For the alumni, whose studies began as early as the 1970s, the campus visit provided an opportunity to experience the university from a contemporary perspective. Since their time as students, the university environment has undergone significant changes: new buildings, modern laboratories and state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities now shape the campus. The guests gained insights into the history and development of the university through, among other things, an extensive photographic exhibition in the library. The exhibition illustrated how the institution has evolved from its origins as the “Royal Technical School for the Small Iron and Steel Goods Industry in Schmalkalden” into today’s Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences. The alumni themselves began their studies in 1973 and are therefore celebrating the 50th anniversary of their graduation this year.
Current areas of teaching and research were also part of the programme. Professor Dr Florian Johannsen guided the group through the Automation Engineering Laboratory at the Faculty of Computer Science and introduced them to modern applications and technologies. During another tour, the guests gained insights into the Faculty’s state-of-the-art multimedia laboratories. Laboratory Engineer Uwe Römhild from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering offered a personal look back at university life in the past. Through anecdotes from everyday student life at the time and a tour of the mechanical engineering laboratories, he brought shared memories back to life and provided many cheerful moments. In this way, the transformation from the study conditions of the 1970s to today’s requirements in teaching and research became directly tangible. A shared lunch in the university cafeteria provided plenty of time for conversations and an exchange of memories from the past decades. Another highlight of the campus visit was the ceremonial presentation of the anniversary certificates. The visit concluded with a group photograph in the Audimax, the largest lecture hall at Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences.
The professional careers of the former students also reflect the changes that have taken place over the past decades. Following graduation, their career paths developed in many different directions. The social and economic changes brought about by German reunification led many of them to pursue new professional opportunities and embark on new paths in life.
In addition to the campus visit, the group used the shared weekend to explore further places connected to their past as well as the region as it is today. The programme included a visit to Viba Sweets GmbH, a guided tour of Schmalkalden and a visit to a former student residence in Floh-Seligenthal. These personal and familiar places provided many opportunities to share memories of student life at the time and relive experiences from their years of study together. The guests showed great interest in how their former university has developed since their time as students and in the role it plays in the region today. The discussions therefore focused not only on the university’s history and current range of degree programmes, but also on research, regional partnerships and the future prospects of the university.
The campus visit and the shared weekend made it clear that Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences is far more than simply a place of study. For many of its graduates, it has remained an important part of their personal life stories. The reunion once again demonstrated how closely tradition and modernity are connected at the university—and that shared memories lose none of their value, even after many decades.
