University Day 2022

Whether it’s teaching, development of early-stage researchers, or campus life, the Covid crisis has stress-tested all areas of university life, Puhl said. Nevertheless, the university can look back on a successful year thanks to the extraordinary commitment of its teachers, researchers, and staff. “The international rankings show that we continue to be among the top ten percent of universities in the world,” Puhl said. The fact that researchers also succeeded in acquiring around EUR 25 million in third-party funding last year is an indication of the high level of trust placed in them by the funding institutions. “We are proud to achieve such top results,” Puhl concluded. 

According to Puhl, the major objectives for the next few years include learning lessons from the pandemic, such as implementing a strategy for the digital transformation of teaching and further advancing the university’s internationalization. For the future, the University of Mannheim will set another thematic focus in the area of sustainability. 

Later in the evening, Prof. Stefan Reichelstein, Ph. D., Endowed Chair of Business Administration and Director of the Mannheim Institute for Sustainable Energy Studies (MISES), gave a presentation entitled “Are the Goals of the Paris Climate Agreement Still Achievable?” In addition, Dr. Kurt Bock was conferred the title of honorary senator during the event. Dr. Bock has been committed to the interests of the University of Mannheim for many years – currently as Chair of BASF’s Supervisory Board. In recognition of their outstanding achievements, four teachers received the University of Mannheim’s Teaching Award. Learn more about this years awards here. 

Text: Dr. Maartje Koschorreck / October 2022