New role

The fact that labour costs, social benefits and taxes are too high to keep the Federal Republic of Germany competitive in the open global market has been drummed into the population by politicians, the media and companies on a daily basis for several years now. And, as we know, it has not stopped at speeches, interviews and heated debates. In the meantime, the sea of complaints has grown into tangible laws that are intended to curb national debt and incentivise companies to invest in countries other than low-wage countries. Many may dispute whether the right balance has been struck in the legislation, but the fact is that not only employees but also the state will have to make do with less money - with consequences for the university as well. The hand at their throat is squeezing ever tighter.

But who can want the main resource of a modern industrialised country, the education and creativity of its citizens, to slowly dry up or at least decline in quality? The Federal Republic of Germany will not remain competitive in this way. But where should the funds come from?

The debate about tuition fees is already in full swing. And if all else fails, they are a firm part of long-term education planning. But politicians are still reluctant to break the taboo of free education after the many interventions in the social safety net. There is less discussion about other ways to improve the empty coffers: Patronage and sponsorship by the business community. In the USA, the higher education system would be impossible to maintain without these funding instruments.

In Germany, too, the future of the university will depend not least on how it succeeds in winning over entrepreneurs. In Oldenburg, there have been some good signs of this in the recent past: in 1995, the Heinz Neumüller Foundation for Young Academics and a sponsorship association supported by the business community was established for Faculty 4 (Economics and Law). This year, the Chair of the University Society, Peter Waskönig, set up another foundation named after him to support talented students. A good start in difficult times, which must be followed by many initiatives. It is not only the university management that is called upon to do this. Departments and Institutes or even individual academics will have to become more active themselves than ever before in order to make it clear to industry that it is in their own interest to support universities in their endeavours to provide good teaching and research. And this is not just about large sums of money. Any contribution is welcome.

Yours

Gerhard Harms