1970-1992

• 1971
  • Appointment of the first female full professor, the legal expert Prof. Madzy Rood-De Boer.
  • Last meeting of the Senate of the College, as a result of the WUB.
  • First meeting of the College Council (since 1986: University Council) and installation of the first Executive Board.
  • With Prof. Cees Scheffer as Rector Magnificus, Drs. Jan Verster as President, and Prof. Piet Verheyen as member of the Board.
  • Start sub-faculty in psychology, as part of the School of Social Sciences.
  • And this sub-faculty also starts with unique upper-level studies, such as economic psychology.
  • Carl Romme, former professor of Social Law in Tilburg and ex-Minister of Social Affairs (KVP), becomes Minister of State.

Image: jurist Prof. Madzy Rood-De Boer, the first female professor (1971)

• 1972
  • Establishment of student parish Maranatha.
  • Campus expansion with two new buildings (B and C), since 2015 called Tjalling C. Koopmans and Goossensgebouw respectively,
• 1974
  • Ad Kolnaar, already the youngest economics professor at 28, becomes the youngest Rector Magnificus of the Netherlands (acting) at the age of 32.
• 1975
  • The Political Economy Working Group (Politieke Ekonomie (POLEK)) organizes a high-profile debate between "bourgeois economist" Arnold Heertje and "Marxist" Ernest Mandel, followed by a fierce battle for a chair in Political Economy, which will eventually be established (and disappear again).
  • The first European congress of economic psychologists takes place in Tilburg (and Helvoirt). It leads to the establishment of IAREP (International Association for Research in Economic Psychology).
• 1977
  • The university celebrates its 50th anniversary! Celebration in the presence of HM Queen Juliana.
  • Number of students: 4,290 (Economics: 2,019, Social Sciences 444, Psychology 582, Law 1,235).
  • After years of signature discussion, the decision is made to maintain the special, Catholic identity.
  • The "red bike path" is opened, a network of bike lanes that includes a direct connection (interrupted by two traffic lights) between downtown and the campus.
• 1981
  • Start of the experimental course in Literature.
• 1982
  • Mr. Marga Klompé (the first female minister, KVP, OCW) receives the honorary doctorate.
  • Prof. Harry Peeters, psychologist, founds the Tilburgs Instituut voor Academische Studies (renamed the Tilburg Institute for Advanced Studies in 1986).

Image: Mr. M.A.M. Klompé

• 1983
  • Ruud de Moor,full professor of sociology, top advisor to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science becomes Rector Magnificus (until 1991) and later founder of European Value Studies (EVS), a comparative research of changing norms and values in all European countries.
• 1986
  • The name is changed (for the third time) because of a change in the law that stipulates that the economic and technical colleges are to be called universities. Because Katholieke Universiteit Tilburg is difficult to abbreviate, it becomes Katholieke Universiteit Brabant (KUB).
  • More than 2000 employees and students of the KUB, led by Rector Magnificus Ruud de Moor dressed in a toga, headed for The Hague to demonstrate under the motto 'Brabant fights for its university' against the imminent closure of Arts and Psychology, with success.
• 1987
  • Founding of student organization Plato.
  • The number of international students is charted for the first time: 22 Belgians and 7 British.
• 1988 
  • Foundation of the Center for Economic Research (CentER) by Prof. Arie Kapteyn, heralds far-reaching internationalization and later high positions in national and international Economics rankings (including best economics school in Europe).
• 1989
  • Ernst Hirsch Ballin, full professor of constitutional and administrative law, becomes Minister of Justice (for the CDA) and Internal Affairs in Lubbers III cabinet, member House of Representatives AND the Senate, Council of State, Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs in Balkenende III and IV Cabinet respectively.
• 1991
  • Educational psychologist Prof. Len de Klerk becomes the first non-Catholic Rector Magnificus (until 1999). He will be succeeded by the Protestant Prof. Frank van der Duyn Schouten.