It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Tim Prager, a dual-degree International Business Administration student, passed away recently due to illness at the much too young age of 21. Tim joined the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) IBA programme in 2021, where his passion for learning was fueled by a deep-seated curiosity and a commitment to making a difference in the world.
Tim’s enthusiasm for international business and management was linked to his passion for aviation and mobility, as well as a profound interest in technology, innovation and sustainability. A member of the Erasmus Honors Programme, Tim decided to challenge himself further by pursuing a dual degree with RSM and Guanghua School of Management, Peking University (PKU), where he hoped to learn more about Chinese infrastructure, transport and their aviation industries. His dream was to pursue a professional career in sustainable air transport, and he was well on his way after a recent 2nd-place win with his team at PKU at the renowned Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Innovation Hangar 2024 Challenge.
Tim’s impact extended far beyond the classroom. He was open-minded, with a strong sense of social and moral justice – and was the embodiment of RSM’s mission “to be a force for positive change in the world”. Prior to his studies, he worked in a refugee dormitory for nine months– a position he found to be “incredibly humbling, but also extraordinarily insightful and frankly eye-opening.”
This experience inspired him to become a fundraiser for Amnesty International and later to join the RSM I DO Project as an NGO consultant, where he and other RSM students provided free consultancy services to a Czech-based NGO that focuses on helping young people achieve financial literacy through education and gamification.
Taslim Alade, a lecturer at the Business-Society Management Department at RSM and coordinator for the I DO course remembers Tim fondly. “Tim was a very compassionate and extra-ordinarily diligent student. He was always adding value to the I DO course and for his fellow students at RSM. He was a very gentle soul, who had a lot of impact on the NGOs he worked with. May he rest in peace.”
Tim touched many lives in his short time at RSM, through his studies, his love for badminton with the Erasmus Badminton Association (BVE) and through his part-time work at SPAR supermarket on the Woudestein campus. He’s left an indelible mark on our community.
A memorial has been set up on T-3 in the Mandeville building for those who wish to pay their respects. Private messages, condolences and photos are also being collected for the family and can be emailed to Erika Harriford-McLaren, RSM’s Communications Manager, at harriford@rsm.nl.
Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and everyone at Erasmus University who knew him. With his passion for learning, his endless curiosity and kind and adventurous spirit, Tim was the embodiment of positive change and will be deeply missed in this world.
Werner Brouwer
RSM Interim Dean
Michel Lander
RSM Dean of Education