University boards were introduced in almost all German states from 1998 onwards following changes to higher education law. External Board members - usually appointed from business, politics, culture, or other research institutions - bring an outside perspective to the developments of a university. In the state of Baden-Württemberg, they also decide on the budget and development plans, and play a major role in the election of the university senior management.
"In more than two decades, the University Board has given important impulses and set crucial parameters for the development of the University of Tübingen," said the University President, Professor Karla Pollmann. "Its voice is a gauge helping the university continually to reflect on its strategic orientation, its position in the field of research-intensive universities, and also its role in society."
For example, the Tübingen University Board played a key role in shaping the University’s Excellence Strategy. It oversaw significant reforms such as the restructuring of the Faculties and the implementation of the Bologna Process as well as the negotiations of the University financing agreements with the state. And it advised the University on many important issues, including internationalization, the founding of the Teacher Training Center, the Center for Islamic Theology, and the Cyber Valley.
Board meeting minutes also show that the student housing shortage has been under discussion from the Board’s first term of office. The University’s building projects have been another ongoing topic for discussion. In the current meeting, the focus was on further building planning and space management. "A university of excellence also requires excellent accommodation. In view of the university’s 550th anniversary in 2027, the renovation backlog of more than one billion euros should be at least partially resolved by one or the other signature project," says Bernhard Sibold.
Another issue for the next few years will be the shortage of skilled workers - together with the regional economy, the University Board and the University seek to combat this proactively by increasingly bringing together talented young people with suitable companies.
For Christiane Neumann, former executive director of the Leibniz Association, the anniversary meeting was also her last: After nine years of affiliation - the state university law does not allow more - she bade farewell. Sibold thanked her for her excellent and reliable support, based on her many years of experience in prominent leadership positions in research and academic organizations.
Lena Ganschow attended this meeting of the University Board for the first time as a guest. Following her election by the University Senate, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science appointed her as a new member as of December 1. Ganschow studied biology in Tübingen and Boston and wrote her thesis under Nobel Prize winner Professor Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology. While still a student, she decided to immerse herself fully in the media world. She volunteered at the regional broadcaster, Südwestrundfunk, and has since hosted numerous programs and TV documentaries. Since 2023, she has presented "ARD Wissen" - a new documentary format on the German public broadcasting channel ARD. Since 2021, she has also been a lecturer for media and presentation training at the National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik).
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