Unis growing by leaps and bounds across the state:
enrolment at the University of Hohenheim doubles [27.02.12]
Formerly the smallest university in the land, Hohenheim is now home to twice as many students as in 2000 / further growth needed to meet surge in school leavers in 2012
"2012 – Growing Together“ is this year's slogan. At the turn of the millenium there were 4,500 students at the University. Today there are 9,000, and soon there will be as many as 10,000 students. For that reason the University is putting organisation and creativity at the top of the preparation agenda: infoportals via the homepage and daily 11 hr. hotlines are helping many prospective students get oriented. New building leases and a lecture room manager are creating new space. The centralized examination management system is providing for more efficiency. Last but not least, the project Studium 3.0, with its unconventional approaches, is helping to create more creative and high-quality study programmes. Find out more at www.uni-hohenheim.de/growing-together.
Business and economic sciences, nutrition and bioenergy. These are the fields in which the University of Hohenheim has made substantial investments. The expansion programme 2012 alone has given rise to a total of seven new study programmes and seventeen new professorships - a new record.
Once the smallest university in the state, these record-breaking trends are putting the University up against some major challenges: The picturesque and historical campus is, according to student surveys, the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg's most beautiful – yet space is becoming a rare commodity. The enrolment, counselling and examinations mechanisms were originally not designed to deal with the looming figure of 10,000 students.
This presents a particular challenge to the faculty as well. Students are arriving at a faster pace than are new lecturers. To manage the surge, the University is taking steps which are, to a certain extent, unique in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Here are some of the measures:
- Lecture room manager, leased space & a new auditorium. Hohenheim is the first university in the state to hire a lecture room manager. Now lecture rooms are allocated via a central location on the basis of stringent guidelines. Numerous buildings have recently been leased close to the campus. Rund um den Campus mietete sie mehrere Häuser an. The state Ministry of Science supports the University's plans for a 600-seat auditorium. The University of Hohenheim will cover 3.5 million of the estimated 5 million euros building costs for the project.
- Info-portal, online application & daily 11 hr. hotline. Even stronger as the surge in the number of first-semester students is the number of applicants for a study place (+300% since the year 2000). The University offers info-portals for prospective students containing films of the study programmes, complete online application materials and an 11 hr. hotline daily during the application crunch time.
- Canteen annexe, café & self-service catering. Student Services, caterers and students alike all want to feed the growing hunger of the student body. That is why Student Services is planning to expand the canteen. A bistro is expected to be opened near the perimeter of the campus and students themselves are working to expand the Thomas-Mutzer-Scheuer to include self-service facilities at lunchtime and a beer garden
- Quality plus quantity thanks to Studium 3.0. Coaching, self-development, research right from the start – and a didactics consultant for professors to acquire newer, more radical teaching techniques. Studium 3.0 encompasses a plethora of award-winning projects to ensure that quality does not suffer at the hands of quantity.
For this year's slogan, the University has chosen "2012 - GROWING TOGETHER".
For the President of the University of Hohenheim, Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Liebig, the rationale behind this choice of slogan is clear. "The year 2012 will be full of challenges. One of the greatest for us is to fulfil our social obligation to provide education by opening our doors to more prospective students than ever before."
Text: Klebs / Transl. O'Mealy
