New faces at the university council

Prof. Dr. Josef Pfeilschifter and Dr. Frank-Jürgen Weise strengthen FAU board

The Bavarian State Ministry of Sciences, Research and the Arts has, as scheduled, reappointed the external members of the university council at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). The board’s four-year term began on 1 October and welcomed two new members, Prof. Dr. Josef M. Pfeilschifter (Universität Frankfurt/Main) and Dr. Frank-Jürgen Weise (German Federal Employment Agency, Nuremberg). Rupert Stadler (CEO of Audi AG) and Prof. Eberhart Zrenner (Universität Tübingen) resigned at their own request.

The FAU’s decision-making body is made up of eight individuals from the fields of business, science and society, together with the university senators. “I am delighted that the majority of external members have expressed their willingness to continue in their roles within the FAU’s university council”, says university president Prof. Karl-Dieter Grüske. “I would like to thank the two outgoing members, Rupert Stadler and Prof. Eberhart Zrenner, for showing such great commitment over the past years in this honorary position”.

The following members will continue to carry out their duties as decision-makers and initiators:

• Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Freund, director of the department for Chemical Physics at the Fritz-Haber Institute of the Max-Planck Society
• Prof. Dr. Carl Friedrich Gethmann, Universität Duisburg-Essen, department for Philosophy
• Dr. Bernd Rödl, founder of Rödl & Partner GbR, accountants, tax consultants, lawyers
• Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler, partner of the Schaeffler Group
• Prof. Dr. Klaus Wucherer, chairman of the supervisory board of Infineon Technologies AG
• Ulrich Wilhelm, director of Bayerischer Rundfunk

additions to the university council:

• Prof. Dr. Josef M. Pfeilschifter, head of Medicine at the Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main
• Dr. h.c. Frank-Jürgen Weise, chairman of the executive board of the German Federal Employment Agency

The members of the board will elect a chairperson at their first session on 18 November 2011.

“The extremely high calibre of the members of the university council affords us the opportunity to successfully bring together skills, experience and expertise from the fields of science, business and society in a manner appropriate for the range of subjects offered at the FAU, and in turn lets us form a strong board”, says Prof. Grüske. “The university council’s expertise helps us develop innovative solutions and the fact that the members look at the upcoming issues from very different angles is of particular value. In this respect, the lively discussions in the university council are always particularly fruitful.”

In accordance with the Higher Education Act, in addition to the eight external members, the university council also includes internal members in the form of the university’s senators. At present, alongside five professors, they also include a representative from both the academic staff and the non-academic staff, and a student representative. The university’s women’s representative and a second female student representative complete the board of advisory members. As such the FAU exceeds the requirements of the Higher Education Act, which stipulates that one student member must be on the board of the university council. The president, the three vice-presidents and the chancellor also take part in the sessions.

The university council is involved in all decisions that are important to the university, including for example, development planning, university structuring, and the establishment, modification and discontinuation of study courses as well as fundamental issues. Furthermore, the council determines the university’s constitution and voices its opinion on the establishment, modification and discontinuation of facilities for the arts and sciences. It is also responsible for electing the university’s president and the three vice-presidents.

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uni | media service | news No. 250/2011 on 11.10.2011