University Council and Senate Elect New Vice Presidents

Whereas the President of TU Dortmund University is elected for eight years, the term of office of the Vice Presidents is only six years under the university’s constitution. Consequently, the term of the four Vice Presidents who took up office alongside Professor Manfred Bayer in 2020 ends on 31 August of this year. In assembling his team for the remaining two years of his current term, President Manfred Bayer opted for a combination of experienced and new members of the Rectorate, and for a smaller team: from now on there will once again be only four Vice Presidents, rather than the five most recently in office. The International Affairs and Diversity portfolios are to be merged.

Planned Distribution of Portfolios

The University Elective Assembly, composed of the University Council and the Senate, elected the three Vice Presidents by a large majority. Although the election is not tied to a specific portfolio, the planned allocation of responsibilities was already announced at the meeting: Professor Gerhard Schembecker will continue to be responsible for Finance. Professor Sabine Hornberg will take over the portfolios of Academic Affairs and Teaching as the new Vice President, while Professor Maximiliane Wilkesmann will unite the hitherto separate portfolios of Diversity and International Affairs. Professor Petra Wiederkehr, who has been Vice President Diversity since 2023, will change portfolios and devote herself to Research and Academic Careers. Having been closely involved in the application of the Ruhr Innovation Lab for the Excellence Strategy funding program, she will ensure continuity with regard to the close research cooperation with Ruhr University Bochum.

As chairperson of the University Elective Assembly, Senate Chair Professor Lorenz Schwachhöfer was the first to congratulate the newly elected members of the Rectorate: “I wish you great success in your new roles and look forward to our exchange in the university’s governing bodies.” The Chair of the University Council, Professor Johanna Weber, described the nomination process: “The President holds the right to nominate his team. A diversity of disciplinary cultures is as beneficial as a shared understanding of the university’s lines of development. Professor Manfred Bayer has shown a good instinct for the right mix, as the broad majority in today’s election demonstrates.” The President in turn took the opportunity to thank the three outgoing Vice Presidents for their commitment: “Work in the Rectorate demands not only a great deal of time, but at times a great deal of skill in mediation and facilitation as well. I thank my colleagues for all the effort they have invested for the good of the university, and wish them much joy in being able to devote themselves once more to their own research and teaching projects. I am confident that we will be able to continue the successful work with the new team.”