We say thank you!
The University Executive Board looks back on a year of university life under pandemic conditions. In the video, the Rector expresses his gratitude for the dedication and solidarity of everyone involved.
Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences says thank you! It has been an unusual year. The shutdown of all public life a year ago to contain the COVID-19 pandemic came suddenly and had a profound impact on every member of society.
This was also true for the University Executive Board under Rector Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch, which began its work together in March 2020. From the very beginning, he had to face major challenges together with the Vice President for Education and International Affairs, Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil; the Prorector for Research, Prof. Dr. Raj Kollmorgen; and the Chancellor, Karin Hollstein.
In a very short time, teaching had to be switched from in-person to online courses, technical problems had to be resolved, and masks had to be procured for in-person exams. And that was just the beginning.
In a video message, the Rector now extends his gratitude—on behalf of the entire University Executive Board—to everyone who has supported these restrictions and will continue to do so.
The video "We say thank you" is aimed at all students, lecturers and staff. But also to all those who have indirectly kept the university running: the employees in the hospitals, nursing, administration and retail.
“Special thanks also go to the university staff who have been working at the public health departments in Zittau, Görlitz, and Bautzen since early January to help trace chains of infection,” said the Rector.
”This, of course, applies to all members of the university community who are contributing to the public sector to help make the pandemic situation in the county more bearable.
No Crisis Without Opportunity
Despite the pandemic, the University Executive Board has worked together to further develop the university’s academic programs.
For example, in negotiations with the SMWK regarding the 2021–2024 performance agreement, the Rector was able to secure feasible conditions for the university’s development, thereby laying a solid foundation.
With the first-ever online elections to select student representatives for the Senate, the Extended Senate, and the Faculty Student Committees, the Chancellor was pleased not only with the significant savings in time and resources but also with an unusually high voter turnout.
The Vice President for Education and International Affairs has launched the “University for Future” program to initiate the process of participatory planning for the university’s future. In addition to established committees, the broader university community is now also involved in strategic planning through the organization and implementation of workshops, working groups, hackathons, and similar initiatives.
The Prorector for Research took on the role of project lead for Saxony5, including actively helping to draft the application for the second funding phase, and led the “Strategy Development” project of the alliance Life and Technology . With the strategic further development of the HSZG’s “Structural Change” projects, significant steps were taken toward shaping the university’s future.
An article published on March 25 on SZ-Online reports on the challenges the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is facing due to the coronavirus and how it has overcome them so far.
