New chancellor begins his term of office at FAU
Christian Zens begins his term of office as Chancellor of FAU
In the company of 150 guests, Christian Zens was appointed as the new Chancellor of FAU in an official ceremony at Kreuz+Quer, Bohlenplatz in Erlangen.
FAU President Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger introduced the new chancellor in his welcome speech as a man who carefully analyses a situation before taking effective action. ‘After eight weeks of working together, it seems as if he has always been part of our University.’
In his inaugural speech, Zens outlined the responsibilities of a chancellor with legal and historical references and the specific need for university leadership to steer a highly fragmented organisation towards a common strategic course with a convincing degree of sensitivity. ‘The ability to mediate and communicate is key to achieving this. As a specific duty of my role as Chancellor of FAU, I intend to promote the awareness that despite all diversity, we are still part of a single institution built on collaboration and shared objectives.’
Bavarian Minister of the Interior for Construction and Transport, Joachim Herrmann reflected on the atmosphere of change as described by the Chancellor and welcomed future debate between the university and government on the location of key university sites with optimism that innovative and sustainable solutions will be found which will benefit the development of the university.
Henriette Hofmeier, Chair of the Students’ Representatives Governing Board at FAU addressed key areas of cooperation with the chancellor including the campus management system, location issues, building renovation, development in teaching and research and improving studying conditions. Hofmeier also expressed the importance of improving the legal status of students’ representatives bodies in a future revision of the Bavarian Higher Education Act.
Christian Seibert provided the musical accompaniment for the ceremony.
