Prof. Klaus Mühlhahn bids farewell as President of ZU

Prof. Dr. Klaus Mühlhahn celebrated his official farewell from Zeppelin University (ZU) on Thursday. Numerous professors, companions and students came to thank him for his commitment. After five years in the office of ZU President, Mühlhahn decided not to run for another term for personal reasons and officially stepped down from his dual role as President and Managing Director of ZU on March 31.

Peter Gerstmann, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ZU Foundation, paid tribute to his extraordinary services to the ZU in times of great challenges: Corona pandemic, demographic change, energy and economic crisis, difficult funding issues and, last but not least, the efforts of a demanding reaccreditation process had demanded an unusual amount from the incumbent President of ZU. "Many thanks for the many years of responsibility," said Gerstmann, paying tribute to Mühlhahn's performance in office.

In his own speech, Professor Mühlhahn explained that he had always kept his core concerns in mind: "that we always underpin ZU's innovations and goals with quality". For example, he had invested a lot of time and effort in the search for new professors. "My aim was to appoint only the best". He was very proud of ZU's current research performance, the high level of which was underlined by the final report of the German Council of Science and Humanities, which reaccredited ZU for another five years, which in turn would have a positive impact on research and teaching. Klaus Mühlhahn thanked all professors, the entire administration, sponsors, students and former students, the ZU Foundation, the city of Friedrichshafen and all university partners for the great support he had received during his time in office.

Prof. Dr. Matthias Weiß, Chairman of the ZU Board of Professors, also emphasized how much research at ZU has been strengthened during Professor Mühlhahn's time in office. "We are very grateful for your great commitment to ZU, for your ideas and your motivation to always strive for excellence," said Prof. Weiß. According to him, Klaus Mühlhahn will always remain a member of the university family.

On behalf of Lord Mayor Simon Blümcke and the City of Friedrichshafen, City Councillor Angelika Drießen also thanked Klaus Mühlhahn for his commitment to ZU in Friedrichshafen. He had helped to consolidate ZU as part of the city community. The city had also noticed that Mühlhahn had to lead ZU through times of great change. "You have set a decisive course for the future," said Drießen. "The city owes you a debt of gratitude."

The evening was hosted by ZU Student Vice President Emilia Bös, who thanked Klaus Mühlhahn for the fact that the student body always had a firm place in his presidency. In his exchanges, he had always attached importance to ensuring that the university remained relevant and lively. Content, principles and values were important to him. "You gave a lot of impetus," said Bös. And she thanked him for this on behalf of the student body.