Twenty years after graduating, around 30 graduates of the International Business study program met up again in Dortmund to reminisce about their time studying together at the Fachhochschule Dortmund's Faculty of Business Studies and to talk about how their studies have changed.
When thinking about Dortmund's export hits, terms such as beer or soccer usually come to mind. However, in addition to Borussia Dortmund's youth academy, the city has also been home to a completely different kind of "training ground" for over thirty years: at the Emil-Figge-Straße location, the Fachhochschule Dortmund has been successfully training young international business professionals with its International Business study program.
To kick off their reunion, some alumni from the 2004 graduating class first met at Phoenixsee, the new landmark in the Hörde district. During a jog, alumnus Martin Bieberstein had the idea for the reunion back in spring 2023 and has been preparing it with a team of alumni ever since. The guests then made their way to the University of Applied Sciences, where they looked around the rooms of the Faculty of Business Studies on Emil-Figge-Straße. The alumni reunion was also attended by some of the teaching staff who supported and shaped the study program, including Dr Henri de Jongste.
Networks with international partners
Prof. Dr. Stephan Weyers, Vice-Rector for Research and Teaching, explained to the alumni how student life and study conditions have changed over the past two decades. For example, new international partners have been added with whom close networks exist. Stephan Weyers emphasized that the International Business study program continues to be very well positioned today and is absolutely competitive compared to other universities of applied sciences.
In the spirit of internationality, there was a special moment for those present at the end of the ceremony: A graduate, who unfortunately was unable to travel to Dortmund, called in live via video call from her adopted home of Singapore and provided an additional highlight of the day with a keynote speech on stress management.
The alumni were very satisfied with the event and took away the overall impression that their study program will remain attractive to new students in the future. And it will not be the last reunion of the year. The plan is to revive the Dortmund Christmas market as a meeting place for the study program so that it doesn't take another twenty years until the next reunion.