A life's work at the HSZG

Karin Hollstein is considered one of the most influential figures at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. With an impressive career spanning several decades, she has made a name for herself as a dedicated and experienced Chancellor. She will be leaving Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences on June 30, 2023.

Born and raised in Görlitz, Karin Hollstein completed her secondary education at, among other schools, the Frederic Joliot Curie Extended High School. She showed a keen interest in legal issues from an early age and decided to study business law at the University of Leipzig. During her studies, she gained valuable practical experience, including at the Department of Internal Affairs of the City of Görlitz. Although this initially led her to consider a career there, she changed course and ultimately found her calling in higher education.

In September 1981, Karin Hollstein began her career as a research assistant in the field of Business Administration at what was then the Zittau University of Engineering. With great dedication and enthusiasm, she passed on her legal knowledge to young students in the departments of Business Administration, Power Plant Engineering and Energy Conversion, and Electrical Power Supply, and took on the role of seminar group advisor associated with the position.

When the university was reestablished in 1992, new opportunities opened up for Karin Hollstein. She retained the position of legal counsel, which she had held since the mid-1980s, and applied her legal expertise to the university.

In 1996, the then-director of human resources stepped down. Karin Hollstein took over the areas of human resources management and legal affairs and served as deputy to the then-Chancellor, Dr. Peter Reinhold. Over the next ten years, she successfully managed the legal and human resources tasks arising from the winding up of the Technical University of Zittau and the establishment of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, demonstrating perseverance and organizational skills in the process. Her professional expertise and her fundamentally optimistic approach to challenges both big and small contributed to her recognition among colleagues and students.

In October 2006, Karin Hollstein assumed the position of Chancellor of the HSZG on an interim basis and was appointed Chancellor for the first time in July 2007 for a term of eight years; a second term followed on July 1, 2015. From 2008 to 2012, she simultaneously served as acting Chancellor of the IHI Zittau and as head of the pilot project for an administrative partnership between the IHI Zittau and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.

Since 2018, Karin Hollstein has served as spokesperson for the Saxon HAW Chancellors on the expanded federal executive board of the Association of University Chancellors.

During her tenure in this role, Karin Hollstein brought a breath of fresh air and new ideas to the university. Her ability to find compromises and think in a solution-oriented manner helped establish and deepen a trusting collaboration with the university’s students and staff.

Karin Hollstein is open to new challenges. Although she is now nearing the end of her term at the HSZG, she remains committed to the role and will begin her duties as Chancellor of the Saxon Police University in Rothenburg on July 1, 2023. With her experience and dedication, she has undoubtedly left her mark and will be remembered as an inspiring figure.