor Dr. P. Akkermans' ("my name has been called"), played by

Kees van Kooten Cornelis Reinier "Kees" van Kooten () (born 10 August 1941) is a Dutch comedian, television actor, and writer. He formed the duo Van Kooten & De Bie with Wim de Bie from 1972 to 1998. Biography Cornelis Reinier van Kooten was born on 10 Augu ...

. There is no evidence that this type was based on P.W.C. Akkermans, the comedians also strongly denied this.

References

Akkermans at the College of Europe
1942 births 2002 deaths Dutch classical scholars Rectors of the College of Europe Radboud University Nijmegen alumni Erasmus University Rotterdam alumni Academic staff of Erasmus University Rotterdam People from Oosterhout {{Academic-administrator-stub