Today’s Dies academicus at Ulm University included prizes for researchers, teaching staff and students for their outstanding commitment, as well as a review of the past year. The ceremony, held in the N27 research building, was not just a celebration of academic success. It also focused on the new sustainability strategy and the question of what the University’s role should be in the overall social transformation process.
University President Professor Michael Weber had plenty of good news to announce at this year’s Dies academicus: the second-highest amount of external funding of all time, a ranking of tenth place of the most popular universities among students and the invitation to submit a full proposal for the joint “Chem4Quant” Cluster of Excellence, a collaboration between the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Universities of Ulm and Stuttgart. “Our specialisation puts us in a position to deliver excellent results and we maintain very personal relationships. And we do so at the highest possible level – which is what makes our university so special”, said Weber, explaining Ulm University’s success. This success should also be passed on to the economy and society, which is why a transfer strategy was adopted last year. The transfer strategy reinforces the idea of a connection between the University and the Science City, in which the new Entrepreneurs Campus is also involved.
For the first time, the total number of students at Ulm University has fallen slightly in comparison to the previous year, down to 10,101. The decline is well below the national trend, however. The number of first-year students, on the other hand, remains stable. In order to make the University more attractive for potential students, new degree programmes have been introduced, including Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (master), Quantum Engineering (master) and Biomedical Engineering (bachelor), and others are in planning. 1642 graduates completed their studies last year and 459 doctorates were awarded. In reference to Ulm University’s tenth place in the StudyCheck ranking of the most popular universities in Germany, the president thanked not only the students, but also "the teaching staff, who ensure that the students like it here so much" – a statement that was met with enthusiastic applause. At around 127 million euros, external funding remains stable at a high level, accounting for around 35 per cent of the University’s budget. "This external funding produces outstanding research results and enables us to employ so many doctoral students", explained Weber. Following the invitation to submit a full proposal for the "Chem4Quant" Cluster of Excellence as well as for the existing POLiS Cluster of Excellence, it is now possible to start on an proposal for University of Excellence status. Ulm University is entitled to apply if both Clusters of Excellence are approved: "We will start preparing for the propsal process on Monday “, the president announced.
The University Management continues to be occupied with the refurbishment backlog. There is good news in terms of infrastructure for the Multidimensional Trauma Sciences research building: it is due to be completed in the course of the year. Vice President of Outreach Professor Michael Kühl presented the new sustainability strategy. The sustainability strategy not only deals with the sustainable actions of Ulm University as an institution – its largest source of emissions is the mobility of students and staff – but also addresses its role in the broader social transformation process toward greater sustainability. Kühl sees the University as having two important roles. On the one hand, knowledge-based research points to solutions for a more sustainable future and the results must be fed into the dialogue through knowledge transfer. The vice president sees the second aspect in the education of young people. Students must be taught the relevant sustainability skills so that they can use their knowledge to contribute to solving the major challenges. Professor Martin Müller, head of the Institute of Sustainable Corporate Management, Energy Manager Bernd Bachmann and Professor Michael Kühl explored the possibilities in a panel discussion.
During a moment of silence, the guests paid tribute to two recently deceased former presidents of Ulm University, Professor Hans Wolff and Professor Detlef Bückmann.
Text and mediacontact: Christine Liebhardt, Daniela Stang, Andrea Weber-Tuckermann
Translation: Kate Gaugler