260 graduates and faculty members from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, as well as from the predecessor institutions of the Power Plant Engineering and Energy Conversion Department at the Zittau University of Engineering and the Zittau University of Applied Sciences, attended this reunion.
The alumni reunion was opened on September 19, 2015, by the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Prof. H.-J. Kretzschmar. Welcoming remarks were delivered to the graduates by the university’s president, His Magnificence Prof. F. Albrecht; the director of the Zittau office of the Dresden Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), Mr. M. Schwarzbach; and the chairman of the Friends of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences e.V., Prof. R. Hassa, addressed the graduates. The Vice Rector for Research, Prof. T. Zschunke, reported on the university’s research activities, and the Dean, Prof. Kretzschmar, spoke about the development of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering since the First Grand Alumni Reunion in 2011. Following this, two graduates gave lively presentations describing their experiences during their studies, assessing the quality and long-term impact of their education, and detailing their paths into professional life. In a poster presentation in the foyer of Building Z IV, the university’s offerings and achievements in teaching and research were showcased, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the Institutes for Process Engineering, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology (IPM) and for Surface Technology (IOT), as well as the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU).
A tree-naming ceremony took place in the university park to mark the occasion of the Grand Alumni Reunion. A European beech was planted to commemorate the Second Grand Alumni Reunion. The student council of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering provided beverages and grilled food for the occasion. The alumni and staff were very happy to take advantage of this.
University buildings Z II and Z VII were open to alumni for laboratory tours on Saturday. Our alumni enthusiastically and in large numbers took advantage of the opportunity to tour ten laboratories in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the IPM, and the IOT.
The evening event at the Westpark Center was attended by 260 participants. Cultural performances were provided by the university band “Ad hoc,” which had come together in this lineup especially for the occasion, as well as by alumna Dr. Tatiana Salnikova, who surprised the audience with her impromptu singing and dancing.
The joint trip on the narrow-gauge railway to Oybin and the subsequent hike up the Töpfer with 80 participants on September 20, 2015, marked the conclusion of the alumni reunion.
Our Friends Association provided financial support for the alumni reunion.
A survey of the participants revealed a high level of approval and very positive feedback. There is already a desire to hold a third large alumni reunion in just four years. Further information is available on the website
www.absolventen-maschinenwesen-zittau.de
Contact:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. H.-J. Kretzschmar
Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Phone: 03583-61-1952
Email: hj.kretzschmar@hszg.de