New interim president: Schölmerich takes over at the University of Göttingen!

New interim president: Schölmerich takes over at the University of Göttingen!

March 1, 2025 marks a significant change at the top of the Göttingen Foundation University. Prof. Dr. Axel Schölmerich has taken over the office of interim president University of Göttingen reported. The University Senate unanimously decided in February 2025 that Schölmerich would be entrusted with the duties of president in order to bridge the transition period until a new president was appointed.

Schölmerich is looking forward to his new position. In the coming weeks, he plans to hold intensive discussions with various stakeholders at the university and the Göttingen campus in order to get to know the university better not only in its academic dimension, but also in its social and cultural context. Initial discussions have already produced positive reactions, which indicates a high willingness to work together.

The history of the decision

Lower Saxony's Science Minister Falko Mohrs had proposed Schölmerich as interim president, a proposal that was discussed in a special session of the Senate and ultimately approved. Mohrs highlights Schölmerich's experience and emphasizes his ability to organize the university's strategic tasks. Loud MWK Lower Saxony The successor had already been discussed confidentially since December last year, which underlines the important role of academic self-administration.

Prof. Dr. Ramin Yahyapour, Speaker of the Senate, and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Andreas Paulus, spokesman for the deans, both praised Schölmerich's persuasiveness and his extensive experience in university committees. Schölmerich himself is aware of his responsibility and emphasizes the central role of the University of Göttingen in research and teaching.

Academic self-government

How academics.de As explained, the Rectorate is at the forefront of a university's academic self-administration. The Minister of Science and the members of the Senate are among the key players in this structure. The Senate, as the central academic collegial body, has the task of ensuring self-administration and making decisions that affect the entire university.

Prof. Dr. Schölmerich has an extensive academic career. Born in 1952, he was rector of the Ruhr University Bochum from 2015 to 2021 and has been researching the social and emotional development of children in different cultural contexts for years. This shows that his appointment at the University of Göttingen is not only intended as a temporary solution, but also offers the opportunity to provide strategic impulses based on his previous experience.

Schölmerich's term as interim president is scheduled to last one year. During this time, he is expected to make decisive decisions for the future of the University of Göttingen and to further consolidate the important role that the university plays in the national and international context.