Rector Professor Hans-Jochen Schiewer reviews the passing year 2016 and wishes a merry Christmas to our Alumni all over the world. Here is a video of the rector’s Christmas message and a copy of the full text in English:

Dear students,

dear colleagues,

dear employees,

dear alumnae and alumni,

dear friends of the University of Freiburg,

Research and learning can only flourish in a climate of curiosity, plurality, and openness. Universities offer such a climate, in which differences and limitations are not taken as an excuse for prejudice, narrow-mindedness, and exclusion.

The University of Freiburg demonstrated this openness in an exceptional manner in the year 2016, thus showing itself to be a place that offers, and will long continue to offer, excellent conditions for research and teaching. People from nearly 150 countries came together in mutual esteem at the University of Freiburg in 2016. In addition, we founded the European Campus this year along with our partners in Basel, Mulhouse, Strasbourg, and Karlsruhe – three countries, two languages, 115,000 students, 15,000 researchers, 11,000 doctoral candidates, more than 35,000 employees, and a total budget of almost 2.5 euros. As rector of the University of Freiburg and president of Eucor – The European Campus, I am proud that we have taken this big step toward internationalization and Europeanization. All members and friends of the university are welcome to help us build up the European Campus, enhancing its visibility and filling it with life.

Our alliance with Freiburg’s Fraunhofer institutes and our cooperation with neighboring higher education institutions has also witnessed outstanding development in the past year – another sign of the open and curious spirit pervading our university. This successful development of Freiburg and the trinational Upper Rhine region into a center for science and research will form an important foundation of our proposals for our Excellence strategy. These competitions will in all probability demand our undivided attention for several years. We are full of optimism about our chances. National and international rankings confirm that we occupy a top position in the higher education landscape. On this basis, and with the team spirit that makes the University of Freiburg so special, we have the chance to succeed.

I am very glad that we can count on our devoted alumni and friends in all of these endeavors, and I would like to use this occasion to thank you for your support so far. We again succeeded in realizing numerous projects this year with your help, including support for student refugee initiatives, alumni prizes at graduation ceremonies, the alumni prize for social involvement, and funding for the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship program.

I would like to ask you today to support student involvement this Christmas as well by making a donation: In addition to funding even more Deutschlandstipendium scholarships, we want to support an outstanding student volunteer initiative this year: Nightline e.V. Nightline Freiburg is a listening helpline by students for students that places great emphasis on anonymity, confidentiality, and esteem. Help our students to help others!

Dear students, dear colleagues and employees, dear alumni, alumnae, and friends of the University of Freiburg: We are looking confidently ahead to the coming year 2017. I wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a successful, happy, and healthy new year.