Dr. Dieter Wagner, Chairman of the University Council since its founding in 2003 and the University's first Honorary Senator, celebrated his 75th birthday in August of this year. The Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (HWG LU) was pleased to take this as an opportunity to honor its long-time companion and valued advisor for his outstanding honorary commitment to the benefit of the university with a ceremony on September 22, 2021.
In his laudatory speech, University President Prof. Dr. Peter Mudra praised the jubilarian "as an advisor, encourager, coach and tireless drummer for the good cause" who, since the "challenging beginnings" of the University Council in 2003 as its chairman, had accompanied the university on its path in a thoroughly critical but always productive and appreciative manner, initiating changes and advancing negotiation processes. "In the many years of your honorary commitment, you, dear Dr. Wagner, have set impulses that were visionary, for example, with regard to the profiling of our university towards becoming a university for business and society. With your focus on people, you have always sought exchange - with students, teachers, university management and politicians. As Chairman of the University Council, as a teacher, as a man of practice and - together with your family - as the donor of the Wagner Family Award, which is now being presented for the 7th time, you are also a role model for the younger generation with your professional and life experience, your attitude," said Mudra.
Dr. Jörg Breitenbach, as a member of the University Council, also conveyed the congratulations of the body to Dr. Dieter Wagner and expressed special thanks and appreciation to the Chairman for his "initiative, assertiveness and tireless commitment".
Dr. Dieter Wagner himself was forward-looking on the occasion of the anniversary: "Anniversaries are usually opportunities to look back, to reflect on the past. I would rather use this anniversary to look ahead and am determined to make the coming period the best of my life". Bringing together expertise and practice and taking people along with him remains his central drive, Wagner said. As in the past, the "2D rule" - gratitude and humility - will accompany him on his way. He also believes it is important to ensure transparency and comprehensibility in communication and interaction in the academic environment: "Keep it strictly simple," is his advice. At the same time, Wagner also pleaded for a different error culture: "Mistakes are important! They show that this is not the way to do things. A lot can be learned from them, for the individual, but also for the entire organization," said Wagner.
The ceremony, which was followed by a get-together, was accompanied musically by the guitar duo Stefan Pedljo and Dominik Dalic from the Ludwigshafen Music School.
Personal details:
Dr. Dieter Wagner, born in 1946, studied chemistry in Erlangen. After obtaining his doctorate, he joined BASF in 1977, where he held various management positions, including Head of Human Resources in Ludwigshafen and President of BASF in Argentina. In 2000, he became chairman of the board and labor director of Knoll AG. Following the takeover of Knoll AG by Abbott GmbH, Wagner served as Divisional Vice President until 2004. From 2007 to 2008, he was responsible for the commercial affairs of Technische Werke Ludwigshafen (TWL) as an interim member of the Board of Management. In an honorary capacity, he is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Head of the Finance Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Administrative Board of the Protestant Deaconesses Speyer-Mannheim. He has been Chairman of the University Council of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society since its founding in 2003. Eight years ago, Dr. Dieter Wagner and his family endowed the "Wagner Family Award," which annually honors outstanding theses by students who deal with values and ethical-social behavior in social contexts in a scientifically sound manner. In 2013, Dr. Dieter Wagner was the first person to receive the honorary senatorship of HWG LU for his special services to the university. In 2016, the highest honor of the state followed: Prime Minister Malu Dreyer honored Dr. Dieter Wagner for his "exceptional services to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate" with the state's Order of Merit.
