How do you view your professional career?

Cédric Visart de Bocarmé: It's a very long journey, I have almost 45 years of career in quite diverse functions. I started as a lawyer, then became a magistrate, with stints in ministerial offices (I spent a total of six years there). I also had more administrative duties. I ended my career in the judiciary as director of the support service of the Public Ministry. I knew all the aspects of the profession of Public Prosecutor (the instance, the appeal, the federal prosecutor's office). It is a course that has given me enormous satisfaction and I have always found a lot of pleasure in working. I have never been bored in my job.

It is really an enormous wealth to be able to say to yourself: “I have always enjoyed going to the office and working!”.

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Why did you decide to join UNamur?

The opportunity just came. I was asked if I was interested in joining the UNamur Board of Directors as an external director. I liked being there. First of all because it is Namur and I am attached to this city. Then, because it's my university, I did my law studies there. And then, I taught a lot: at the Ministry of Justice for twenty years, at the IESN, then more recently in the context of my duties as an expert at the Council of Europe. I love teaching and I was interested in getting involved in a new challenge and perhaps offering skills that I have been able to acquire over the years. I was trusted to elect me, it is a great satisfaction for me. I have also accepted to be the candidate for the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors. I was elected, and I feel very proud of it!

What are your objectives as Chairman of the Board of Directors?

First of all, I subscribe to the “Univers2025” strategic plan which was defined by the rector, Annick Castiaux. These objectives have been deliberated within the university community and within the authorities. They must become all of our internal objectives. I make them mine. They are linked to reality and to what we must try to put in place to ensure the sustainability of university activities. I would also like to introduce myself as a moderator of the Board of Directors. He has important responsibilities: he exercises control, he is a bit of a goalkeeper. I would like to include all those around the table in the reflection: the deans of faculties, the academics, the scientific and administrative staff, the students. I want to listen to all parties and be part of the dynamics of governance as it was designed. We can still develop it further, it seems to me.

The UNamur strategic plan "Univers2025" is heading in the right direction!

What do you think of the "Universe 2025" strategic plan led by the rector, Annick Castiaux?

It's going in the right direction! Having a sustainable campus is fundamental today. We have to be part of this evolution. Well-being at work, which is one of the points included in the plan, is also crucial because it affects the quality of life of all those who work within the university. In the judiciary, this is a subject that already held a lot of my attention. I also have a great international sensitivity, so the objective of international visibility seems essential to me. We can no longer live in a country and in a small region without seeing what is being done elsewhere. This is especially true in the university sector. As for the development objective of UNamur, it is crucial. A university that does not grow cannot evolve. The fact, for example, of investing in research is very decisive. And what pride when research carried out at UNamur, such as that aimed at transforming lithium batteries into sodium batteries, is covered in the press!

What does your role consist of?

The Chairman of the Board of Directors leads the debates, participates in the agenda, suggests points that could be put on the agenda in consultation with the Rector. I also have a representative role, which I intend to assume in order to best defend the institution. And, finally, I bring new ideas or thoughts.

How is the CA such an important part of the UNamur?

UNamur is a non-profit organization made up of 3 bodies: first of all the executive, namely the rector and her team, then the Board of Directors which supervises the executive and finally the General Assembly which is the principal because it is she who approves the major orientations of the university. The Board of Directors therefore plays an important driving role. Its regulations provide for many decisions that must be approved or taken: the approval of the budget and accounts, of course, but also, for example, the appointment of staff. CA menus are not thin!

In a way, you are coming back to the Namur scene, how important is that for you?

I'm not from Namur, I'm an import. I finished my secondary studies at the Saint-Berthuin Institute, in Malonne, before applying for law at the Notre-Dame de la Paix University Faculties in Namur. After my degrees in Leuven, I returned to Namur as a lawyer. It is a region that I really appreciate, I have lived there since 1977. My 95-year-old mother lives in Wavre, my family roots are from Brabant. I am therefore an adopted Namurois and I am proud of it! You had a long career in the legal world, you also taught.

What link can you make between these 2 universes?

When we work in the judiciary, we have an educational role. I was chief of staff for a very long time, as King's Prosecutor then as General Prosecutor. In these professions, we do pedagogy all the time. It has to do with what you do in a university: trying to develop and share knowledge and practice. This is what I continue to do internationally. When I go to Tunisia, Morocco, Cyprus or Ukraine as part of my job, I share experiences with colleagues, I reflect with them on the problems they encounter. It is exchange, but also pedagogy.

What are the values that guide you daily?

Huge question! I always try to stick to reality, I am a pragmatic person. I really like theoretical discussions, but I think you have to face reality. For me, having a sense of reality is something essential. In addition, honesty and frankness are qualities that I greatly appreciate. Being able to say things as we think them is essential for me. I also attach great importance to the value of “work”, the investment that you put into a job or a function. You took up your duties as Chairman of the Board a few months ago.

What did you learn, what surprised you?

 I was able to meet resource people who gave me a series of explanations and analyzes on the functioning of the University, and that is very valuable. Because UNamur is a well-oiled but complex machine. You have to understand who does what. There are many actors, as many people whose wishes and needs we must try to perceive. And then, I was impressed by the professionalism in the preparation of these CAs. The way in which the files are put together, prepared and presented is very serious. Everything is very calibrated and it makes it possible to have discussions going directly to the heart of the subjects, it is very effective. And then, you have to understand the challenges for the future of a university like that of Namur. It is small compared to others, it is a strength and a weakness. A strength because it allows more proximity and accessibility to students. A weakness because you have to assume everything, you cannot share the costs with others. We must ensure the sustainability of the institution, its profitability. It is the role of the CA to ensure this.

Express biography

  • Born February 10, 1953;
  • Residing in Dave;
  • Law applications at FUNDP, law degrees at UCL;
  • Honorary Senior Magistrate (former King's Prosecutor, former General Prosecutor and Honorary Director of the Public Ministry Support Service);
  • Collaboration with several ministerial offices (Justice and Interior), where he followed various files including that of international judicial cooperation;
  • Several missions abroad (Eastern countries, Central Africa, etc.) on behalf of the Council of Europe and the European Commission;
  • Member of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE) since 2005, which he chaired in 2015 and 2016;
  • Chairs several other Boards of Directors, for example that of the Archaeological Society of Namur.