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Andreas Marx was inaugurated as the new President of Friedrich Schiller University Jena with a formal ceremony on 28 October 2024. The investiture took place in the presence of the Thuringian Minister of Science Wolfgang Tiefensee, the Lord Mayor of the City of Jena Dr Thomas Nitzsche and numerous invited guests from academia, politics and society as well as the university community.
The tradition of the ceremonial "investiture" at the University of Jena dates back to the 16th century. The term comes from Latin and literally translates as "clothing". And so the new President has now not only officially taken over the duties of the university management - he was also "clothed" accordingly during the ceremony: with a rector’s coat, barrette and chain of office.
The University as a location factor for Jena and Thuringia
"It is a special honour and pleasure for me to stand before you today as President of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Taking on this task fills me with great gratitude and also with humility," said Prof. Marx in his speech. He recognized the University and Jena as a "shining beacon - both nationally and internationally." His greatest motivation for moving to Jena was the desire to "advance this outstanding university location together with all members of the University and to further develop its excellence."In addition to excellent research and outstanding study conditions, the University makes a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the state of Thuringia through the acquisition of third-party funding and value creation, the recruitment of researchers and students, innovation and transfer services, the new President continued. "As a recent study on the regional economic importance of higher education institutions in Thuringia shows, every euro that the Free State invests in their basic funding generates a regional added value effect of 3.64 euros." For Friedrich Schiller University, this means that around 280 million euros in basic funding generates more than 1 billion euros.
Developing and shaping the University
In his opening address, Wolfgang Marquardt, Chairman of the University Council, emphasized the expectations that the University has of its new President: to provide new impetus and set new trends. The aim is to further develop the University with a clever mix of the tried and tested and the new, thereby increasing its reputation and visibility in academia and beyond. "Thank you for accepting this task with great commitment."In his welcoming address, Wolfgang Tiefensee, Minister of Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society of the Free State of Thuringia, recognized the new President as a renowned researcher, university lecturer and science manager and expressed his conviction that Marx will bring his diverse, international experience and perspectives to the office and shape the university.
Jena’s Lord Mayor Dr Thomas Nitzsche and Interim President Georg Pohnert also welcomed the new President to the University and the city of Jena.
Andreas Marx took over as President of the University of Jena in August 2024 after the University Assembly elected him to the office on 9 April. He succeeded Walter Rosenthal.