The University of Stuttgart's Senate elected during a public meeting of the Senate on July 21, 2021 two additional members of the Faculty as members of the Rectorate for the second half of University Rector Prof. Wolfram Ressel's third term as Rector, who himself is professor at the Institute for Road and Transport Science (ISV). The new Vice Rector for Research and Early Career Researchers will be Prof. Manfred Bischoff, Head of the Institute for Structural Mechanics (IBB) and the new Vice Rector for Diversity and International Affairs will be Prof. Silke Wieprecht, professor at the Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental Systems (IWS). Newly elected was the Vice Rector for Teaching and Continuing Education (Prof. Gießelmann), while it was confirmed that Prof. Middendorf would hold the office of Vice Rector for Knowledge and Technology Transfer for a further three years. The full-time Vice Rector for for Information Technology was already confirmed in office for a further six years during the joint public meeting of the University Council and Senate on July 15, 2021, and the terms of office of the Rector and the Chancellor as remaining members of the Rectorate do not end soon.
Prof. Wolfram Ressel, Rector at the University of Stuttgart, thanked the retiring Vice Rectors as well as the re-elected Vice Rector for their committed and valuable work over the past years. He also expressed satisfaction that the senate followed his proposal for the new Rectorate team and elected them by a large majority for a three-year term. The term of office for the new university management will begin on October 1, 2021. As a result, the faculty now provides three of the seven rectorate members.
Statements of the newly elected members or the Rectorate
Following his election as Vice Rector for Research and Early Career Researchers, Prof. Manfred Bischoff said: "I accept the tasks involved in the role of Vice Rector for Research and Early Career Researchers with a great deal of respect and the awareness that of the great responsibility that his role entails. One of the most important goals we will pursue together is, of course, achieving success in the next round of the Excellence Strategy. I consider the coordination of the related structural measures, and the consideration of the effects that these will have at all levels of the university, to be a central task of the office of Vice Rector. Transparence, integrity and cooperation in the spirit of the Stuttgart Way are important guiding principles. The overarching goal of our university research is the gathering of scientific knowledge, knowledge that is useful to people, and the creation of optimum conditions for young scientists, who represent the University of Stuttgart's most important contribution to a sustainable society."
Following the election, the new Vice Rector for Diversity and International Affairs, Prof. Silke Wieprecht, emphasized: "The scope of responsibility of my future position as Vice Rector is of particular personal importance, and I will put all my expertise and energy into successfully fulfilling this role. The University of Stuttgart is a place where people from different cultures, with diverse personal biographies and from different disciplines can come together. This is a valuable gem, and we must bring out the best in this, because our intelligence is based on this wealth of diversity. On our way to becoming a leading international research university, it is paramount that our teaching and scientific training programs become even more competitive internationally. This includes the global expansion of our strategic partnerships."
