The University of Stuttgart's annual celebration took place on Friday, November 15, accompanied by the vibrant melodies of the Academic Orchestra's string quartet. Numerous guests from academia, business, and society, along with students and staff, gathered in the grand lecture hall on Campus City Center.
The new rector reflects on the past year
Prof. Peter Middendorf, who succeeded Prof. Wolfram Ressel as Rector at the beginning of October, reflected on the events of 2024. Middendorf presented highlights from research, teaching and studies, knowledge and technology transfer as well as campus life.
Diversity defines research at the University of Stuttgart, spanning excellence to collaborative endeavors, and from fundamental investigations to application-oriented innovations. In his review of the year, Middendorf reported on the four initiatives for Clusters of Excellence that were approved for application in 2024 and listed successful Transregio projects, research training groups, large collaborative projects, special research projects and ERC grants. "Together, they form the foundation of the University of Stuttgart's cutting-edge research”. The University's research excellence is also evident in the numerous prestigious awards received over the academic year, including the Rolf Schock Award, the Leibniz Prize, the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, and the Amelia Earhart Award.
“At the University of Stuttgart, research and teaching are closely linked in the Humboldtian sense,” said Middendorf. Using examples from the fields of biochemistry and biotechnology, he showed how curricula and structures in teaching and studies can be further developed in line with modern times. In addition to studying, lifelong learning is also becoming increasingly important, and the University of Stuttgart is expanding its range of continuing education courses with new corporate collaborations, new courses, for example in the field of AI, and specialized certificates, so-called “microcredentials”.
The university is also well positioned in the area of knowledge and technology transfer: Stuttgart is “extremely strong in terms of external funding”, emphasized Peter Middendorf, “we are among the top three universities in Germany”. One of the major innovations in the area of knowledge and technology transfer is the TRACES transfer center, which supports students and employees with transfer projects.
Last but not least, Middendorf reflected on campus life: The establishment of the University of Stuttgart Foundation, a vibrant Science Day in early summer and many exciting contributions to the Stuttgart Science Festival in the fall were among the highlights mentioned. Middendorf praised student initiatives such as the Rennteam and Campus Beach and thanked students for standing up for their university - for example as part of the demonstration for secure university funding, which took place in the afternoon on November 15.
Bastian Kupka, board member of the student representative body stuvus, and Ina Maier from the status group Akademischer Mittelbau, also reflected on the university year in their words of welcome. They also expressed their enthusiasm for building a strong working relationship with the new Rector and Chancellor Anna Steiger.
Lecture: Freedom and Democracy – It is impossible to have one without the other
Building on the Year of Science's theme, "Freedom," political scientist and sociologist Prof. André Bächtiger delivered an engaging keynote speech, guiding the audience through a fascinating thought experiment. His team posed a compelling question to around 5,000 people: How would you design a democracy, whether on Earth or Mars? Mars was used as a metaphor intended to stimulate utopian thinking about democratic architectures. The survey revealed that citizens are keenly aware of the strengths and limitations inherent in every system of democratic decision-making. So-called “multicameral systems”, which combine the strengths of direct and parliamentary democracy, were therefore seen by many as desirable. For Bächtiger, freedom and democracy go hand in hand. Without freedom, there is no democracy.
This annual celebration also provides a platform for honors and meaningful discussions.
The annual celebration also provided a worthy setting for the presentation of the Bürkert University Prizes. Ten students and three doctoral candidates were honored for their outstanding theses and dissertations.
