“We foster opportunities for young people to shape the future.”

In this interview, the new Rectorate of Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences looks ahead at the end of the year: Where do we stand, and where do we want to go?

The year is drawing to a close, and Alanus University in Alfter near Bonn is looking back on a quarter under new academic leadership. Since 1 September 2024, the new Rectorate has been in office. But what does the new university leadership stand for? And what challenges and opportunities does it see for the coming years? We asked. 

Rector Prof. Dr. Thomas Maschke is supported by the two Vice-Rectors, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Greubel, Head of the Childhood Education degree programme, and Prof. Dominik Schiefner, Dean of the Department of Performing Arts. The team is completed by Chancellor Michael Schröder. 

The vision of Alanus University is to help shape a future-ready society. At the same time, our present is becoming increasingly complex. How do you intend to empower young people to contribute creatively to our society?

Thomas Maschke: First of all, it is about ensuring that young people retain and continually renew their confidence in their own ability to shape the world. To this end, we want to equip them with a rich range of options for perception and action.

Stefanie Greubel: Especially in times marked by less stability and predictability, intergenerational cohesion is also essential. A society is only future-ready if its members understand themselves not only as individuals but equally as bearers of shared values. That is why, at Alanus, alongside imparting professional expertise, we are especially committed to solidarity in action, to exploring pedagogical and philosophical questions with our students, and to promoting sustainable projects. 

Dominik Schiefner: The complexity of social structures also contains an opportunity for togetherness, if one does not merely look for simple answers but for intelligent questions, for the essence of a matter.

At Alanus University, the whole person is to be nurtured through the interplay of art and science. For you, what is the added value of this open approach?

Michael Schröder: Here, art flows into all degree programmes. We encourage our students not only to think, but to rethink. To take unconventional paths, broaden their personalities, and develop creative concepts with the help of art and philosophy. This is the added value we want to pass on to our students.

Dominik Schiefner: Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), wrote that the demands placed on education are changing fundamentally in the age of artificial intelligence and rapid developments. Future skills such as teamwork, empathy, resilience, creativity, and communication are becoming ever more important. I see Alanus University as a treasure chest. I believe we are particularly well positioned when it comes to teaching these future skills. Art can help people learn to think differently, more dynamically. Visions can be shaped that may initially seem impossible. 

Stefanie Greubel: We stand for the connection of head, heart, and hand. It is important to me that students experience these interrelationships and develop an attitude that includes the competence to grasp different perspectives and to use them responsibly for themselves, for their own biography, and for their own positioning and actions. 

What impulses would you like to provide as the Rectorate?

Thomas Maschke: We all provide different impulses that complement one another wonderfully. My focus is on further developing continuing education formats at the university level, sharpening the profiles of individual degree programmes and thus the university’s overall unique selling point (USP), and establishing new degree programmes that anticipate and creatively and constructively support social change. All of this with open and respectful communication, something the university has always stood for.

Stefanie Greubel: I can build on that very well, because both our university as a whole and our Rectorate are characterised by a special feature: fostering community and enthusiasm for what we do. On this basis, it is important to me to support both colleagues and students so that academic, artistic, and organisational processes can continue to be filled with life and passion. This quality assurance also includes a sensitive but realistic view of the university’s existing structures, as well as mutual awareness of individual needs.

Michael Schröder: As Chancellor of the university, I see it as my goal to establish the Alanus brand regionally, nationally, and in the long term internationally as well. I would like to continue increasing the efficiency of administrative processes, particularly through comprehensive digitalisation. 

Speaking of the future: Where do you see Alanus University in five years?

Dominik Schiefner: Even today, Alanus University is described as a pearl in the higher education landscape. I think that in five years, the place will be buzzing with motivated, innovative students who challenge us in the best possible sense. Alanus University will then be THE name for creative future-oriented education, with degree programmes that, in the best sense of the liberal arts idea, collaboratively convey ideas that go far beyond the obvious. Alanus is a pluralistic place of freedom where productive, critical questioning is the basis for action.

Stefanie Greubel: Alanus University stands for rigorous academic engagement, including with questions of anthroposophy, and addresses the challenges that come with taking a critical look at Rudolf Steiner or the practice of Waldorf education. I am convinced that this profile will continue in the future and that Alanus University will become even better known for making an important contribution to a future-ready society through its interdisciplinary linking of socially relevant aspects.

Thomas Maschke: Let me put it concretely: Alanus University will further expand its existing network of specialist, regional, and international partners and, with its portfolio of socially relevant degree programmes, will enjoy an excellent reputation both within the higher education landscape and among prospective students. Our students not only play an active role in shaping the university, but also set creative impulses in the professional fields they enter and enable new developments in society. As the Rectorate, we are pleased to be part of this process.