Münster professor goes to the New School: A historic step!

Münster professor goes to the New School: A historic step!

Prof. Dr. Gerald Echterhoff from the University of Münster will take over the Theodor Heuss Professorship at the New School for Social Research (NSSR) in New York for two semesters from September 2025. He is the first scientist from his institution to receive this renowned visiting professorship. The NSSR, one of the leading social science universities in the USA, has a long tradition of German-American scientific cooperation that goes back to the 1930s.

Founded in 1919, the New School was a safe haven for many social scientists and humanities scholars fleeing the Nazi regime. The well-known personalities who taught there include Hannah Arendt, Erich Fromm, Hans Jonas and Leo Strauss. Gerald Echterhoff, who has been working at the University of Münster since 2010, specializes in social and motivational influences on cognition, memory, communication and group relationships.

Research focus during the stay

During his stay in New York, Echterhoff will work on topics such as refugee migration and the integration of refugees, which are also part of the research profile of the University of Münster. He will collaborate with the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at NSSR to conduct significant research projects in these areas.

The Theodor Heuss Professorship, which was created in 1962 with the support of the federal government, is awarded annually to outstanding German scientists from various disciplines. In addition to Jürgen Habermas and Niklas Luhmann, the former owners also include Reinhart Koselleck and Hans Mommsen. The last winner was Christina Morina from Bielefeld University.

Historical context of the professorship

The history of the Heuss Professorship dates back to 1933, when the University in Exile was founded to offer refuge to scientists fleeing the Third Reich. Over the next two decades, nearly 200 mostly Jewish scholars found security and support for their academic work at the New School. These scholars formed the core of the Faculty of Social Sciences and contributed significantly to the academic landscape of the New School.

Theodor Heuss, the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany, attended the New School in 1958 and was awarded an honorary doctorate. He suggested the establishment of a professorship to strengthen the bond between Germany and the USA. The professorship was finally founded in 1962, initially on an experimental basis, followed by permanent funding from the German state in the 1970s.

Every year, the NSSR and German institutions appoint leading scholars from social sciences and other disciplines to promote intellectual transatlantic relations. Gerald Echterhoff's appointment as Theodor Heuss Professor is another step in this tradition focused on the exchange of knowledge and cultures.