Driving Force for Internationalization: The Association of Friends of TU Dortmund University Celebrates it 60th Anniversary
- Campus & Culture
- Higher Education Policy
The Association of Friends of TU Dortmund University (GdF) celebrated its 60th anniversary on October 9th with a ceremony in the International Meeting Center (IBZ). As one of the few funding associations that was founded before the actual existence of a university, the GdF contributed significantly to the creation of today’s university. The leading personalities from economics and science of the 1950s and 60s, such as Hoesch board member Dr. Willy Ochel, steel construction entrepreneur Günter Jucho or the later founding president Professor Martin Schmeißer convinced the policymakers in the state government of the necessity for a technical university in Dortmund.
“Of course, we appreciate this pioneering period and the many milestones up to the present day. However, the venue of our event was not chosen by chance. The construction of the IBZ nine years ago, which we initiated and supported to a large extent, was a prominent milestone, physical proof of TU Dortmund University’s successful leap into internationality. We want to continue to drive this development forward in the future,” said Guido Baranowski, chairman of the Executive Board of the Association of Friends of TU Dortmund University.
Over the past ten years, the number of foreign students and professors, guest researchers and international events has risen steadily. The GdF participates in this process by actively supporting numerous projects with an international, academic focus. Among other things, the GdF and its strong partners have launched the International Career Fair, which brings companies together with foreign students. “Business, science, politics and administration – the attractiveness of our location is close to the hearts of all those involved. We all want the highly qualified next generation to remain with us. It not only makes our companies more competitive, but also greatly enriches our society,” said Wulf-Christian Ehrich, chairman of the GdF. “This is why we must jointly maintain this momentum with our support. We can do this with future-oriented topics such as ‘artificial intelligence’. In many areas, we have to face up to international competition. The key is to think ahead.”
Dr. Georg Kottmann, one of the longest-serving members of the GdF with 25 years of membership, is also aware of the increasing importance of internationality: “In the course of globalization, science and research also network worldwide. Therefore, international contacts are of enormous importance for TU Dortmund University in order to remain competitive and fit for the future.” Just as important is the networking of the university on a national level and in the region.
The GdF believes that it is well positioned for the challenges ahead. The many individual memberships are a decisive reason – they are extremely valuable. The structural change has also given society a multiple based economy with an extraordinarily well-situated middle class. “We are committed to fundamentally developing the network of members. In particular, we want to offer those who have studied here prospects in the region and bind them more closely to the GdF,” said Baranowski. This means bringing young people into entrepreneurship with targeted programs such as the innovation laboratory supported by the GdF.
Furthermore, the GdF Executive Board hopes that the state government will also provide greater support in this regard. In particular, the financial resources of the universities in general, but especially of TU Dortmund University, should be better than they currently are. This is the only way to develop the full potential of Dortmund/NRW as a top science and business location. After all, science is the source of value creation.
About the GdF:
The Association of Friends of TU Dortmund University (GdF) was founded on February 10, 1958 by the Dortmund Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Its aim was to promote the establishment of a “Technical University" in Dortmund. Its first chairman was Dr. Friedrich Stiegler, president of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and former CEO of the energy supplier VEW. From a merger of initially 50 leading personalities from science, business and politics, a support association grew, which today has around 500 members. The GdF supports the projects and activities of TU Dortmund University in a variety of ways. These include the operation of the guest house, the annual awarding of prizes to the best students, the construction of the International Meeting Center and the support of scientific congresses and international exchange. Guido Baranowski has been chairman of the GdF since 2016. Honorary chairman is Professor Bodo Weidlich.