Iris Litty as Chancellor at the University of Siegen: A new beginning!

Iris Litty as Chancellor at the University of Siegen: A new beginning!

On April 28, 2025, it was announced that the University of Siegen's search committee was proposing Iris Litty for election as Chancellor. The decision of the university election assembly on this proposal will be made on May 5, 2025. Iris Litty, a native of Bielefeld and an experienced university manager, has an impressive academic career that began with studying law at Bielefeld University. She passed her first state law examination in 1999 and successfully completed her legal clerkship at the Bielefeld Regional Court.

She also acquired an additional qualification as a qualified business lawyer (IDB). She started her professional career in 2004 at the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, where she worked as an EU consultant and head of the Leonardo office. In 2008 she moved to Bielefeld University as EU research manager. In Bochum, she set up the research funding department at Bochum University in 2015 before heading the legal department at the Ruhr University Bochum. Since 2020 she has been Chancellor of the Evangelical University of Rhineland-Westphalia-Lippe in Bochum.

Competencies and responsibilities

Iris Litty, who is 50 years old and has an adult son, is proposed unanimously on a list of one. The search committee is convinced of her professional and personal suitability for the position of Chancellor. In this role, she would lead the university administration and act as a supervisor for the technical and administrative staff. She is also responsible for economic and human resources administration as well as budget management.

Andreas Düngen will be responsible for managing the business during the vacancy. The search committee, consisting of three members of the Senate and three members of the University Council, submitted the election proposal in accordance with the basic rules of the University of Siegen. Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Risch, the spokesman for the search committee, and Dr. Ute Wagner, his deputy, plays a crucial role in this selection process. Over twenty candidates applied, with a personnel agency supporting the search committee.

International mobility projects

Parallel to the developments at the University of Siegen, the Leonardo Office at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences has focused on a goal that is important for many students: improving career entry opportunities after completing their studies. As part of several mobility projects for students and graduates, a total volume of over 491,000 euros is being mobilized together with partner institutions, including the universities of Bielefeld, Paderborn, Siegen and Münster.

The projects not only strengthen the technical and intercultural skills of the scholarship holders, but also offer companies the opportunity to benefit from the universities' latest know-how. Scholarship holders gain insights into work processes through internships lasting at least three months and acquire practical specialist knowledge and key qualifications. Finally, the completion of a Europe-wide internship is documented with a qualified certificate and the Europass Mobility.

For further information about the projects, those interested can visit the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences website, where details are provided along with the application requirements.

In an ever-changing higher education environment, the focus on high-quality teaching and practical training remains crucial. The new developments both at the University of Siegen and in the mobility projects show how universities in the region are taking initiatives to improve teaching and learning conditions and to best prepare their students for the challenges of the labor market.