This Tuesday, June 7, at the Aula Magna, a series of speakers close to the fields of predilections of Professor Thierry Zintz followed one another during a symposium organized in honor of his accession to the emeritus.
During the interventions, the guests painted the portrait of a professor who taught at the LSM and at the FSM … but not only!
Thierry Zintz arrived at UCLouvain in 2001 as a visiting lecturer. Being well into his forties, he was then preparing a PhD thesis on the management of sport organizations … being one of the last to have graduated in Leuven, in 1977. He likes to tell that his children used to tease him that he already knew how to do the cumulet before and that with this title he would be able to do a back cumulet.
So yes, the physical education teacher has become a university professor … and much more.
Secretary General of EOSE in 2006, the European Observatory of Sport and Employment, then President until 2021, he has traveled the world to teach while juggling with his job as a dean.
Grateful to his Alma Mater, Thierry Zintz recapitulated his UCLouvain years by following the values of the House:
- First, teaching with the creation and development of the Henri Baillet Latour and Jacques Rogge University Chair in sports organization management.
- Then there is research. In addition to his management courses in the FSM, Prof. Zintz has also trained five PhDs and four post-docs. He is proud to know that one of his former doctoral students has succeeded him.
- The service with this social commitment so important for him who presides recently over the destiny of Specials Olympics.
Father of 5 children, married to Chantal, Thierry repeats that his success is thanks to his family, to his family cocoon. Alongside this secret, which is apparent when you get to know him a little, there is also a lot of work, a great knowledge of his files, the ability to listen to and understand others, as well as a strong institutional involvement… it is undoubtedly for all of these reasons that “his” University is not letting him go by entrusting him with the responsibility of organizing its 600th anniversary which will take place in 2025.