The honour was bestowed on the “University Manager of the Year” in recognition of her great service to HHU since she took up her role in November 2014 and of her solid management of the coronavirus crisis. The title is Germany’s most significant distinction in the field of university management and was awarded based on the decision of a highly respected jury. The jury members include former Federal Minister for Research Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka, Head of the “Wissen” (Knowledge) section of Die Zeit newspaper Manuel J. Hartung and CHE CEO Prof. Dr. Frank Ziegele.
In the grounds for their decision, the jury members stated the following: “Ms. Steinbeck performs very well across the board in terms of all of the aspects considered for this year’s distinction – she is a strong team player with good self-perception skills and innovative approaches to crisis management.” The jury also point outs that while the President assumed a clear leadership role in crisis management, she “also includes all those involved and makes the best possible use of their skills in her very special way of building trusting working relationships.”
“A success for the whole of Düsseldorf”
“Anja Steinbeck is a very worthy recipient of this important nationwide award”, said Anne-José Paulsen, Chairperson of HHU’s University Council, expressing her satisfaction with the decision. “Not only has she led our university competently through the ongoing coronavirus crisis, she has consistently set standards for promoting our knowledge society since taking up her role, for example by positioning HHU as a citizens’ university as well as through her ‘Wissensregion Düsseldorf’ initiative to promote Düsseldorf as a knowledge region. As a result, this is also a wonderful success for the whole of Düsseldorf.”
“I am delighted to receive the award of University Manager of the Year, and I wish to expressly mention those who have been working together with me as a team for many years in moving HHU forward”, explained President Steinbeck. “In the main, these are our Chancellor Dr. Martin Goch and the other members of the Rectorate. The coronavirus pandemic has also brought into particularly sharp focus the importance of the dedication of the many staff members involved in teaching, research, administration and the IT. Each of them has earned this prize, along with my personal thanks and a celebration – something we will certainly catch up on in the summer of 2021.”
It was already announced on 23 November that the President of HHU was one of six finalists for 2020. The winner was announced on 2 December as part of the week-long series of education-focused events by Die Zeit entitled “Zeit für Bildung”, organised in Berlin as an entirely virtual event. Jury member and co-initiator of the award Marion Schmidt did appear in person in Düsseldorf, however, to hand over the award to Anja Steinbeck during the livestream in front of roughly 2,000 attendees.
“Citizens’ university is well worth the effort”
Carola von Schmettow, Spokesperson of the Board of HSBC Germany and HHU alumna, was also present at the Düsseldorf campus to give a laudatory speech. She emphasised that: “Anja Steinbeck’s idea for a citizens’ university is well worth the effort because this major undertaking to raise awareness in order to have a well-informed and emancipated populace is as relevant today as ever. This is the only thing that can protect us from the consequences of populism and conspiracy theories in the long term.”
The distinction of “University Manager of the Year” was first awarded in 2008, and since 2013 has been awarded jointly by Die Zeit and CHE. After a preselection based on performance indicators of the universities, surveys were carried out of the university management on the topics of management understanding and activities as well as the leadership environment at the university. The survey also asked how the respective university management responded to the coronavirus pandemic, which communication and leadership qualities were particularly convincing and how competently the IT Infrastructure and digitisation was used in this respect. A jury then selected six finalists from these results.
Potential award winners include several hundred leading personalities who oversee a German third-level institution. Last year’s recipient was Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Hoch, Rector of the University of Bonn. The other nominees for University Manager of the Year 2020 alongside the President of HHU were:
- Prof. Dr. Marcus Baumann, Rector of Aachen University of Applied Sciences
- Prof. Dr. sc. agr. Stephan Dabbert, Rector of the University of Hohenheim
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. Sabine Kunst, President of Humboldt University Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Walter Rosenthal, President of Friedrich Schiller University Jena
- Prof. Dr. Micha Teuscher, President of Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
A special award went to Prof. Sabine Kunst, who was named “University Manager of the Year” back in 2010 when she was President of the University of Potsdam and who is now equally successful in her role as President of Humboldt University.
