"I felt like the world was unlocked to me"
Why did you come to TU Dortmund University back then?
I knew early on that I wanted to study mathematics and physics - two subjects that are represented at many university locations. Since I come from a household that definitely had to think about the money for studying, it was clear: the university had to be within commuting distance from Hamm, my home at the time.
The campus appealed to me, looked nice. Then my mother, who accompanied me on the exploration, and I met another friendly person on campus and my heart was already won. And indeed, I have never regretted the decision.
How did your studies shape your life and career path?
It has been a great foundation for a lot of things. In fact, mathematics quickly proved to be a good decision, and I then switched from physics to economics. From today's perspective, I would say that the systemic element attracted me to both sciences. In the end, economics was my first choice because I was closer to people than to particles, to put it bluntly. The university provided an environment where I felt really challenged intellectually. There was a lot of input, I got the opportunity to develop, and made long-lasting friendships.
I was at the end of my undergraduate studies when Prof. Wolfgang Leininger came to Dortmund, with whom I later also did my doctorate. He gave lectures in such a way that I had the feeling that the world was being opened up to me. In other words, exactly the way I would like it to be for my students. I was totally captivated by that. So I stayed in Dortmund after graduating and did my doctorate in the field of economics.
Do you have a very special memory of your time at TU Dortmund University - in your studies, in research or in your private life?
I met my husband at university - that, of course, tops everything. We met at a dance class of the university sports, just as you would expect. In general, the dance group was important for me. There were dance tournaments twice a year with dancers from all over Germany and later from the Netherlands, always at a different university. Dortmund was very active in this context. We also organized a tournament in Dortmund once - I still have fond memories of that.
In terms of my studies, it was also a formative experience that when I started studying mathematics, there was only one female assistant and no female professor. There were also few women among the students. That shaped me early as I learned how a male-dominated working world works. That was already an important impression. This social environment with few other women is something I wish were different for young women today. They were great professors, each a great guy in his own right, but simply too homogeneous as a group.
You are Vice President for University Culture and Quality at the University of Marburg - would you have thought at the beginning of your studies that you would end up doing a job like this?
Not at all, no. I was interested in science, I wanted to do research. But there were hardly any role models for girls and women - I noticed that at school already, where I was one of the few girls who had chosen math and physics as advanced courses. Even Lise Meitner was not mentioned in the physics textbooks at that time. Our physics teacher was a great supporter and even wrote a letter to textbook publishers with us because of it. I studied Meitner's work and so this woman became a role model for me. That is why I always had the feeling that I would like to do science.
She is credited with saying that her life does not always have to be easy, if only it were exciting. That was an incredible motivator for me.
There was no role model for female professors, that was a very remote idea. But if I had dared to formulate it inwardly like that, I would have already said that being a scientist is a profession I would like to have. University management is, of course, something you do not imagine as a student.
Do you have any tips for students starting college now?
Yes. Do not compromise with yourself, study what you feel like and do not be impressed by what others say - for example, that you cannot find a job with your degree. Listen inside yourself to what your passion is, do that. Also, think outside the box and do something crazy that does not fit your field.
We do not know how the job market is going to look like in ten years. Those who are starting to study today are now 18 or 19. This generation will probably work until they are 70, which is still over 50 years. If we go back 50 years from today and look at IT: That is when people were working with punch cards or magnetic tapes - no one could have imagined Big Data.
Since then, technological change has been consistently rapid, and with it societal change. So we do not know for what kind of society the young people who are at university today are learning. For me, that means they should educate themselves in such a way that they can keep learning and remain curious.
With curiosity then also applies: Studying is simply a great time.
That is true, and above all it is great that they simply associate a lot of good things with Dortmund and their time here at the university.
Absolutely. The university is a home - to this day. I did not grow up in Dortmund at all, but was born in Bochum, grew up in Hamm and only went to Dortmund to study. Nevertheless, Dortmund is the place about which I say: "That is home”. Actually, it is the whole Ruhr Area. I like going to the Ruhr with friends because I want to show them how beautiful it all is - especially how great the people are here.
