News in detail

The Senate of the University of Konstanz elected new vice rectors in its meeting on 10 March 2021. The election was necessary after the University of Konstanz’s new rector, Professor Katharina Holzinger, took office on 24 February 2021. Along with the election, the positions now include new responsibilities. This reorganization reflects current developments at the university as well as the main fields of action in the coming years. The new vice rectors were elected for a period of three years starting on 1 April 2021.

Professor Dorothea Debus from the Department of Philosophy is the new Vice Rector for International Affairs, Equal Opportunity and Diversity. In the area of “international affairs”, the vice rector will establish new international relationships and build upon existing international initiatives in addition to giving new orientation for relationships with partner universities in the post-Brexit United Kingdom. In the fields of “equal opportunity and diversity”, she will support and strategically promote the university’s central values like diversity, exchange and inclusion. The vice rector strives to strengthen and expand the university’s culture of creativity (“creative.together”).

Professor Malte Drescher (Department of Chemistry) has been a member of the University of Konstanz Rectorate since 2018. He was re-elected and has taken on additional responsibilities as Vice Rector for Research, Academic Staff Development and Research Infrastructure. One particular focus of his tenure will be to prepare the university for the next round of the Excellence Strategy competition. In the area of “Academic Staff Development”, Professor Drescher will focus on researchers in early stages of their careers. Including “research infrastructure" in the new title reflects the key role this topic plays in research, teaching and strategic development.

Chemistry professor Christine Peter was elected as the new Vice Rector for Sustainability, Information and Communication Technology / CIO. The vice rector’s added responsibility for “sustainability” positions this topic at the highest level of leadership at the university. This, in turn, strengthens the university’s goal of involving this topic more extensively at every level of the university – institutionally as well as in research and teaching. In the area of “Information and Communication Technology”, one key responsibility will be supporting and implementing the university’s e-science strategy. As before, the vice rector is responsible for the university’s information technology as Chief Information Officer (CIO).

Professor Michael Stürner was re-elected as Vice Rector for Teaching. The law professor has held this position since October 2019 and, for the next three years, he will continue to oversee developments in studying and teaching at the university – especially with regard to the e-science strategy. His will continue to place particular emphasis on ensuring the best possible conditions for studying and teaching during the coronavirus pandemic. The vice rector will also focus on university-level continuing education, the continual improvement of training for teachers as well as on the area of transfer.

“I congratulate the new vice rectors on their election. They take on this responsibility during a particularly dynamic period at our university, where there are enormous advancements being made while, at the same time, we also face great challenges. The reorganization of the four positions reflects the main strategic fields of action that will shape our university in the coming years. I really look forward to working closely with the new Rectorate team”, says Rector Katharina Holzinger.

Further information about the four vice rectors

Key facts:

• The Senate of the University of Konstanz elected new vice rectors in its meeting on 10 March 2021
• Professor Dorothea Debus elected as Vice Rector for International Affairs, Equal Opportunity and Diversity
• Professor Malte Drescher re-elected as Vice Rector for Research, Academic Staff Development and Research Infrastructure with expanded responsibilities
• Professor Christine Peter elected as Vice Rector for Sustainability, Information and Communication Technology / CIO
• Professor Michael Stürner re-elected as Vice Rector for Teaching