Press release: The University’s Anniversary Celebrations: Behind the Scenes of the President’s Office and More

Nr. 95/2012 - 29.05.2012

The Week of Anniversary Festivities Commences on 29th May – Day of Sport and Day of Culture, an Anniversary Exhibition and an Open Aula Day

(pug) This year, the University of Göttingen is celebrating the 275th anniversary of its founding. Many anniversary celebrations and activities are planned to mark this occasion. The main week of anniversary festivities, to be officially opened in a ceremony on 29th May 2012, features an Anniversary Ceremony and a symposium, along with a variety of sports and cultural events especially for students. Also on the programme: a church service as well as a staff party on 31st May. The University is also pleased to be welcoming numerous university rectors from throughout Europe who will be participating in the Annual Conference of the Coimbra Group in Göttingen. The 2nd June offers two additional highlights: the “Open Aula Day” will give people the opportunity to take a closer look inside the Great Hall Building, whilst outside they are invited to attend a festive reception on Wilhelmsplatz. Additionally, the Exhibition "Objects of Knowledge” will be held in the Pauliner Church, where the University will be showcasing individual treasures from its academic collections. Further events are spread out over the anniversary festive week and the entire year: concerts, talks and lecture cycles, as well as a “Night of Science and Scholarship” to be held on 24th November, when many facilities will be opening their doors to the public.

Anniversary Ceremony on 29th May at 4:30 p.m.
The anniversary festive week will officially begin with a ceremony on 29th May, at 4.30 p.m., in the Great Hall on Wilhelmsplatz. Members of the University, international cooperation partners and representatives from business and politics are invited. Some of the guest speakers include David McAllister, Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Prof. Hans Georg Näder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, Wolfgang Meyer, Lord Mayor of Göttingen, and Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Anniversary Lecture “Enlightenment in Göttingen – in the 18th Century and Today” will be delivered by historian Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Wehler. Afterwards, a reception in the ‘Mensa on Wilhelmsplatz' will take place at 6 p.m.

Coimbra Annual Conference from 29th May to 1st June, 2012
The Annual Conference of the Coimbra Group is taking place from 29th May to 1st June, 2012. The Coimbra Group is a network of 40 renowned and long-established European universities, among them Bologna and Padua, Oxford and Cambridge, Leuven and Heidelberg. The University of Göttingen has been a member of the network since 1986 and participates in five network working groups. Once a year, the university presidents meet to share information about their common endeavours. On the conference agenda is a symposium entitled ‘Governance for integrity and quality in universities’, running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on 30th May in the Aula on Wilhelmsplatz. Both the lectures in the morning from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and the podium discussion from 1 to 3 in the afternoon will be held in English.

Dies Academicus on 30th May, from 12 noon
30th May is field day! Every year, the Dies Academicus draws thousands of students, staff and guests to the sports facilities of the Sprangerweg Sports Centre. The big football tournament kicks off at 12 noon, when 140 teams take to the pitch. Young and old alike can compete in additional games, such as the Streetball tournament or Human Table Soccer, or make their way along the event mile and take part in bobby car races and chin-up contests. This field day closes with the Dies Evening Party which starts at 9 p.m. on campus at the ‘Platz der Göttinger Sieben’.

Lecture Cycle starting on 30th May at 8 p.m.
This public lecture series presented by the University will be dealing with its own past and its future mission. Entitled ‘Tradition – Autonomy – Innovation’, the cycle features a total of twelve lectures. The lecture on ‘Academia and the Führer Principle – The Anniversary of Georgia-Augusta in 1937’ starts on 30th May at 8 p.m. in the Aula at Wilhelmsplatz 1. The rest of the lectures in the series will be held Tuesdays at 6:15 p.m., in the Aula on Wilhelmsplatz.

Staff Party on 31st May from 3 to 10 p.m.
Unique in the history of Georgia-Augusta, the entire Göttingen University and Medical Centre staff is cordially invited to a joint festive event on 31st May, 2012, from 3 to 10 p.m. Every interested member of the University staff is welcome to attend and take part in the varied and colourful cultural programme in the Central Lecture Hall Building and on campus. The ‘Opportunities Fair’ on the main campus has something for everybody, ranging from Indian comics and knowledge tests on university history to historical archery and a keep-fit course. All stands provide information and creative activities for young and old alike. Film screenings, numerous join-in experiments and drama performances, as well as fun events for kids, round off the programme.

Festival of Art and Culture on 1 June, from 2 p.m.
Music, theatre, cabaret acts and dance await students and all others attending the cultural festival. On 1st June, the society KUNST e.V. and the University of Göttingen are – for the first time – mutually presenting a colourful and varied cultural programme on several stages. The programme, taking place in and outside the Central Lecture Hall Building, starts at 2 p.m. and will last into the evening hours. Attendees can move to the West African rhythms of the ‘African Culture Club’, watch traditional Chinese dance, listen to music performed by the Chinese Culture Association and experience improve theatre. The evenings’ musical accompaniment will be provided by UniRoyal, Blessed & Irie and the NB Houseband with special guests. Admission is free. KUNST here stands for Kultur UNterstützt STadt – culture supporting the city. As an alliance of active players from almost all of Göttingen’s cultural establishments, the society is taking a stand for the preservation and further support of the whole range of these institutions.

Golf Tournament on 1st June, from 9 a.m.
On 1st June, 2012, the University of Göttingen is holding an invitational golf tournament for alumni, friends and donors, as well as for members of the University and affiliated institutions. The venue is the Hardenberg golf complex. Guests will have the opportunity to meet, mingle and test their sporting skills in the special ambience of this renowned resort. To close out the day, the very first President’s Prize ever will be awarded at a ceremony during the course of a modest reception. For those guests not playing a round but who would like to try their hand at driving and putting, there will be interesting trial sessions offered.

Open Aula Day on 2nd June from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The festivities agenda for 2nd June starts with ‘Open Aula Day’, where the City of Göttingen is inviting its citizens into the Great Hall Building on Wilhelmsplatz. A citizens’ reception will take place on Wilhelmsplatz. Alongside Georgia-Augusta's own anniversary bubbly and university ice cream, cocktails have been created just for this reception. The Studentenwerk Student’s Association will open the ‘Mensa on Wilhelmsplatz’ to serve the guests warm meals from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Great Hall, the Akademiesaal, the Karzer (old university detention rooms) and the University’s meeting room in the Aula building will be open. For the first time ever, visitors will be able to tour the offices and other rooms where the Presidential Board and the Press Office work. Every half-hour, interested persons will have the chance to take a guided tour through the building, free-of-charge.

Opening of the Exhibition ‘Objects of Knowledge’ on 2nd June at 3 p.m.
Right as ‘Open Aula Day’ draws to a close at 3 p.m., the Exhibition ‘Objects of Knowledge’ opens in the Pauliner Church located at Papendiek 14. The exhibition will run from 3rd June to 7th October 2012. On 3rd June, the ‘Day of Open Exhibition’, admission, including guided tours, will be free between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. The free guided tours at 11 a.m., 2 and 5 p.m. will present the collections and their objects. Visitors can experience the meaning of academic collecting and discover how ‘things’ are transformed into ‘objects of knowledge’. The exhibition unites a multitude of remarkable objects from 30 of the University’s collections – covering the natural sciences, humanities, art, culture and medicine – all under one roof. Visitors will learn compelling facts about the origin of these exhibit pieces, their pivotal relevance to research and teaching and how they are systematically ordered, categorized and archived in practice. The richly-illustrated companion volume ‘Dinge des Wissens’ is being published by Göttingen’s Wallstein publishing house.
 

International Alumni Homecoming on 2nd June from 2:30 p.m.
Graduates and former members of the University from all corners of the earth are expected to attend the Göttingen Alumni Day festivities on 2nd June, 2012. In the morning, the alumni will visit the Aula building and are welcome to attend the reception on Wilhelmsplatz. In addition, the University is inviting the alumni to take part in an exclusive tour of the Anniversary Exhibition ‘Objects of Knowledge’ prior to its official opening. In the afternoon, Göttingen Alumni will give lectures and hold workshops. For instance, the historian Steffen Hölscher will report on Georgia-Augusta’s nascent years; the psychologist Heike Mehmke will address the phenomenon of “helicopter parents”. Several faculties will be inviting their alumni from the year 1987 for silver diploma festivities and re-finals parties. A visit to the Faculty of Humanities’ new Cultural Research Centre (KWZ) and its library will also be offered.

Festive Church Service on 3rd June at 11:30 a.m.
On Sunday, 3rd June, 2012, the University Church is holding a Festive Service to conclude the week of anniversary festivities. The sermon on Psalm 19 will be given by Bishop Ralf Meister from Hanover. The University Choir will be conducted by Academic Music Director Ingolf Helm. University Preacher Prof. Dr. Florian Wilk will lead the liturgy. The service at the University Church of St. Nikolai begins at 11:30 a.m.

For further information about the programme during the week of anniversary festivities, visit the website www.uni-goettingen.de/275jahre.

Notice to the Press:
Journalists are warmly welcomed to all events. You need accreditation to attend the Anniversary Ceremony (Tuesday, 29th May). Please register with the Göttingen University Press Office by Thursday, 24th May, at the latest: Phone +49(0)551 39-4342,
e-mail pressestelle@uni-goettingen.de.
Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to take photographs and obtain background information on the exhibition pieces on Saturday, 2nd June, before the official opening of the Exhibition ‘Objects of Knowledge’. The press conferences and photo shoot will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The meeting point will be in the foyer to the Pauliner Church, 1st floor, Papendiek 14.