We were shocked to hear the news of the death of Professor Wolfgang Preis, who passed away far too early and unexpectedly on April 3, 2018.
Professor Preis played a key role in the establishment and development of the Social Work degree program. On April 1, 1992 - even before the official founding of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences - he took up his position at our university and, together with Professor Hermann Heitkamp, was one of the founding fathers of the Department of Social Work. For 25 years, he worked as a professor of social work science, with enormous commitment to teaching and students, but also as the author of numerous scientific publications and in the university's self-administration. For many years, Wolfgang Preis was a member of the faculty council, course director and driving force behind curricular reform processes. The trained social worker has always remained true to his convictions regarding the quality of social work studies, particularly with regard to the theory-practice link.
The students and his colleagues mourn the loss of an extremely committed fellow human being. He will be remembered as a role model in his commitment to the interests of students and socially disadvantaged people.
All our sympathy goes out to his family.
Prof. Friedrich Albrecht
Rector