As a long-time lecturer, vice rector and managing director, Prof. Andreas Kienlin has not only shaped the sculpture degree programme but also fundamentally moulded the development of the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences in Alfter near Bonn. When he retired in autumn 2021, we spoke with him about inner and outer opposition, the particular challenges of stone carving and the social power of art.

Today’s children and young people are growing up in a world increasingly dominated by digitalisation. In order to survive in this world and acquire the necessary skills at an early age, some believe they need as much exposure to (digital) technology as possible, starting in primary school or even earlier. Prof. Dr. Paula Bleckmann and Brigitte Pemberger from Alanus University in Alfter are pursuing a different path with their project entitled “Analogue Digidactics”.  ...

At the end of October 2021, Dr Hartmut Spieß received the Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany. Minister of State Priska Hinz presented the award at a ceremony in Wiesbaden. In her address, she paid tribute to his pioneering work for organic agriculture, especially in the field of seed health and breeding.

Tiny Farms is the name of a Berlin start-up which aims to produce and market organic vegetables by way of a growing network of micro-farms. In line with this, the founders are, with the support of SAGST, developing a one-year training course, which efficiently prepares prospective managers of such small businesses for their tasks.

The Diesterweg Scholarship (DWS) Darmstadt perceives itself as an educational project for the whole family. It has already for eight years been accompanying schoolchildren during the transition to secondary schools, also assisting their parents, as well as their siblings. This Fall, the DWS has started a new round. In the interview those responsible look back on a special fourth round in times of the coronavirus, and provide insight into the course of the family scholarship.  ...