Anglicist Professor Heidrun Dorgeloh and physicist Professor Axel Görlitz have been appointed as new members of the HHU Rectorate effective 1 November 2024. In parallel, President Professor Anja Steinbeck is now entering her third term of office. Dr Martin Goch remains in office as Chancellor of HHU within the framework of his second (six-year) term. In 2024, both President Anja Steinbeck and Chancellor Martin Goch can look back over a highly successful ten-year period in office.
The longstanding Vice Presidents, Professor Dr Christoph Börner and Professor Dr Stefan Marschall, who have been members of the HHU Rectorate since 2017 and 2019 respectively, stepped down from their roles effective 31 October 2024 in order to focus more intensively on their work in research and teaching again. Medical professional Professor Andrea Icks and computer scientist Professor Martin Mauve have both held the position of Vice President since autumn 2020. The election committee confirmed their positions in June 2024 and they will continue their work.
The new composition of the Rectorate results in a slight change in one area of responsibility: The mandate previously held by Stefan Marschall – “International Relations and Science Communication” – will be continued by Heidrun Dorgeloh under the title “University Culture and International Relations” in the future. The Rectorate of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf now comprises the following members:
- President: Professor Anja Steinbeck
- Chancellor: Dr Martin Goch
- Vice President for University Culture and International Relations: Professor Heidrun Dorgeloh
- Vice President for Quality in Studies and Teaching: Professor Axel Görlitz
- Vice President for Research and Transfer: Professor Andrea Icks
- Vice President for Digitalisation and Scientific Infrastructure: Professor Martin Mauve
Anja Steinbeck celebrates ten years as President of Heinrich Heine University
1 November 2024 marks a special anniversary: Professor Anja Steinbeck has been President of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf for ten years. She is the first woman to hold this position at HHU and has set key focuses for the University during her time in office.
Since taking up the role on 1 November 2014, the legal expert has led HHU with a dialogue-oriented understanding of leadership. Accordingly, she sees the University not only as a place of teaching and research, but also as a place, which encourages independent and critical thinking. In the tradition of the University’s namesake, Heinrich Heine, she supports the development of a responsible society, which reflects on political, business and social topics, and forms an independent opinion.
One important focus of her time in office in this context is the “Bürgeruniversität” (Citizens’ University), which enables direct exchange between science and society. The central event location is the “Haus der Universität” (University House) in the centre of Düsseldorf. The programme is extremely popular and is now managed by a dedicated staff unit. HHU as a whole is integrated into this self-image as a Citizens’ University.
A key moment in her career to date was being honoured as the German “University Manager of the Year” at the end of 2020 by the Centre for Higher Education (CHE) and the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”. President Steinbeck received this award during the coronavirus pandemic for, among other things, providing the University with “outstanding leadership through the crisis” and successfully mastering the significant challenges in research and teaching.
Under Steinbeck’s leadership, the digital image of the University has been overhauled, with the implementation of a modern website and the unveiling of the new HHU logo in 2019. Professor Steinbeck is also a co-founder of the “Wissensregion Düsseldorf” (Knowledge Region Düsseldorf), an initiative aimed at promoting dialogue between science, business and society, which involves various stakeholders from the state capital.
1 November 2024 also marks the start of her third term of office as head of HHU alongside Chancellor Dr Martin Goch. In addition to this role, she is also Vice President of the German Rectors’ Conference and Spokesperson of the Universities Members’ Group. In this function, she has a key influence on university policy debates in Germany and ensures that the interests of universities are heard at national level.
Dr h.c. Anne-José Springorum, Chair of the University Council: “Heinrich Heine University thanks Professor Anja Steinbeck for a decade of outstanding leadership. The University has struck gold in appointing her, as she has succeeded in advancing HHU academically and raising its profile socially. The entire University Council greatly appreciates her innovative and forward-looking work, and extends its sincerest congratulations on this anniversary.”
Professor Dr Wolfram Trudo Knoefel, Chair of the HHU Senate: “On behalf of the Senate, I would also like to congratulate Professor Anja Steinbeck on this special anniversary. Her vision and untiring efforts in advancing the University and anchoring it in society in and around the North Rhine-Westphalian capital have played a key role in shaping and sustainably developing HHU. We look forward to the coming years under her successful leadership.”
