In her digital message, Federal Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger addressed the approximately 200 guests at the Gerhart-Hauptmann Theater in Zittau with a compelling plea highlighting the important role of universities of applied sciences (HAW) in the German education system. People from all over Saxony, as well as from the neighboring countries of Poland and the Czech Republic, had gathered there on June 10, 2022, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Saxony’s universities of applied sciences.

In her remarks, the Federal Minister emphasized that the Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW) are highly attractive to high school graduates due to their application-oriented teaching. The HAWs represent promising partners for the federal government’s “German Agency for Transfer and Innovation (DATI),” a project of significant importance in education policy. In this context, she particularly highlighted the strong link between research at the HAWs and the question of practical application. In this way, the HAWs build strong bridges between societal needs, the business sector, and academia. Stark-Watzinger described the role of the HAWs as regional hubs of strength and sees them as “a great treasure that holds promise for development.”

In his subsequent speech, Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer took up the metaphor of the “regional powerhouses,” looked back on the exciting years around 1992, when Saxony’s universities of applied sciences were founded, and concluded:

His appeal— “Think of universities as a single, unified entity! Stick together!”—carried even more weight thanks to the message from Saxony’s state capital. “You should know that you have strong supporters in the Saxon state government and in the coalition factions (…). We can continue to build on this support. Let’s stick together and continue writing this success story.”

In the subsequent panel discussion on the topic “Welcome to the Three-Country Region,” the mayor of Zittau, Thomas Zenker; the Rector of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Alexander Kratzsch; the artistic director of the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater (GHT) Görlitz-Zittau, Ingo Putz, and the director of the student ensemble at the GHT Görlitz-Zittau, Eike Zastrow, discussed the importance of the university and the theater for the region, as well as the unique nature of the location in the border triangle.

Here, too, it became clear just how important successful collaboration among all stakeholders is. Prof. Kratzsch summed up at the end of the roundtable discussion:

Visibly proud, Artistic Director Ingo Putz introduced the cultural performance by the internationally renowned dance company of the GHT Görlitz-Zittau. The company performed a scene from the dance piece “Phoenix.” Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, culture has been reborn at the renowned Gerhart-Hauptmann Theater after the pandemic years. The audience was able to witness just how impressively this has been achieved this Friday. The musical performances by Cti Hang from the Czech Republic and Seven Wheels from Poland also created a relaxing atmosphere between the spoken segments and drew plenty of applause.

In a second round of discussions on the topic “30 Years of HAW Saxony: Looking Back and Forward,” the Rector and the deans of HAW Saxony took the floor. Prof. Ludwig Hilmer, Rector of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, expressed his enthusiasm for how research policy views the HAW and, as the longest-serving Rector, remains fascinated by the HAW model. The Rector of HTW Dresden, Prof. Katrin Salchert, noted that the importance of research and knowledge transfer, as well as interaction with society as a whole, has increased. New solutions must be found for these additional tasks. Prof. Mark Mietzner, Rector of HTWK Leipzig, emphasized that new avenues for action must be opened up so that the HAWs can continue to leverage their innovative strengths. For him, this also includes the issue of doctoral opportunities. At the end of the panel discussion, Prof. Stephan Kassel, Rector of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau, outlined his expectations for policymakers:

Uta Lemke, spokesperson for the Conference of Saxon Student Councils (KSS), also expressed her hopes for policymakers and university administrations . In her speech titled “Vision: The University of Applied Sciences of the Future,” she took a critical look at the unique role of Saxony’s universities of applied sciences, particularly with regard to how they distinguish themselves from large universities. The KSS spokesperson called for guaranteed full funding and permanent positions for permanent tasks, more professional development in teaching for faculty, and a greater focus on teaching. She urged university administrations to concentrate on their own needs and to provide information about shortcomings.

In his role as spokesperson for HAW Sachsen , Prof. Mietzner took the opportunity to bid farewell to the guests together with Prof. Kratzsch at the end of the ceremony. In his conclusion, Prof. Mietzner looked to the future with motivation, using energy technology as a metaphor:

Prof. Kratzsch concluded by referring once again to the unifying elements of Saxony's HAW: "... that we have a shared passion - imparting knowledge to young people and advancing the state of the art in science and technology, transfer, simply the joy of creating new things."  With this in mind, the Saxon HAW  will work together even more closely in the future.

Our students Carolin Renner and Cornelius Baier hosted the ceremony with their usual charm and wit. Afterwards, the guests took the opportunity to get to know the city of Zittau and the HSZG in Zittau better on various guided tours. Packed with new impressions, they then headed to the campus for the After Work & Study Party. There, the guests were able to get in touch with colleagues and students individually and exchange ideas. An excellent degree to this anniversary day with a very relaxed atmosphere, beautiful weather, great DJ music, delicious food and cool drinks.

We would like to say "thank you" to all guests and participants for this wonderful day!