HSZG loses personality of the founding era

Zittau/Görlitz University mourns the loss of Prof. Dr. sc. oec. Peter Hedrich, founding dean of the Department of Economics from 1992 to 1997.

Prof. Hedrich belonged to the generation of university professors who actively shaped the institutional and academic restructuring of the higher education landscape following German reunification. As a post-reunification dean, program director, and founding dean, his goal was to preserve what had proven successful while simultaneously developing sustainable structures for new societal conditions. The combination of a strong academic foundation, practice-oriented education, and clearly structured degree programs significantly shaped the development of the economics program in the University’s early years.

He placed particular emphasis on rigorous tenure-track procedures and collaboration with colleagues from diverse academic traditions. He viewed the exchange of experiences between East and West German universities as an opportunity to learn from one another and jointly create sustainable academic structures. Many graduates who now hold positions of responsibility owe their education to this formative period.

Prior to his tenure at the University, Prof. Hedrich had already worked at several academic institutions, including the Technical University of Dresden. His work was consistently guided by the goal of embedding sustainable and responsible thinking in both teaching and administration.

With the passing of Prof. Hedrich, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences has lost a founding figure who played a decisive role in shaping the development of the economics program. We will honor his memory.