Today, there is a buzz of excitement at the University of Oldenburg: for 1,945 young people, the start of their studies marks the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. “You have chosen a young, research-intensive university with dedicated lecturers, and you will spend one of the most formative periods of your lives here,” said Prof. Dr Andrea Strübind, Vice-President for Studies and Teaching at the University of Oldenburg, as she welcomed the new students.
“We can still learn a great deal today from Carl von Ossietzky, after whom our university is named: to question assertions, examine arguments and gain insights based on scientific methods. Make the most of the opportunities our university offers you to do this; get to know other perspectives, be curious and have the courage to try new things,” Strübind continued. As well as an entertaining stage programme in the Audimax, the new students were also able to visit the information fair in the foyer of the lecture theatre centre, where they could pick up important information on everything from university sports to cultural activities on the campus. They now have the orientation week ahead of them before regular teaching begins on 12 October.
For the University Medicine Oldenburg (UMO), this start of the academic year marks a special milestone: for the first time, 200 students are beginning their medical studies in Oldenburg. The degree programme has thus reached the long-term expansion target set when it was founded 14 years ago. Since its launch with 40 places, the number of places has risen gradually, first to 80 and then to 120 per class of students. “With 200 medical students per class of students, University Medicine Oldenburg is writing a new and significant chapter. This is a great success for the university, its clinical partners and the State of Lower Saxony. As a state, we are making targeted and substantial investments here in excellent medical training and research, because we need well-trained doctors for the future of our healthcare system. The students starting today are the doctors of tomorrow: I wish them a successful start, a spirit of curiosity and many enriching experiences,” said Minister for Science Falko Mohrs, who welcomed the prospective doctors via a video message.
Prof. Dr Hans Gerd Nothwang, Dean of School V - School of Medicine and Health Sciences, sees this development as an important step for the UMO and medical training in the north-west. “The fact that we are able to welcome 200 first-year students today is a great success, made possible by many people: those involved at the university and in the UMO’s four hospitals, as well as the State of Lower Saxony, which has supported this expansion,” he said.
To facilitate this expansion, the UMO has comprehensively adapted the curriculum and clinical practical teaching. The aim was to preserve the distinctive profile of the Oldenburg model degree programme, in particular the early and continuous contact between students and patients. In addition to the university, the Oldenburg University Hospital, the Evangelical Hospital Oldenburg, the Pius Hospital Oldenburg and the Karl Jaspers Clinic are all involved in this. “Ensuring this close link to clinical practice, even with 200 students per class of 200, is a joint task for the teaching staff at the university and in our hospitals. In doing so, we are making an important contribution to the training of the next generation of doctors for our region,” emphasised Nothwang.
With the 1,945 new first-year students, a total of 14,869 people are now studying at the University of Oldenburg. This figure includes 1,755 international students.
