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Viadrina in transition: Dr. Grünberg says goodbye after 33 years!
Dr. Jürgen Grünberg is leaving Viadrina after 33 years. The article highlights his achievements and upcoming university events.
Viadrina in transition: Dr. Grünberg says goodbye after 33 years!
On March 5, 2025, Dr. Jürgen Grünberg said goodbye after 33 years in the presidential office of the European University Viadrina. He began his long and eventful career 35 years ago as the university's founding representative. Grünberg was instrumental in the re-foundation of Viadrina in the post-communist period and oriented the first ideas and efforts in this process. During his time as personal advisor to the founding rector, Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Knut Ipsen, which began in 1992, had a great influence on the development of the university.
Grünberg's involvement went beyond proper coordination. He worked for nine rectors and presidents and played a central role in organizing the Senate and the support group. He has special memories of high-ranking visits, such as that of Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, which highlighted the importance of the Viadrina as an interface between Germany and Poland. He describes the university as his biggest project and looks back proudly on its development.
Important roles and future plans
Grünberg was chairman of the support group until he left and always saw himself in the role of organizer, which gave him a special place in the university. Companions appreciate his modesty, his humor and his loyalty. In retirement, Grünberg plans to pursue his own book projects, including a science fiction novel and his personal memories of the Viadrina. He also expressed the plan to continue visiting the Viadrina as a guest and taking part in events.
His departure comes at a time when Viadrina's excellence in the academic world is being highlighted again. This is also shown by the panel discussion that took place on June 1, 2023 in the Viadrina box hall. Under the theme “German-Polish relations before the Polish parliamentary elections: opportunities, conflicts and (joint) crisis management” the 22nd Viadrina Prize was awarded to the historian and journalist Prof. Dr. habil. Krzysztof Ruchniewicz awarded.
Interdisciplinary exchange
The event, moderated by Prof. Dr. Dagmara Jajeśniak-Quast and Prof. Dr. Timm Beichelt, brought together important voices from German and Polish science. Participants included Irene Hahn-Fuhr, member of the board of LibMod - Center for Liberal Modernity, and Dietmar Nietan, coordinator for German-Polish cooperation at the Foreign Office. Such events illustrate the important role of Viadrina as a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and the promotion of German-Polish relations, which are anchored in a bibliography of the German Poland Institute that covers important topics such as politics, economics and culture.
The work of bibliographers, similar to Grünberg's, often falls into the background while providing the foundation for study and research. The structure of their work allows others to access needed information quickly and efficiently, which is essential to science. The role of Viadrina is not only shaped by individuals, but by a whole network of scientific excellence that will continue to exist in the future.