Queen Máxima of the Netherlands visited campus Wednesday for the launch of the Dutch Network for Academics in the United States, or DNA-US.

DNA-US’s goal is to create “research excellence and knowledge-sharing” among Dutch researchers, according to a campus press release. The queen was accompanied by Dutch minister of education, culture and science Robbert Dijkgraaf. The visit was part of a larger Dutch economic initiative in the western United States.

“The idea came from the new Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Robbert Dijkgraaf, (former director and Leon Levy Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey), whose ambition it is to strengthen ties between academics working in the US who have personal ties to the Netherlands and academics working in the Netherlands who have an interest in working together with colleagues in the US,” said Queen Beatrix professor in Dutch studies Jeroen Dewulf in an email.

The visit coincided with the 50th anniversary of campus’s Dutch studies program. Dewulf added the program is named after Queen Máxima’s mother-in-law, Princess Beatrix (formerly Queen Beatrix).

The program is the oldest and largest of its kind in the United States and the only one to offer a major, minor and designated emphasis for graduate students, Dewulf said. He added 50 to 60 students a year enroll in Dutch language courses and 100 to 120 enroll in courses on Dutch history, culture and literature.

Dewulf noted the historical and modern connections between the United States and the Netherlands.

“The Netherlands is an important ally of the US; it was the second nation in the world to officially recognize American independence, it has the oldest Dutch embassy in the world, and, today, Dutch companies invest about 630 million dollars in the American economy, making it one of the largest foreign investors,” Dewulf said in the email.

According to Dewulf, about 5 million American citizens have Dutch ancestry, including three former presidents. Dutch also used to be the first language of a significant percentage of the country’s Black population, including civil rights activist Sojourner Truth.

He added that the visit was combined with a fundraising effort that raised almost $150,000, which will go towards establishing the Professor Johann Snapper Fund in Dutch studies, named after emeritus Queen Beatrix Professor Johann Snapper. Dewulf said the fund will be used to organize an annual lecture in Dutch studies for students, professors and community members with an interest in Dutch culture and literature.

“I hope it will strengthen our connections with Dutch universities,” Dewulf said in the email. “Currently UC Berkeley has a cooperation with several Dutch universities; most notably Utrecht University and the University of Maastricht. We hope to further expand this in the context of DNA-US.”