Fri, 14 Mar 2008

Eighteen new professorships for Witten-Herdecke University

WITTEN-HERDECKE (NNA) – Germany’s first private university, Witten-Herdecke, is to create an additional 18 professorships by the end of next year, including nine in the faculty of medicine and five in the economics faculty.

This represents one of the largest expansions in the history of the university, the institution said in a press release.

There will also be an increase in student fees.

Two of the chairs will be in the new Institute for Corporate Governance. As the first university institute of its kind, it will undertake research into how the management and supervision of companies can be improved, including issues related to efficiency, culture and ethics.

The global responsibility of companies and international trade relations will also be studied.

The new posts will be financed through state and private funding as well as student fees. Currently the latter contribute seven percent to university finances, but the aim is to raise that share to 25 percent.

A number of models are being investigated, including repayment of fees once students have finished their courses in accordance with their financial means. Grants will still be available.

The innovative elements in Witten-Herdecke’s medical course, with the doctor-patient relationship a high priority, have enjoyed high regard despite a critical report about aspects of the course from the German Science Council in 2005. Restructuring measures by the university resolved those issues.

Last year, Witten-Herdecke medical students came top in the standard final state medical examinations in Germany. The economics faculty was also among the leaders in rankings in various magazines.

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Item: 080314-02EN Date: 14 March 2008

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