Large table at the university: not a school table, but a long lunch table in our canteen, which took place last week. Around 20 members of the Stadtgespräch Ludwigshafen initiative met there for a shared lunch break. Many have known the university for several years, but experiencing the new campus in person and combining this with the monthly meeting went down very well with everyone. The university and its Graduate School Rhine-Neckar had extended the invitation.
The entire organizing team of the Stadtgespräch was also present: Yann Fürst, Stephan Kirsch, Matthias Darstein, Lord Mayor candidate Martin Wegner and other representatives from companies, trade, politics and the city's social and cultural institutions. Yann Fürst opened the discussion as usual and handed over the floor to the university president, Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller, and Ralf Blasek, Managing Director of the Graduate School Rhine-Neckar. Afterwards, everyone immersed themselves in everyday university life and grabbed lunch in the canteen. For some, this brought back memories of their own studies.
Stadtgespräch has been meeting for almost 15 years to bring together a wide range of stakeholders in the city who want to help shape the future and initiate new projects together. Exchange and networking are the cornerstones of this. The discussions at the long table were lively and covered all topics. New members were warmly welcomed and various events were announced for the coming weeks.
Those who still had time then joined Jessica Piroth from the Institute for Employment and Employability IBE, who presented the new experimental rooms of the EMPOWER joint project. The guests were impressed by the moss wall, the various seating options and the flexible room elements. The pleasant atmosphere of the room was particularly emphasized. There was a great deal of interest, as both rooms can also be booked by external organizations. Degree was rounded off with a coffee in the students' new creative space, which was made possible by the university's support association. With new impulses and a fresh impression of the university, everyone went back to their respective tasks.
As a public educational institution, it is important to the university to be part of public life in the city and to initiate projects with and for society and business. Such projects often arise from personal relationships and close exchanges. We are therefore all the more pleased that HWG LU was able to host the event this time.
