A Thank You to Maximilian Buchka on His 80th Birthday

Alanus University congratulates Prof. Dr. Maximilian Buchka on his 80th birthday!

At a stage of life when other people retire, Maximilian Buchka chose a new field of activity once again. After a professional life devoted to (special needs) education and scholarship, encompassing work as a special education teacher, principal of a special school, subject head, professor, dean, and also rector of a university of applied sciences, he came to Alanus University in 2008 and over the past 15 years has bestowed on the Department of Educational Science, day after day, the gift of his comprehensive academic and professional expertise and his professional experience deepened by wisdom gained in life. Maximilian Buchka can truly be described as the soul of the Department of Educational Science. Of the many wonderful qualities that distinguish him, and from which students and colleagues alike benefit with gratitude, a few should be mentioned here:

The educational scientist Maximilian Buchka has an extensive and wide-ranging body of published research, and drawing on his broad overview he is able to cover the entire spectrum of educational science in his seminars and make larger connections visible and tangible for students.

As a professor, Maximilian Buchka is approachable for all students, supports them throughout their studies, and encourages them through difficult phases. There is hardly a seminar in which he has not gifted the students books and cake.

As a colleague, Maximilian Buchka is farsighted, immeasurably helpful, and full of enthusiasm for work. He remains composed and calm in conflicts and is full of optimism that everything will work out in the end. And when things seem to have reached a complete standstill, he always has a “Cologne solution” at hand. Alongside the many substantive tasks and his great initiative for new projects, he also thinks about decorations for the department and organizes the Christmas parties.

As head of degree program, he is inventive and proactive when it comes to positioning the Childhood Education degree program within today’s educational landscape. His vivid graphics, which visualize and document the richness of his ideas, are well known.

Maximilian Buchka is the model of a scholar, professor, and colleague. It is a daily joy to work with him and to witness the inexhaustible source of his commitment to the university, the department, and especially the students.

What not many people achieve: he combines the depth, wealth of knowledge, and even abstract clarity of scholarship with the warmth and insight of the heart. In his work, scholarship and academic life are always grounded in and measured by humanity. Our deeply felt thanks and warmest congratulations to a wonderful colleague on behalf of the Department of Educational Science and Alanus University!

Jost Schieren

Dean, Department of Educational Science

Alanus University