Cultural Insights for Tomorrow’s Leaders

“I thought this was about art. But it turned out to be about me.” These words of a former scholarship recipient have stuck with Fabian Zimpel. A project manager at Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft (Association of Arts and Culture of the German Economy), Zimpel is responsible for organizing the Bronnbach Scholarship, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The University of Mannheim has been among the association’s partner universities since the program’s inception in 2004.

The one-year scholarship is designed to facilitate students’ personal growth and to enhance their leadership skills through the exploration of art and culture. “What is expected of leaders has changed enormously in recent times,” says Zimpel when explaining the program’s rationale. “It’s no longer just about rigid hierarchies and delegating tasks but also about promoting social interactions. When a scholarship holder is asked to explain to another person why they have painted a picture in a certain way, they start to reflect on themselves and open up to others.”

Beginning with a kick-off weekend at the Bronnbach Monastery – after which the scholarship is named – eight different workshops take place from March until December. Coming together in different venues and receiving guidance from various artists, scholarship recipients explore painting, literature, dance and theater. They are joined at all workshops by curator Konstantin Adamopoulos, who puts together a new program for each cohort and attends all events as a student mentor.

Annual alumni meetings

In the early 2000s, the scholarship emerged from the idea of getting students from majors unrelated to the humanities or cultural studies excited about these issues. “After the concept was finalized, the Kulturkreis approached the University of Mannheim and fell on sympathetic ears right away,” according to Zimpel. “We are extremely happy about this long-standing cooperation.”

In the past 20 years, the Kulturkreis awarded Bronnbach Scholarships to a total of 396 students, 260 of whom were enrolled at the University of Mannheim. The scholarships are primarily intended for graduate students, both master’s and doctoral, “because they typically have some work experience under their belt, for instance through internships,” Zimpel explains. But he is quick to add that undergraduate students have also been accepted to the program. “Aside from good grades, we consider applicants’ social involvement and ask them to explain why they are interested in our scholarship program specifically.”

Once their scholarship year is over, participants get the opportunity to join the Kulturkreis alumni network. According to Zimpel, that network now boasts more than 100 active alumni. “Each summer, we also host our annual Bronnbacher & Friends weekend – an event for the entire network to come together.”