With the certificates of appointment from the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Culture and Science in their hands, the new management of Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts formally took up their work on July 1.
Prof. Dr. Tamara Appel is now officially the Rector of Fachhochschule Dortmund. She had already been Vice Rector for Teaching and Studies since 2019 and had led the university as Deputy Rector since the retirement of Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Schwick. Svenja Stepper has succeeded Jochen Drescher as Chancellor of the UAS, who has also gone into well-deserved retirement. Svenja Stepper had been Head of Administration at the Protestant Church District of Duisburg since 2018.
This completes the new Rectorate as the governing body of Fachhochschule Dortmund. In addition to the Rector and Chancellor, it includes four Vice Rectors: Prof. Dr. Stephan Weyers, Vice-Rector for Teaching and Studies; Prof. Dr. Jörg Thiem, Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer; Dr. Ramona Schröpf, Vice-Rector for Communication and Internationalization; and Prof. Dr. Franz Vogler, Vice-Rector for Sustainability and Digitalization.
Having an impact on society
"This Rectorate stands for an open and sustainable university that has an impact on society and actively shapes transformation processes," emphasizes Prof. Dr. Tamara Appel. "We will now work with the Senate to develop the strategic direction of our university of applied sciences for the coming years. This will be closely based on the new university development plan, which will be further developed in a participatory process with all colleagues from the fall."
One option for the future could be to bring all UAS locations together in the "Hafenquartier Speicherstraße". In collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Science and the City of Dortmund, the UAS is exploring whether and how this location could be used.