Change of chancellor at the University of Konstanz: Kreysing takes over!

Change of chancellor at the University of Konstanz: Kreysing takes over!

On May 19, 2025, Dr. Matthias Kreysing elected as the new Chancellor of the University of Konstanz. The election took place in a meeting open to the university in the university's auditorium, which began at 2 p.m. Dr. Kreysing, who is currently Vice President of the University of Hildesheim Foundation, succeeded Jens Apitz, who has held the position since 1999. Kreysing will take up his new position on December 1, 2025.

The responsibilities of Dr. Kreysing's role as chancellor includes key areas such as budget and personnel matters, construction and renovation planning, legal issues and administrative tasks. His term of office is eight years. The search committee, which was responsible for filling the position of chancellor, consisted of ten members: five from the University Council and five from the Senate. The advisory members of the commission also included a representative of the Ministry of Science, the Equal Opportunities Commissioner and the Commissioner for the Severely Disabled.

Insights into the career

Dr. Kreysing has a degree in business administration (BA) and studied social sciences at the University of Göttingen and the London School of Economics. After completing his doctorate in 2003 at the University of Göttingen, he worked as a faculty developer. His previous positions include managing the dean's office of the Medical Faculty at the University of Hamburg and heading the controlling department at the University of Göttingen.

The choice of Dr. Kreysing takes place against the background of dynamic higher education policy in Germany. This includes government measures to promote and influence teaching and research at universities. Higher education policy is characterized by a complex network of actors and processes within policy development, which is differentiated at different levels - EU, federal and state levels. The need for multi-level governance leads to tensions that result from the distributed competencies and the different functional logics of politics and science.

Challenges in higher education policy

There is no centrally controlled and coherent higher education policy in Germany. Instead, numerous actors with their own dynamics characterize the system. Overarching trends such as the Bologna Process, quality assurance systems and an increased competitive orientation shape the current university landscape. In order to meet the challenges in control and reduce the existing tensions, intermediary actors were installed by the state.

In summary, the choice of Dr. Matthias Kreysing said that the University of Konstanz continues to rely on strong leadership in order to operate successfully in a complex university environment. The coming years are likely to be promising for both the university and Dr. Kreysing will be decisive.

For more information, readers can visit the official website of the University of Konstanz and the University of Hildesheim access. The project also offers... University policy in Germany deeper insights into the current structures and challenges.