Academic ceremony 2025
The Academic Ceremony is our university's most prestigious academic celebration and takes place every November in St. John's Church on the anniversary of Otto von Guericke's birth. In the presence of Saxony-Anhalt's Minister of Science, Prof. Armin Willingmann, other representatives from politics, science, business, culture, and society, as well as numerous university members, outstanding achievements in research and teaching were once again honored this year.
Akademischer Festakt 2025 (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 1 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückDer Rektor, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Strackeljan, eröffnet den Akademischen Festakt 2025 (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 2 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückDer Forschungspreisträger 2025 Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Mougiakakos (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 3 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückDer Lehrpreisträger 2025 Jun.-Prof. Dr. Kai Heinrich (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 4 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückProrektor Prof. Dr. Helmut Weiß, Rektor Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Strackeljan, der Lehrpreisträger Jun.-Prof. Dr. Kai Heinrich, der Forschungspreisträger Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Mougiakakos und Wissenschaftsminister Prof. Armin Willingmann (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 5 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückRektor Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Strackeljan, der Preisträger des Klaus-Erich-Pollmann-Forschungsförderpreises Dr.-Ing. Danny Schott und Altrektor Prof. Dr. Klaus-Erich Pollmann (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 6 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückManfred Maas, Dissertationspreisträger Dr.-Ing. Max Hausmann, Rektor Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Strackeljan und Prorektor Prof. Dr. Helmut Weiß (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 7 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückAlle Preisträger (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 8 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückGrußwort des Wissenschaftsministers Prof. Armin Willingmann (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 9 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückDie Festrednerin Prof. Dr. Gabriele Gramelsberger (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 10 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückÜbergabe der Guericke-Plakette an Dr.-Ing. Willi Polte durch Prof. Dr. Peter Reichling und Prof. Dr. Matthias Tullner (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 11 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückMusikalischer Abschluss (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 12 von 13) » Vorwärts « ZurückOtto von Guerickes Grablege (c) Jana Dünnhaupt (Bild 13 von 13)
Minister Willingmann offered his congratulations: “The awarding of the research, doctoral, and dissertation prizes shows that many bright minds in Magdeburg are following in the footsteps of the university's namesake to advance progress. My heartfelt congratulations to all of you!” With regard to current political attacks on universities in the US and other countries, he also emphasized the great importance of academic freedom: “Saxony-Anhalt must remain a free, cosmopolitan, and therefore attractive location for science. To this end, it is important to defend freedom of research and to continue to focus on cross-border exchange, open discourse, and pluralism. In this way, we want to continue to inspire international researchers and students to come to Saxony-Anhalt.”
Firmly anchored in the national and international research landscape
“The academic ceremony is a visible sign of what we have achieved together and what we still have planned,” added the university's rector, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Strackeljan. “Even though we are very disappointed that our application for excellence status has been rejected, our university has continued to develop steadily in recent years: as a center of excellence in research, as a modern educational institution, and as a driving force for society and the region. We are firmly anchored in the national and international research landscape, and we are high-performing, visible, and reliable.”
This year's keynote speech was given by Prof. Gabriele Gramelsberger, science theorist and philosopher of technology at RWTH Aachen University. Under the title “Thinking about the transformation of knowledge – philosophy in the digital age,” she spoke about how artificial intelligence is accelerating research processes, changing scientific work, and at the same time raising new ethical and social questions.
Greeting message from EU GREEN
During the ceremony, Dr. Orla Flynn, Vice-Chancellor of EU-GREEN partner university Atlantic Technological University in Ireland, addressed the guests with a video message. She praised the importance of the EU-GREEN Alliance, the successful cooperation within this network, and the joint commitment to a sustainable and future-oriented European campus. She also emphasized how valuable international exchange would be for the further development of universities and pointed out how much could be achieved if ideas and creative energy were pooled across borders. Watch the video
The evening's musical entertainment was provided by the university's musical ensembles.
In memory of the university's namesake, Otto von Guericke, a gathering took place at his burial place in St. John's Church with representatives of the Otto von Guericke Society, the foundation, and the University of Magdeburg.
Text: INES PERL
Photos: JANA DÜNNHAUPT