1,000 new students welcomed to the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
»You chose to study in Weimar--and we chose you«. President (Rector) Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karl Beucke greeted the new students on behalf of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar with these words on 17 October 2013.
About 1,000 students registered in one of the 40 degree programmes at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar for winter semester 2013/14. In comparison to previous years, the number of beginning students has remained high. One of every five new students comes from another country than Germany, all told from 60 different countries, especially China, India, Vietnam, Columbia and the Russian Federation. In particular, the English-language master’s degree programmes in the areas of computer science and civil engineering are in high demand by international students.
The Matriculation Ceremony in pictures
In his speech, the president referred to the university as a place that houses the collectivity of knowledge and encouraged the students to look beyond their own areas of interest and take advantage of the possibilities that the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar offers. »We design the future of our environments here at our university. Be a part of it!«
Jana de Rudder, deputy of Social Affairs, Youth and Education for the city of Weimar, welcomed the «new Weimarians« in the name of the city and encouraged them to actively engage with the community. Weimar is a city for students. »You have the right to call on that reputation.«
Two Bauhaus-Universität Weimar alumni, Alf Mehlig and Karsten Koch, now managing director of Bencer Project Management in Shanghai and IT-Consultant Communardo Software GmbH in Dresden, respectively, reminisced about their experiences during their studies in the 1990’s, when computers were scarce and there was still no internet. They also talked about the time »after,« which led them to different countries and continents and also held professional highs and lows. The two graduates bolstered the students, telling them to expand their vision beyond the boundaries of their own studies and to always go their own way.
Four members of the StudierendenKonvents, the student government, welcomed the students as well, promoted active involvement in university life and gave them helpful tips for their studies.
The official part of the ceremony ended in the foyer of the university library, where guests of the event mingled with university employees and professors and toasted the beginning of the students’ studies.
The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar once again awarded several prizes during the ceremony. Eight students and promising researchers and artists received the university prizes for excellent performance in the sciences and art and design. The university honoured Emir Ersahin from Turkey with the DAAD prize for his efforts and engagement in a good international climate at the university.