Mourning the Loss of Michael Meckel

The University of Mannheim mourns the loss of Michael Meckel, a sponsor and holder of the university medal, who passed away on 14 January 2025 at the age of 52.

With Michael Meckel, the University of Mannheim has lost a reliable friend and loyal long-term supporter who has had a lasting influence on the university. His unparalleled personal commitment to students, for example as part of the Deutschland Scholarship and beyond, was impressive. Michael Meckel was easy to win over for new projects and was often spontaneously willing to make an additional contribution. He always had a positive view of our students and the work we do as a university. We are extremely grateful to him and will honor his memory.

As former chairman of the management board of the Trifels Verlag GmbH group, a family business that his grandfather Karl Friedrich Meckel had built, and afterwards, he continued his grandfather's commitment not only in company management but also in the charitable sector by continuing the Ekkehard Foundation, out of personal conviction: Numerous projects at the University of Mannheim aimed at international networking have been realized with the help of the foundation, and many international students have been supported. During the coronavirus crisis and after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Michael Meckel also supported staff members and students quickly and unbureaucratically with substantial donations. In 2023, he was honored with the University Medal for his commitment.

Back