On March 15, 2022, Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller received his certificate of appointment as President of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences (HWG LU) from the hands of the Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Science, Clemens Hoch. Yesterday, the ceremonial handover of office from the previous incumbent Prof. Dr. Peter Mudra to his successor Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller took place in the auditorium of the university in Ludwigshafen. Minister Clemens Hoch, Prof. Dr. Michael Jäckel, Chairman of the State Conference of University Presidents (LHPK), Alderman Alexander Thewalt, Chairman of the University Council Dr. Dieter Wagner and Michael Cordier, former Managing Director of LUKOM, honored the old and the new President with their greetings.
With a review of the twelve years of work and the biography of the previous incumbent Prof. Dr. Peter Mudra, Vice President Prof. Dr. Edith Rüger Muck opened the ceremony for the handover of the presidency: "You have always been a strong advocate for the topic of continuing education and lifelong learning". In addition, Peter Mudra has "further developed the university in other directions with great dedication, commitment, passion and many innovative ideas," said Rüger-Muck, citing as examples the merging of the two originally independent Ludwigshafen universities and their different cultures after the merger, the campus expansion with the new building, which will soon be ready for occupancy, and the renaming of the university with the associated sharpening of its profile as particular milestones of Mudra's presidency. In human terms, he said, he was also distinguished by his humble and appreciative manner, his open ear and his participative leadership style. "You tried to convince instead of persuade, which is - in my opinion - the opposite of a basta culture," Rüger-Muck summarized the voices from among the professors and staff. The Vice President warmly welcomed the new President, Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller, and promised him the full support of the Executive Board.
Science Minister Clemens Hoch thanked the outgoing president, Prof. Dr. Peter Mudra: "In his two terms of office, Professor Mudra has provided important impetus for the further positive development of Ludwigshafen University. With his inspiring energy, he not only worked within the university, but also built up networks and brought the university and the city even closer together. Among the numerous developments during his tenure are the profiling process of the university resulting in the new name 'University of Applied Sciences for Business and Society', the development of the academic health professions or the establishment of the wine campus in Neustadt, together with Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences and the TH Bingen. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mr. Mudra for his special commitment." The Minister of Science also congratulated the new President Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller: "I would like to warmly congratulate Mr. Piller on his new office. The very good development of the university provides an excellent starting position to lead it into a good future. I look forward to working with you, Mr. Piller, and wish you much success and luck in the task ahead."
As chairman of the State University Presidents' Conference (LHPK), Prof. Dr. Michael Jäckel focused his speech on the special challenges facing Rhineland-Palatinate as a higher education location and urged the university to "get even more into action." At the same time, Jäckel also emphasized the fruitful exchange between the presidents of the LHPK and gave both the outgoing and the new president of the HWG LU a quote from the Ludwigshafen philosopher Ernst Bloch: "One must be in love with success, not failure".
The good cooperation between the university and the city of Ludwigshafen was highlighted by Alexander Thewalt, Head of the Department of Construction and Environment, who stood in for Mayor Jutta Steinruck, who was absent at short notice: "You have always had the city in mind and emphasized its positive aspects," he thanked Mudra, citing some of the many joint projects as examples: the study on the workplace of the future, for example, the study on employee mobility, or the current housing study. At the same time, Thewalt reiterated his desire to better connect the university to the main train station and the city center in the future.
Dr. Dieter Wagner, Chairman of the University Council, then paid tribute to the many years of good cooperation between the body and the university management, which had been characterized by openness, mutual respect and appreciative dialog. Moreover, they had been very united on one central issue: "People must be at the center of everything we do." Dr. Dieter Wagner also pledged his personal support and that of the University Council to the new President, Prof. Dr. Piller.
Finally, Michael Cordier, long-time managing director of LUKOM, concluded the round of laudations with a very personal greeting: "I think I've made you a bit of a Ludwigshafener - you've certainly made me a big fan of the university," Cordier said, addressing Peter Mudra and naming a whole series of joint activities and projects close to his heart, including the children's university lectures, joint city tours for students and alumni, and the joint film project as a replacement for the 2020 graduation ceremony, which was cancelled due to Corona.
Before the symbolic handover of the university key, the previous and the new president of the university also took the floor once again:
"When evaluating the university's past accomplishments, one cannot ignore the collective momentum. Everything we have achieved, we have achieved as a team," Mudra summarized and directed his thanks to the state, the Ministry of Science, the city, the LHPK, the IHK Round Table and all stakeholders of the university. He said that he has always been supported by the special team spirit at HWG LU and the Palatinate philosophy of "just do it!" Prof. Dr. Peter Mudra will remain with the university even after his self-chosen retirement from the presidency: In the future, he will be teaching and researching again in his "old" department of Marketing and Human Resource Management.
His successor Prof. Dr. Gunter Piller described it as his "privilege" to now be able to continue Mudra's work: "I was very impressed by our guest list. The presence alone of leading representatives from politics, administration, companies and civil society organizations as well as colleges and universities shows, dear colleague Mudra: You have done everything right. You have successfully managed and further developed the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, and you have networked and anchored it well in the city, the region and the state." In the further development of the university with a special focus on teaching and research, he, like his predecessor, relies on successful teamwork - within the university as well as with all stakeholders of the university, said Piller.
The evening was moderated by Vice President Prof. Dr. Edith Rüger-Muck, with musical accompaniment provided by Kathrin Presser (vocals) and Jan David (guitar) from the School of Music Ludwigshafen.
