Driven To Make a Difference
Student Engagement at the University of Mannheim
Nothing would be going on at the University of Mannheim without its students. They come to campus to learn, to do research and to shape their future. But many of them want more – they invest their free time in projects, ideas or officeholding to improve academic conditions on campus or to help others, for example. In this FORUM issue, we showcase some of these student changemakers to highlight their involvement.
First is Clara Schünemann, who talks about her work as co-chair of the general student committee, or Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss (AStA), in a joint interview with President Prof. Dr. Thomas Puhl. This is followed by short profiles of four students involved in the university supervisory board, the student parliament, the school council and the departmental student committee.
In an article about student organizations in the focus section, Luis van Ledden and Andreas Edte explain what’s so special about their work with AIESEC and the Google Developer Student Club (GDSC). Lennart Böttcher and Carolina Kambeitz, two recipients of the Deutschland Scholarship, talk about their experience volunteering with the workers’ welfare association (AWO) and “Müttersprache,” a local non-profit association.
Minghao Lei is full of praise for his mentor Shivam Suchak – the two international students met through the Study Peers program run by the International Office. In the article, they talk about their beginnings in Mannheim. The group of students volunteering to help others also includes Jana Steinhauer and Valentin Martus, two students enrolled in teacher training programs who serve as tutors for Mannheim high school students as part of a Service Learning course.
Schneckenhof Party is probably a household term for just about every Mannheim student. In an interview with FORUM, Emma Potocnik and Finn Argent explain how these events are organized, and by whom. Finally, we met with Anna-Maria Rohe, who single-handedly built up the Local Learner Chapter of ENGAGE.EU, the European university alliance.
It would arguably take ten times the number of pages for this magazine to present all of the university’s organizations, projects and dedicated students. For now, the idea is to offer you a glimpse of the activities our students are pursuing on a daily basis. Read on …
