The University and the University Society (UGO) celebrated their New Year's reception with five honours and classical opera music. Around 550 guests, including Lower Saxony's Minister of Science Björn Thümler, enjoyed an atmospheric evening.
"2019 was a good year for the University of Oldenburg in many respects. The course has been set for the future: The university is excellently positioned for the new decade in terms of both research and teaching." With these words, Lower Saxony's Minister for Science and Culture, Björn Thümler, welcomed around 550 guests to the New Year's reception of the University and University Society Oldenburg e.V. (UGO) in the main hall of the Oldenburg State Theatre. The musical highlight was a concert performance of the opera "La Sonnambula" by Vincenzo Bellini. Prior to this, University President Prof. Dr Dr Hans Michael Piper honoured five individuals for their outstanding services to the University of Oldenburg.
Piper presented the President's Badge of Honour to the recently retired Vice Presidents Prof. Dr Sabine Kyora and Prof. Dr Esther Ruigendijk as well as Vice President Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon. Music teacher Axel Fries and the Head of the Department for Research and Technology Transfer, Dr Michaela Muylkens, were also honoured. "It is a special pleasure for me to be able to thank you and present you with the award in the presence of the Minister of Science, the Lord Mayor and our numerous guests from the university, the city and the region," Piper addressed the honourees.
German scholar Prof Dr Sabine Kyora was Vice President for Studies, Teaching and Equal Opportunities from 2016 to 2019. She led the major cross-university projects for the further development of teacher training and research-based teaching. In the area of equal opportunities, she initiated a university-wide equal opportunities plan and was closely involved in its development, explained Piper.
Linguist Prof Dr Esther Ruigendijk was Vice President for Early Career Researchers and International Affairs from 2016 to 2019. She established new career paths for early career researchers and acquired ten new early career professorships from a federal programme, said Piper. Ruigendijk also strengthened co-operation with the partner universities in Groningen and Port Elizabeth, South Africa. In future, she will support the Presidential Board as the university's ambassador for co-operation with the University of Groningen.
Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon, Vice President for Research and Transfer from 2018 to 2019, has represented the university excellently in academic and higher education policy committees at state and federal level, emphasised Piper. During his time in office, he was also in charge of strategic planning in the competition for digitisation professorships in the state.
The University President honoured Axel Fries for his special services as a music education teacher. Fries was a lecturer at the university's Institute of Music from 2003 to 2019. Among other things, he founded the student ensemble "Schlagwerk Ossietzky" early on. This became widely known under Fries' artistic aegis, explained Piper at the presentation of the badge of honour.
Piper praised the Head of the Department for Research and Technology Transfer, Dr Michaela Muylkens, for her extraordinary commitment and skill. Between 2017 and 2019, she led four major competitions at state and national level to success for the university: the Innovative University, the Young Talent Pact, the digitalisation professorships for Lower Saxony and the EXIST-Potentials start-up funding.
After the honours, the opera "La Sonnambula" by Vincenzo Bellini took centre stage. The Oldenburg State Orchestra, the Opera Chorus of the Oldenburg State Theatre and vocal soloists presented an abridged version of the melodrama in concert form. The New Year's reception ended with the traditional "chat afterwards".
As in previous years, guests purchased tickets to support the university's "Deutschlandstipendium" programme, which supports particularly talented and committed students.