University of Hildesheim

University of Hildesheim

Universität Hildesheim
Kulturcampus Domäne Marienburg
Type	Public
Established	1946/2003
President	May-Britt Kallenrode
Academic staff	840
Students	8575 (winter semester 2020/21)
Location	Hildesheim , Germany
Website	www.uni-hildesheim.de/

The University of Hildesheim (in German Universität Hildesheim) is a public university located in Hildesheim.

History

Alfeld University of Education (Pädagogische Hochschule Alfeld) - University of Hildesheim

The University of Hildesheim originated from the University of Education in Alfeld established in 1946. Because of the massive destruction of the city of Hildesheim during the Second World War, the university has been relocated in Alfeld, which remained mostly intact. Under its director Hans Abmeier, 110 students were registered in the university in its first academic year in 1946/47, and approximately 50 students for several years after that. The aim of the university was to provide teachers for the Catholic population in the British zone, without religion being a necessary condition for admission. Hans-Otto Knackstedt, chaplain, taught Catholic theology, and Otto Brauckmann, musical director in cathedrals, taught music in the university. Under the director and Catholic philosopher Franz Flintrop, the Alfeld University of Education became independent from the Ministry of Education and finally, under rector Günter Klages, it was relocated back to Hildesheim in 1970 as a department of the University of Education of Lower Saxony (Pädagogische Hochschule Niedersachsen). In 1978 the university became independent once again and was named as Scientific University of Hildesheim under rector Heinz-Wilhelm Alten. In 1989, it was renamed University of Hildesheim by the rector Reinhard Göllner. Ulla Bosse was its first president serving from 1998 until 2002.

Public Foundation University of Hildesheim (Stiftungsuniversität)

On January 1, 2003 the sponsorship of the University of Hildesheim was transferred from the state of Lower Saxony to the public Foundation University of Hildesheim becoming one of the first public universities in Germany. Four other universities in Lower Saxony followed the lead of the University of Hildesheim at the same time, namely the Universities of Göttingen and Lüneburg, the University of Applied Sciences of Osnabrück and the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. The current president of the foundation is May-Britt Kallenrode.

The number of students in the University of Hildesheim reached 8,575 in the winter semester 2020/21. The Department of Education has the highest number of students in the University of Hildesheim, teaching approximately 3,000 students (from which about 13 percent come from different federal states), while the Department of Cultural Studies comes second teaching approximately 1,300 students (from which about 65 percent come from different federal states).

Female students make up about 73 percent of the student body in the university . Furthermore, the number of female professors reaches up to 43 percent exceeding the national average. Equality between women and men, as well as between people of different social, ethnic and religious backgrounds, is an important principle of the University of Hildesheim. Its equality concept was positively reviewed in both rounds of the third phase of the Program for Female Professors, initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the other federal states (2008, 2013).

Rectors and Presidents

The following rectors and presidents were the Head of the University of Hildesheim:

Alfeld University of Education 1945-1969

• 1945–1953: Johannes (Hans) Abmeier, rector
• 1953–1956: Franz Pasternak, rector
• 1956–1959: Hans-Otto Knackstedt, Head of the university
• 1959–1962: Franz Flintrop, Head of the university
• 1962–1966: Wilhelm Rückriem, Head, ab 1963 rector
• 1966–1967: Werner Trillmich, rector
• 1967–1969: Heinrich Maiworm, rector

• 1969: Günther Klages, rector

Deans of the University of Education Lower Saxony- Department of Hildesheim 1969-1978

• 1969–1971: Günter Klages
• 1971–1973: Fro Trommsdorff
• 1973–1976: Dieter Lüttge
• 1976–1978: Heinz-Wilhelm Alten
• 1978: Herbert Kraatz

Rectors of the Scientific University of Hildesheim 1978-1989

• 1978–1979: Herbert Kraatz, appointed rector
• 1979–1981: Heinz-Wilhelm Alten, mathematician, first elected rector of the Scientific University of Hildesheim
• 1981–1983: Dieter Lüttge, psychologist, rector of the Scientific University of Hildesheim
• 1983–1985: Theodor Kreutzkamp, mathematician, rector of the Scientific University of Hildesheim
• 1985–1989: Reinhard Göllner, theologian, rector of the Scientific University of Hildesheim and first rector of the University of  Hildesheim

Rectors and presidents of the University of Hildesheim 1989-2002

• 1989–1991: Ernst Cloer, educationalist, rector of the University of Hildesheim
• 1991–1995: Rudolf Weber, musicologist, rector of the University of Hildesheim
• 1995–1998: Wolfgang Menzel, German philologist and educator, rector of the University of Hildesheim
• 1998–2002: Ulla Bosse, psychologist, first president of the University of Hildesheim
• 2002–2003: Wolfgang-Uwe Friedrich, political scientist, president of the University of Hildesheim

Presidents of the public Foundation University of Hildesheim since 2003

• 2003–2020: Wolfgang-Uwe Friedrich, political scientist, president of the public Foundation University of Hildesheim
• seit 1. Januar 2021: May-Britt Kallenrode, physicist, president of the public Foundation University of Hildesheim
  

Departments and Institutes

The University of Hildesheim is organized into four departments, from which 27 institutes have been established.

First Department: Educational and Social Sciences

•  Institute of Education Studies (Dept. of Applied Education Studies, Dept. of General Educational Studies)
• Institute of Elementary School Didactics and General Studies
• Institute of Psychology
• Institute of Social Sciences
• Institute of Catholic Theology
• Institute of Protestant Theology
• Institute of History
• Institute of Social and Organizational Education
• Institute of Sport Science

Second Department: Cultural Studies and Aesthetic Communication

• Institute of Cultural politics
• Institute of Philosophy
• Institute of literary Writing and literary Studies
• Institute of Media, Theatre and popular Culture
• Institute of Music and Musicology
• Institute of Visual Arts and Art science

Third Department: Linguistics and Information Science

• Institute of German language and Literature
• Institute of English language and Literature
• Institute of intercultural Communication
• Institute of Translation Studies and Specialized Communication
• Institute of Information Studies and Language Technology

Forth Department: Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Economics and Computer Science

• Institute of Biology and Chemistry
• Institute of Geography
• Institute of Physics
• Institute of Engineering
• Institute of Mathematics and Applied Computer Sciences

• Institute of Computer Science

Range of Studies

The four different departments of the University of Hildesheim provide many different courses of studies. The first department teaches psychology, educational science and social pedagogy and the courses mainly take place in the main campus. The second department is associated with cultural studies, creative writing and scenic arts and the courses take place on the cultural campus of Domäne Marienburg. The third department focuses on languages and communication. An example of this department is the study program “International Communication and Translation”. Furthermore the fourth department offers IT and environmental science courses. Teacher education for elementary, secondary and intermediate schools can be studied in all four departments and its range of studies includes 18 subjects. In total, the University of Hildesheim offers more than 40 Bachelor's and Master's programs, including the English-speaking Master's program "Data Analytics".

According to the winter semester 2020/21 student records, 70 percent of the total 8,575 students of the University of Hildesheim are female, a number exceeding significantly the national average for universities in Germany (52 percent). [11] 3,158 students are registered in the Department of Education, from which 2,162 students are female (68 %).  The Department of Cultural studies comprises 12 percent of the total students of the University of Hildesheim, of which 788 are female. The IT department offering the study programs of “Applied Computer Science”, “Data Analytics” and “Business Informatics” comprises 10 percent of the total students, with 875 students enrolled, of which 28 percent are women (244 female students). In 2020, 1,704 students graduated from the University of Hildesheim, and 50 doctoral programs were successfully completed.

Research Centers

Center for Digital Change

The Center for Digital Change examines the diverse processes of digital change in a form built specifically for its complexity. For this purpose, the center combines the already existing research, teaching and transfer initiatives and uses the collaborations at the University of Hildesheim to convert these into effective structures and continuously develop further the institutional framework for the three activity fields of research, teaching and transfer in in the field of digital change. The combination of these fields of activity is constitutive for the self-concept of the center and defines its profile when comparing with similar institutions.

Center for World Music

The center for World Music, the ethnomusicological research institution of the public Foundation University of Hildesheim has more than 6,000 musical instruments from all over the world, about 50,000 sound carriers and more than 10,000 books on music ethnology in its disposal. It stands for ethnomusicological research and intercultural music education and contributes to the understanding of different cultures. The director of the center for World Music is Raimund Vogels, professor of ethnomusicology at the Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media and winner of the Lower Saxony Science Prize 2008.

Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research (CeLeB)

The center of for Teacher Education and Educational Research is a pivotal scientific center of the University of Hildesheim. It performs conceptual and coordinating interdepartmental tasks in teacher education, educational research, and continuing education and further training. These tasks are reflected in the structure of CeLeB, which includes the Coordination Office for Teacher Education, a field office and the three departments of Teaching and Studies, Research and Young Academics, and Teachers’ Continuing Education and Further Training.

Research Center for Easy Language

In January 2014, the Institute of Translation Studies and Specialized Communication has established the Research Center for Easy Language. Its purpose is to research easy language from a linguistic and translation perspective. It views itself as a link between university research and the practical application of easy language in public authorities and companies. The Research Center For Easy Language conducts research-assisted projects focussing on legal and administrative texts, offers workshops and reviews text translations.  According to the test results, already translated texts that have been reviewed receive the “Seal of Approval for Easy Language” of the research center.

Herder-Kolleg – Center for transdisciplinary Cultural Research

Over the past three decades, the University of Hildesheim has developed a research focus on cultural studies that combines scientific, aesthetic or artistic practices in an innovative way. The teaching and research approaches emerge from theatre, music, media and literary studies as well as fine arts, cultural policy, philosophy and linguistics. All these are bundled in the Herder-Kolleg, the Center for Transdisciplinary Cultural Research.

Competence Center for Early Childhood Lower Saxony

In 2007, the Competence Center for Early Childhood Lower Saxony was established at the public Foundation University of Hildesheim. The university has many years of experience in the field of education and social sciences, and through this research center makes its expertise available throughout Lower Saxony and Germany. This research center is a platform for research projects, for interdisciplinary and international exchange, for the promotion of young scientists, for regional networking and for the support of professionalization efforts in action fields. The center conducts research on education in early childhood, child development, social situation of children, the organization of educational settings and their legal foundation. In this context, important foundations for the promotion of early childhood education and development can be achieved.

Center for Gender Studies (ZfG)

The Center for Gender Studies is the central platform for gender research at the University of Hildesheim. On one hand, it promotes the visibility, serves the interconnection and cooperation as well as the profiling of gender research at the University of Hildesheim. On the other hand, it supports the expansion of local, regional, national and international research cooperations. Further goals of this research center are the promotion of young academics and the continuous integration of gender studies into teaching.

Center for Educational Integration (ZBI)

The Center for Educational Intergration at the University of Hildesheim views itself as a think tank and a platform of academics who as members of the civil society empirically, theoretically and practically focus on the opportunities and challenges of inclusion processes in the increasingly diverse societies. The research center is interdisciplinary in nature and focuses on many aspects of diversity, inclusion and participation in educational processes and systems. The center initiates, accompanies and interconnects research and practice projects relating to educational integration and develops implementation and transfer strategies.

Honorary Doctor’s degree

The following persons have received honorary doctorates from the University of Hildesheim:

• Lore Auerbach, music teacher
• Norbert Bischof, psychologist and system theorist
• Jürgen Flimm, theater director and intendant
• Clemens Geißler, architect and developmental planner
• Hilmar Hoffmann, cultural politician („Kultur für alle!“), former president of the Goethe Institute
• Werner Hofmann, art historian
• Hans Kolbe, entrepreneur
• Arwed Löseke, entrepreneur und sponsor of the University of Hildesheim
• Ram Adhar Mall, Indian philosopher
• Carsten Maschmeyer, founder of AWD Holding AG
• Michael Pewsner, educationist and former prorector of the Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University
• Hermann Rappe, SPD politician and unionist
• Karl Starkebaum, linguist and former rector of the Renataschule Hildesheim
• Rita Süssmuth, CDU politician, former Federal Minister und President of the German Parliament
• Sebastian Thrun, computer scientist and robotics specialist, Professor for Artificial Intelligence of the Stanford University and VP in Google
• Martin Walser, author
• Christa Wolf, author

Furthermore, the University of Hildesheim has made Heiko Klinge, Walter Georg Olms, Dominik Freiherr von König, Jürgen Stark (Ökonom), Uwe Schiedeck, Rainer Hermeling and Hajo Kurzenberger Honoray Senators as well as Gerald Frank, Margot Möller-Meyer, Rolf Irle, Hans-Georg Koitz and Christa Mezzetti honoray citizens of Hildesheim

Famous Professors

• • Heribert Heinrichs (1922–2004), media educator
  • Franz Flintrop (1920–2012), philosopher
  • Helmut Sturm (1929–2015), zoologist. He described several new species of the well-known Archaeognatha and was considered one of the few experts in this field.
  • Rudolf W. Keck (* 1935), educationist
  • Günther Stiege (1935–2020), mathematician, computer scientist and university professor
  • Irene Würdinger (1936–2018), biologist with research focus on ornithology, first women’s representative in the University of Hildesheim
  • Dietrich Peter Pretschner (1938–2007), nucklear medicine physician und computer scientist. He established and presided the Institut for Medical Computer Science
  • Silvio Vietta (* 1941), literary scholar
  • Manfred Klika (* 1942),  mathematician and university professor
  • Hans-Otto Hügel (* 1944), cultural scientist
  • Hede Helfrich (* 1944), psychologist
  • Hanns-Josef Ortheil (* 1951), author und Germanist
  • Werner Keil (* 1952), musicologist
  • Uwe Schrader (* 1954), film scholar
  • Martin Schreiner (* 1958), religion teacher and university professor
  • Hans Fleisch (* 1958), jurist und instutute expert
  • Michael Gehler (* 1962), historian
  • Birgit Mandel (* 1963), cultural scientist
  • Rolf Elberfeld (* 1964), cultural philosopher
  • Toni Tholen (* 1965), germanist and literary theorist
  • Joachim Friedmann (* 1966), dramaturg
  • Thomas Roth-Berghofer (* 1967), computer scientist und author
  • Mathias Mertens (* 1971), media scholar
  • Annemarie Matzke (* 1972), theater scholar
  • Thomas Klupp (* 1977), autor and literary theorist
  • Kevin Kuhn (* 1981), autor and literary theorist

See also

• List of colleges and universities
• Hildesheim

External links

• University of Hildesheim Website (in German and English)