02. December 2025

Living internationality: "It's closing time!"

Pizza, music and good conversation instead of PowerPoint: on Wednesday evening, people from all over the world came together to enjoy the end of the working day at the Meet & Talk.

Some appointments in the university calendar are made because you have to. The Wednesday evening of November 26 was definitely not one of them. As the DeZi bar filled up from 6 p.m., it quickly became clear that the format hits a nerve. Students, lecturers and staff came together to simply end the university and working day together.

An evening to "arrive"

It is often said that the HSZG is a cosmopolitan and informal university. This evening was about living exactly that together. A very special concern was to bring international students and fellow students literally into the center. After all, it is often precisely this personal contact beyond the offices and lecture halls that decides whether you really feel at home and decide to stay here permanently. The aim was to show that the university is more than just a place to study and work.

How international is the HSZG really?

Students point their fingers at a world map.
Photo: HSZG Many roads lead to the HSZG. The world map showed that the members of the HSZG really do come from all over the world.

A glance at the world map on display provided an impressive answer to this question. Under the motto "Many paths. Many countries. One HSZG.", talents from over 50 nations come together here to research, study and create. What was visible on the map as colorful pins for lecturers, students and fellow students came to life that evening. The audience reflected this global diversity and brought together people from almost every continent. From America to Africa and Europe to Asia, the world was represented. The evening made it clear that the internationality of the HSZG is not just on paper, but was shared around the table that evening.

Rector Professor Alexander Kratzsch also sent out an important signal. In his welcoming address, he summed up the essence of the evening:

'Feierabend' is the moment when work and lectures end and real interaction begins. This is exactly what our family university is all about. The message to our students is particularly important to me today: you are an integral part of the HSZG and we very much hope that you will stay with us for your studies. So make the most of this evening, talk to people you don't know yet and have a good time together!

Rector Professor Alexander Kratzsch
Thank you very much!

A big thank you to everyone who was there. You made the evening what it should have been. Thank you for that!

Special thanks go to Mario Linack. As Chairman of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences' Sponsors' Association, he is a reliable supporter of the university, and the support of our Studienkolleg students and international students is particularly close to his heart.

We would also like to thank our colleagues at the Studienkolleg. You are often the first point of contact for the Studienkolleg students and give the young people from all over the world orientation and security in a new environment. Thank you for your commitment.

And last but not least, a big thank you to the DeZi-Bar team for the great and uncomplicated cooperation.

Your contact person

Do you have any questions about the event? Please feel free to contact me.

Photo: M.A. Susanne Fentzel
M.A.
Susanne Fentzel
Office of University Development and Communication
02763 Zittau
Theodor-Körner-Allee 16
Building Z l, Room 1.65
1st floor
+49 3583 612-4484