On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (HWG LU) once again focused on outstanding academic achievements: This year's sponsorship awards from the "Förderer der Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society e.V." association and the gender equality awards were presented at a small ceremony. As in previous years, the university, the sponsors' association and the equal opportunities association honored the special commitment and excellent achievements of their students and graduates.
In his welcoming address, University President Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller emphasized the importance of the award ceremony: "The awards impressively demonstrate the passion, professional competence and sense of responsibility with which our students shape their studies and final theses. They are an impressive testimony to the high quality and diversity of education at the HWG LU."
Liz Bergler (Midwifery, B.Sc.), who was honored as the best Bachelor's graduate of the year, was connected virtually and was visibly moved as she thanked for the award. Prof. Dr. Michaela Michel-Schuldt told the audience that Liz Bergler was not only a very committed student, but also a midwife in the fifth generation, continuing a long family tradition.
The award for best Master's graduate went to Anna-Lena Gerdon (Social Work, M.A.). She received several prizes and scholarships at the HWG LU during her Bachelor's degree and also distinguished herself as a founding member and board member of "Bauernhof-Statt-Altenheime e.V.". She originally enrolled at another university for her Master's degree, but returned to Ludwigshafen in 2021. Laudator Prof. Dr. Arnd Götzelmann found many appreciative words and was particularly pleased that Anna-Lena Gerdon will remain at HWG LU, as his department was able to recruit her as a social work practice officer after she completed her Master's degree in spring.
Noah Laufer also demonstrated student commitment during his Bachelor's degree in International Business Administration. However, he impressed the Förderverein jury above all with his empirically excellent thesis on "Stock market dynamics and political information", in which he analyzed the links between financial markets and political influence based on the US presidential election in 2024 and showed that politically well-connected companies were often able to achieve significantly high returns. For this, he received the prize for the best Bachelor's thesis of the year - and much praise from mentor Prof. Dr. Nikolas Wölfing, who also recalled his first meeting with Noah Laufer in his laudatory speech. He had immediately noticed him because of his enthusiasm for numbers and strong interest in economics and financial markets.
Paula Bachert laid the foundation for her professional career as a controller with her studies and Master's thesis. In her final thesis in the Controlling degree programs (M.A.), she dealt with sustainability reporting in accordance with the new EU CSRD Directive and developed a practice-oriented reporting concept for the Wirthwein Group. Laudator Prof. Dr. Petra Weber-Dreßler praised Paula Bachert as an exceptional student, explaining the topicality and relevance of the subject and why the prize for the best Master's thesis of the year is highly deserved.
The four prizes awarded by the sponsorship association are endowed with 500 euros each. In addition, the university's Equal Opportunities Officer, Prof. Dr. Elke Raum, presented two more awards, each of which comes with 300 euros in prize money:
The Family Award was presented to Martha Greif, who works as a senior midwife and is currently studying for a Master's degree in Innovative Care Practice in Nursing and Midwifery at HWG LU after completing her Bachelor's degree in Midwifery. The mother of two also manages to combine her professional expertise with a great deal of social commitment - including as chairwoman of the Rheinhessen-Pfalz district association of the German Midwives Association and in various voluntary initiatives.
Vilja Berner received the Gender Award for her master's thesis "Endometriosis care in Germany: a critical examination of current concepts, challenges and future prospects". In her thesis, she addresses the structural deficits in the medical care of women with endometriosis and highlights specific potential for improvement in the German healthcare system. After completing her degree in Health Care Management (HCM), Vilja Berner is currently working at the Institute for Management and Innovation at HWG LU.
Close connection between students, lecturers and the university
This year's central award ceremony of the HWG LU, which was accompanied by music from Farrukh Sobirov, was characterized by a positive and appreciative atmosphere. In addition to the laudatory speeches, all award winners also took the opportunity to address a few personal words to the audience. The solidarity of the (former) students with the professors and the university was expressed in all of the speeches that evening.
"Once again, it was impressive to see the outstanding and committed personalities studying at HWG LU and how happy they were to receive the awards. As the Friends' Association, we are once again encouraged that rewarding the best performers, which we have made our mission, is a meaningful matter," said Tatjana Kamrad, Chairwoman of the Friends' Association, looking back on the award ceremony with satisfaction. As Head of Personnel Development/Training at Sparkasse Vorderpfalz, she also used the occasion to hand over a donation check for 500 euros from her bank to the association.
Following the official part of the ceremony, the university hosted a champagne reception with finger food, where those present took the opportunity to exchange ideas.
Contact:
Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Alumni Office
Britta Käufer
Tel.: 0621 5203-249
E-mail: britta.kaeufer@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 hwg-lu.de
