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New Prorectorates Elected
The Senate has confirmed the candidates proposed by the Rector for the Prorectorate for Education and Sustainability and the Prorectorate for Research, Knowledge Transfer, and International Affairs.
The candidates proposed by the Rector for the positions of Prorectorate for Education and Sustainability and Prorectorate for Research, Knowledge Transfer, and International Affairs were elected by the Senate on March 17.
Until February 28, 2030, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch—who was re-elected Rector of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences by the Extended Senate on November 8, 2024—will be joined by Prof. Dr. phil. Małgorzata Maćkowiak as Vice President for Education and Sustainability, and Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Sophia Keil as Vice President for Research, Knowledge Transfer, and International Affairs.
The election was based on the Rector’s nomination of March 6, 2025, in accordance with the Saxon Higher Education Act and the HSZG’s election regulations.
New Areas of Responsibility for the Prorectorates
The basic order of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, as amended on March 15, 2024, stipulates that there shall be two Prorectorates. In accordance with this order, the areas of responsibility for the Prorectorates are proposed by the Rector and determined by the University Executive Board. The Saxon Higher Education Act (SächsHSG), as amended on May 31, 2023, further stipulates that one Prorectorate must be dedicated to the topic of sustainability.
Against this backdrop, the University Executive Board of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, at its meeting on March 5, 2025, defined the areas of responsibility for the Prorectorates for the coming term as follows:
The Prorectorate for Education and Sustainability will henceforth be responsible for matters related to undergraduate and graduate studies, continuing education, higher education pedagogy, and the development of sustainability as a comprehensive approach.
Education and sustainability are two key issues that are closely intertwined. I look forward to working with students, faculty, and staff to further develop innovative and sustainable teaching and learning formats and to strengthen the university as a responsible educational institution.
”The Prorectorate for Research, Knowledge Transfer, and International Affairs is responsible for the areas of research, knowledge transfer, and the third mission, as well as for the strategic planning, development, and coordination of research structures. It also has overall responsibility for the HSZG’s international relations, in close coordination with the Prorectorate for Education and Sustainability.
Research and knowledge transfer are crucial factors in the innovative strength of our university and our region. In my new role, I will work to further promote interdisciplinary research projects, strengthen international exchange, and play an active role in shaping the transfer of knowledge to society and the business community.
”Following the election, the next step is to make the necessary decisions in the strategy process after a detailed and collegial vote on the individual tasks.
I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Maćkowiak and Prof. Keil on their election, and I look forward to working with them over the next five years. With the clear division of responsibilities among the Prorectorates, we are setting specific priorities for the university’s further development and laying the groundwork for a successful future.
”In closing, the Rector expressly thanked Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Raj Kollmorgen for his service; over the past five years, he has served as Prorector for Research and now wishes to refocus on his research activities: “Through his dedication, Prof. Raj Kollmorgen has made a significant contribution to the further development of research structures at our university. I wish him much success and fulfillment in his future academic endeavors.”
Professor of Applied Polish Linguistics and Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Managerial and Cultural Studies
Prof. Dr. Małgorzata Maćkowiak studied German language and literature at the University of Wrocław, where she earned her doctorate in 1996. She taught at several colleges and universities in Poland, Germany, and Switzerland and worked as a lecturer, academic advisor, and department chair before joining the University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz in 2010. In 2015, she was appointed professor of Applied Polish Linguistics and Translation Studies; since 2021, she has been professor of Applied Polish Linguistics and Cultural Studies.
Her research focuses on the cultural and literary history of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with a particular emphasis on the regional characteristics and cultural heritage of Silesia. For her scholarly and pedagogical achievements, she has received, among other honors, the Rector’s Award from the University of Wrocław (2000) and the Academy of Applied Sciences in Jelenia Góra (2009).
In addition to her academic work, she is involved in cultural studies projects and collaborates with museums and academic institutions in Germany and Poland.
Professor of Business Administration, specializing in Production Management and Logistics, at the Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management
Since December 2017, Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Sophia Keil has been a professor of business administration, specializing in production management and logistics, at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. From December 2018 through early May 2020, she served as Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management. From March 2020 through February 2025, she served as Vice President for Education and International Affairs at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.
A native of the Baltic Sea island of Rügen, she studied business administration at Stralsund University of Applied Sciences. From 2005 to 2006, she pursued a part-time doctoral program at the Technical University of Dresden. Throughout her professional career at the semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies Dresden GmbH, at the Chair of Business Administration, specifically logistics, at Dresden International University (DIU), and at Stralsund University of Applied Sciences, she acquired comprehensive technical, practical, and leadership expertise in the fields of business process, production, supply chain, and logistics optimization.
In 2011, she received her Ph.D. (Dr. rer. pol.) from the Technical University of Dresden with a dissertation titled “Flow-Oriented Design of Production Systems: The Case of Semiconductor Factories.” In 2015, she received an offer to join the faculty at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany (NY, USA) as a professor, which she declined.
Her research focuses on developing approaches to shaping the digital transformation of the economy and society; developing innovative teaching and learning methods and educational formats for people of all generations; developing methods for the effective and efficient design of production systems and supply chains; and the human-centered design of the future world of work.
Prof. Keil is an active researcher and heads the research group Science Center Oberlausitz-Technologie Transfer-innovativ ( SCO-TTi). She currently leads four research projects, including two BMBF-funded research projects — “Perspektive Arbeit Lausitz” (PAL) and “Factory for Future” (F4F) —as well as the EU projects “AIMS 5.0” and “ENERGY-SELF-SUFFICIENT COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FROM SAXONY” (EKI Saxony). Her work focuses in particular on shaping the workplaces of the future in the context of Industry 5.0. She is a member of the program committees for the Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC) and the European Advanced Process Control and Manufacturing Conference (apcm), and the author of over 30 publications. She is also actively involved in research monitoring and serves as chair of the advisory board for the WIR federal project Artifarm.
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