Highest Recognition: Witten/Herdecke University receives ten-year Accreditation
Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) – one of SAGST’s flagship projects – has successfully passed its fourth assessment by the German Council of Science and Humanities or Wissenschaftsrat, accrediting it for the first time for the longest possible period of ten years. It has also been granted the right to award doctorates for the same period.
Sebastian Bauer, SAGST project manager and long-standing supporter of UW/H, expresses his delight: “This outstanding assessment from the German Council of Science and Humanities is a testament to the exceptional calibre of teaching and research at Witten. As Germany’s first private university, UW/H has made history. To this day, it continues to be a source of pioneering initiatives – and at a high academic level.” In addition, the combination of specialised studies and interdisciplinary Studium fundamentale allows students to transcend the boundaries of their speciality and grow as individuals.
In its latest assessment – already the fourth institutional accreditation of UW/H – the German Council of Science and Humanities acknowledges the university’s encouraging development since 2018 as well as its challenging restructuring process. The university’s proactive adoption of innovative teaching methods and organisational structures since its founding has set a benchmark for higher education institutions nationwide. “Its characteristic academic profile allows it to fulfil social and academic requirements persuasively”, reads the statement. Moreover, UW/H has a good to very good student-to-staff ratio in all its departments.
The Council of Science and Humanities commends the students' remarkable commitment and engagement in university development and quality assurance processes. The assessment contains only a few recommendations, including a suggestion to make cross-disciplinary and cross-faculty research priorities more visible in practice through joint projects and to increase participation in competitive research funding programmes. The Council also encourages UW/H to maintain and expand in the field of nursing science.
“Many colleagues from all parts of the university and from our cooperating clinics have devoted themselves over the past few years to the further development of our university and the implementation of the requirements and recommendations of the German Council of Science and Humanities", says University President Prof. Dr. Martin Butzlaff. “After five years of extensive restructuring work and the concurrent growth strategy with high quality standards, this result is something to be proud of”, says Prof Dr Hans-Christian Pape, Chairman of the UW/H Supervisory Board. At the same time, it is an incentive to face future tasks with unwavering commitment.