With the last regular meeting of the University Council on August 16, the long-standing chairman of the body, Dr. Hans-Joachim Bauer, is leaving the University Council for reasons of age. This will undoubtedly mark the end of an era.
Hans-Joachim Bauer was President of the Thuringian Higher Regional Court and for many years President of the Thuringian Constitutional Court. Since 2000, he served first on the university's Board of Trustees and, since July 2008, as Chairman of the newly created University Council. This is an incredible tenure of 23 years and 216 days, according to University President Prof. Gundolf Baier. "Chancellors came and went and rectors came and went, but the University Council stayed," Baier said. This, he said, shows the remarkable achievement of Mr. Bauer and the constancy he showed for Schmalkalden University in a selfless way until his very old age. Baier also praised the balancing and unagitated manner in which Hans-Joachim Bauer always acted and confidently exercised his important office. The university council chairman was met with great applause when he closed his last meeting for Schmalkalden University after almost a quarter of a century.
With him, the former president of the OTH Amberg-Weiden Prof. Andrea Klug as well as the former rector Prof. Heinz-Peter Höller leave the board as university-internal members. According to the Senate elections on July 12, they will be succeeded by Corinna Wartenberg, Managing Director of Viba Sweets GmbH, the Rector of the University of Applied Sciences, and the President of the University of Applied Sciences.