Dr. Horst Henrici appointed to another eight-year term as Chancellor of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

Dr. Henrici has been Chancellor of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar since 2015. Within the University’s Presidium, he is responsible for the departments of Finance, Human Resources, Real Estate and Legal Affairs. The Chancellor also supervises the non-academic staff and the University’s Budget Officer. The University Assembly, which consists of the members of the Senate and the external members of the University Council, re-elected Dr. Henrici in November 2021. His second term for eight additional years will begin on 1 January 2023. State Secretary Carsten Feller, who presented the certificate of appointment in person, was pleased with Dr. Henrici’s re-election.

»Dr. Horst Henrici is an experienced higher education manager who has stayed the course for ‘his’ university through thick and thin«, said State Secretary for Science Carsten Feller on the occasion of the presentation of the certificate. The challenges he has faced include amendment of the Thuringian Higher Education Act right at the beginning of his first term in office, negotiations on the current framework agreement, management of the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing consultations on the consequences of the energy crisis in the higher education sector, as well as upcoming construction projects such as the Coudraystraße campus, modernisation of the university administration and recruitment of qualified staff.

»Dr. Henrici has safely steered the Bauhaus-Universität safely through a turbulent era. He is a highly regarded dialogue partner for the Ministry of Science in all matters of higher education policy in Thuringia. I look forward to continuing our work with him. «

Dr. Henrici’s first term in office was marked by change. On behalf of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, he first needed to help shape the framework agreement on higher education funding between the state and the universities while simultaneously introducing reforms to the distribution of funds within the university. In parallel with the amendment of the Thuringian Higher Education Act, which involved wide-ranging structural changes and reorganisation of the business plan, it was necessary to plan and implement a modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that provides IT support to the financial and human resources administration. On this basis, the Bauhaus-Universität now serves as the sponsoring university of the ERP University Competence Centre for seven Thuringian universities.

Central challenges to be met included the implementation of dedicated space requirement analysis, planning of the initial construction phase for the development of the Coudraystraße campus with the renovation of faculty building C7 and the new laboratory building C13D and a number of renovation measures at various locations of the growing university, including expansion to include the Schwanseestraße campus.

The planning for the second term includes the university as the building owner assuming responsibility for construction projects. This is a huge challenge in view of the current risk environment, which includes a shortage of skilled workers, energy price increases and high inflation rates.

The university’s construction projects are all inextricably linked to the aspects of climate protection and sustainability. For example, Dr. Henrici recently bolstered the activities of the Presidium through the appointment of an Environmental Officer. On the basis of an environmental report that is to be updated, key figures will be collected and very specific, visible fields of action will be derived, with such spheres of activity supported and implemented by all members of the university where possible.

Under the title of »Business Process Optimisation«, he also launched a modernisation programme for key administrative processes. The aim is to use digitally supported procedures to make processes more effective and reduce staff workloads.

Something of particular concern to him is personnel development among management and skilled workers, which is to be fostered in a structured manner through the newly launched human resources development programme. It is important to raise the profile of the university as an attractive and reliable employer in the region.

He sees his most important task as ensuring that the central university administration and services of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, as the entity responsible for supporting the academic and scientific activities of the university, constantly and appropriately adjusts to the fast-changing demands of the research, study and artistic spheres.

In the coming years, an exciting task for the entire university and the Chancellor in his second term will be campus development in terms of construction as well as implementation of new teaching and learning formats. All of this will include the resulting adapted space concepts, which steer away from exponential growth and instead embrace sustainability.

However, the new President is not due to take office until the first quarter of 2023. It is then imperative to build a strong team in the Presidium with a capacity for taking action together quickly. 

About the Chancellor

Born in 1969, Dr. Horst Henrici studied political science in Munich and law in Bremen, Thessaloniki and Würzburg, where he also passed the First State Law Exam. After completing his legal traineeship and the Second State Law Exam in Hamburg and obtaining his doctorate in law (Dr. jur.), he served as Legal Advisor at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus starting in 2002, where he was later responsible for academic and student affairs and taught labour law until 2012. In 2005, he took a position at the Technical University of Berlin. He was initially responsible for admissions and enrolment there, and from 2009 to the end of 2014 he served as Head of Department I – Student Services.

Dr. Henrici is a member of the German university chancellor working groups on »University Personnel«, »Continuing Education« and »University Construction«, a member of the Association for the Promotion of European and German Science Law and of the Administrative Board of TÜV Thüringen e.V.

In a second term of office extending until September 2026, Dr. Henrici will be Spokesperson of the Chancellors of the Central German Universities and thus a representative of the states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt on the federal level.

Since winter semester 2020/2021, Dr. Henrici has been a lecturer at the Technical University of Berlin in the Master’s Degree Programme in Science Management, Higher Education Law module »University Self-Administration in Practice«.

With effect from 1 January 2021, Dr. Henrici was appointed by the Thuringian Higher Administrative Court as an honorary judge (Civil Servant Associate Judge) for the disciplinary panel (federal/state) for a term of five years and by the Thuringian State Labour Court as an honorary judge in the Thuringian labour jurisdiction until 30 June 2026.