Regensburg University
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The University of Regensburg (german: link=no, Universität Regensburg) is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
research university located in the medieval city of Regensburg, Bavaria, a city that is listed as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. The university was founded on 18 July 1962 by the
Landtag of Bavaria The Landtag of Bavaria, officially known in English as the Bavarian State Parliament, is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Bavaria. The parliament meets in the Maximilianeum in Munich. Elections to the Landtag are held every f ...
as the fourth full-fledged university in
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
. Following groundbreaking in 1965, the university officially opened to students during the 1967–1968 winter semester, initially housing faculties in Law and Business Sciences and Philosophy. During the summer semester of 1968 the faculty of Theology was created. Currently, the University of Regensburg houses eleven faculties. The university actively participates in the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
's
SOCRATES programme The SOCRATES programme was an educational initiative of the European Commission; 31 countries took part. The initial Socrates programme ran from 1994 until 31 December 1999 when it was replaced by the Socrates II programme on 24 January 2000, whic ...
as well as several TEMPUS programmes. Its most famous academic, the previous
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
, served as a professor there until 1977 and formally retained his chair in theology.


History

Attempts to establish a university in Regensburg had been advocated since the late 15th century. In 1487, Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria and the Regensburg city council sent a petition to Pope Innocent VIII to establish a university within the city. The idea was rejected, failing for economic reasons. In 1562, Croatian
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
reformer
Matthias Flacius Matthias Flacius Illyricus (Latin; hr, Matija Vlačić Ilirik) or Francovich ( hr, Franković) (3 March 1520 – 11 March 1575) was a Lutheran reformer from Istria, present-day Croatia. He was notable as a theologian, sometimes dissenting strong ...
again advocated the creation of a university in the city, arguing that a university in Regensburg would spread the ideas of the
Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...
to Slavic lands. Protestant intellectuals again tried to establish a university in 1633, though their attempts were blocked by the arrival of imperial troops from orders of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II. Following the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, a group of concerned intellectuals and academics in Eastern Bavaria established the Association of the Friends of the University (Verein der Freunde der Universität Regensburg e. V.) in 1948, advocating the creation of a university for Regensburg and the
Upper Palatinate The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, and is located in the east of Bavaria. Geography The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and numerous ponds and lakes ...
region. The association's advocacy proved successful in 1962 when the Bavarian Landtag authorized the creation of the university. Construction began with the official groundbreaking ceremony on 20 November 1965. The first lectures began during the 1967 winter semester, with the faculties of Law and Business Sciences and Philosophy as the first schools for students. The following year, the faculty of Catholic Theology opened to students. Since 1967, the university has expanded to twelve faculties, including medicine, biology, psychology, and chemistry. The German Research Association has deeply supported a number of research projects in the university, including the fields of biochemistry and microbiology. The university's most famous faculty member is Pope Benedict XVI, who taught from 1969 until he was appointed Cardinal and Archbishop of Munich in 1977. In 2006, one year following his election to the papacy, Benedict XVI returned to the University of Regensburg to make a highly controversial lecture that garnered the university international attention. The Pope is still listed as a professor of the university. Another famous former faculty member, Karl Stetter, worked as head of the Archaea Center and the Department of Microbiology between 1980 and 2002. Among his discoveries were ''
Pyrococcus furiosus ''Pyrococcus furiosus'' is a heterotrophic, strictly anaerobic, extremophilic, model species of archaea. It is classified as a hyperthermophile because it thrives best under extremely high temperatures, and is notable for having an optimum gr ...
'' in 1986, ''
Aquifex aeolicus "''Aquifex aeolicus''" is a chemolithoautotrophic, Gram-negative, motile, hyperthermophilic bacterium. "''A. aeolicus"'' is generally rod-shaped with an approximate length of 2.0-6.0μm and a diameter of 0.4-0.5μm. "''A. aeolicus''" is neither v ...
'', '' Aquifex pyrophilus'', and ''
Nanoarchaeum equitans ''Nanoarchaeum equitans'' is a species of marine archaea that was discovered in 2002 in a hydrothermal vent off the coast of Iceland on the Kolbeinsey Ridge by Karl Stetter. It has been proposed as the first species in a new phylum. Strains of ...
'', discovered in 2002.


Location and staff

Situated entirely on one central campus, the university is located south of Regensburg's inner city on a small incline south of the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
River, and directly adjacent to the Regensburg University of Applied Sciences and the A 3
autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track' ...
. The university itself consists of 150 hectares (280 acres) of land. Including the affiliated university hospital, the University of Regensburg has approximately 4,200 employees including 312 professors, and teaches more than 20,000 students (summer term 2015). The university's reputation and attractiveness is enhanced by the 2,000-year-old town of Regensburg, its scenic countryside, the Donautal (
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
Valley), a high density of bars and the nearby heights of the
Bavarian Forest The village of Zell in the Bavarian Forest The Bavarian Forest (German: ' or ''Bayerwald''; bar, Boarischa Woid) is a wooded, low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany that is about 100 kilometres long. It runs along the Czech border and is co ...
. Brisk cultural life both in the city and on campus provide great recreational opportunities, enhanced by a number of nearby lakes.


Faculties

The university is structured into eleven faculties: *Faculty of Catholic Theology *Faculty of Law *Faculty of Business, Economics and Management Information Systems *Faculty of Medicine *Faculty of Philosophy, Art History, History, and Humanities *Faculty of Psychology, Education, and Sport Science *Faculty of Languages, Literature, and Cultures *Faculty of Mathematics *Faculty of Physics *Faculty of Biology and Pre-Clinical Medicine *Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy On 31 March 2010, the mayor of Regensburg made an official application to the Bavarian government that an additional Technical University suggested by the government should go to Regensburg. Moreover: preceding to the necessary measures the existing university could simply get an additional Technical Faculty as some universities in Bavaria have, e.g. the
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
. In any case, the addition of such a faculty would also make sense for the Regensburg university, since in the city and its surroundings there exists a lot of engineering industry. File:Forum der Universität Regensburg.jpg, The campus in 2009 File:Sammelgebaeude uni regensburg.jpg, The old administration File:Uni-regensburg2.jpg, University canteen File:Studentenprotest, Universität Regensburg 2009-12 (3).JPG, A student protest occupies a lecture theater, December 2009 File:PT Uni-R.JPG, Library Philosophicum 2 File:Uni-r Eingangshalle der Bibliothek.jpg, Library entrance hall File:Universität Regensburg Leichtathletik.JPG, Athletics track and stand File:Uni-r Kugel auf dem Campus.jpg, Ball sculpture File:Vielberth-Gebäude, Uni Regensburg.JPG, Vielberth building, faculty of business


Degree Courses

With its eleven faculties, the university employs a wide variety of traditional programmes of study. The university was one of the first German universities to introduce modularized study programs following the Bologna model. Since 2000, most study programs have introduced bachelor's as well as master's degrees in recent years.
Doctoral degrees A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
can be obtained in most subjects as well. Cross-disciplinary co-operation, the strengthening of key competences, project orientation, and a flexible study programme are the hallmarks of these new degree programmes, preparing students for many modern career options. For international students of law, the university offers an LL.M. course in
German Law The law of Germany (german: das Recht Deutschlands), that being the modern German legal system (german: Deutsches Rechtssystem), is a system of civil law which is founded on the principles laid out by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of G ...
. All students, irrespective of their specialisation, are offered a number of programmes which can be taken to complement their main field of study. Among these are data processing, general language courses, specialised language courses (business, law etc.), courses in oral presentation and communication, and a programme in intercultural communication.


Research

Key fields of activity include the Natural Sciences (Mathematics, Physics, Bio-Sciences, Chemistry and Pharmacy), the Humanities (History, Philologies) and Medicine. The German Research Association (DFG) currently sponsors two collaborative research centres (the SFB 1085 "Higher Invariants -interactions between Arithmetic Geometry and Global Analysis" of the Faculty of Mathematics and the CRC/Transregio 55 "Hadron Physics from Lattice QCD" of the Faculty of Physics), four research units and five interdisciplinary graduate colleges. The university participates in well over 30 EU projects. In detail: according to a recent documentation of the DFG, the physics faculty of the university in 2009 held the first place in Bavaria, and the third one in Germany, concerning the financial support. Moreover, the high-energy physicists of the faculty form the center of a large international cooperation on a basic theory in the field, the Quantum Chromodynamics, with a large special computer, called QPACE. Due to its geographical location near the former Iron Curtain border of the Czech Republic, the university considers itself a ''bridge''. between
East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
and
West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
. Working with partners in
Europaeum The Europaeum is a network of eighteen universities in Europe. It was conceived of in 1990–1991 by Lord Weidenfeld and Sir Ronnie Grierson and they persuaded Roy Jenkins, who had just become Chancellor of the University of Oxford, to push t ...
, the University of Regensburg has set up an interdisciplinary centre for research and teaching on all aspects pertaining to Central,
Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...
and Southeastern European countries. As part of the focus on Eastern Europe the University of Regensburg offers degrees like Southeastern-European Studies and Eastern European studies. The university is also home for the Bavarian University Centre for Central, East and Southeastern Europe (BAYHOST) which works on deepening cooperation between universities of the region and the state of Bavaria. The university closely cooperates with other institutions focusing on Eastern Europe in the city like the Institute for Eastern and Southeastern European studies, the Ostrecht institute (institute for Easteuropean legal studies) and the Hungarian institute among others. These institutions are all part of the centre for competence on Eastern Europe Regensburg.


Rankings

The University of Regensburg is ranked among the best 400 universities worldwide: * QS World University Ranking 2014: 395th * Academic Ranking of World Universities 2013: 301–400th *
Center for World University Rankings College and university rankings order the best institutions in higher education based on factors that vary depending on the ranking. Some rankings evaluate institutions within a single country, while others assess institutions worldwide. Rankings ...
2014: 338th The
Handelsblatt The ''Handelsblatt'' (literally "commerce paper" in English) is a German-language business newspaper published in Düsseldorf by Handelsblatt Media Group, formerly known as Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt. History and profile ''Handelsblatt'' was es ...
Ranking 2014, one of the most relevant rankings for business administration in Germany, ranked the university's Department of Business Administration among the best 25 in
German-speaking Europe This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the German language, regardless of the legislative status within the countries where it is spoken. In addition to the German-speaking area (german: Deutscher Sprachraum) in Europe ...
.


Service

On campus, students are provided with a large central cafeteria (Mensa) and several smaller ones, a pizzeria, a bank, a bookshop as well as various other shops. The open-access University Library, with its modern online catalogue and loan system, holds over 3.15 million books and periodicals. All students receive a
PIN A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. Pin or PIN may also refer to: Computers and technology * Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system ** PIN pad, a PIN entry device * PIN, a former Dutch ...
code for the computers, which grants free access to e-mail services and the Internet in all computer rooms throughout the campus. Students also have access to the services provided by the university's Computer Centre in any one of the more than 20 computer pools on campus and in most of the student dormitories. Student residences, a number of which cater to students with special needs, are located in close proximity to the campus as well as in the city centre itself. In addition to its academic function, the University of Regensburg encourages numerous extracurricular activities on campus. Various choirs, musical ensembles and art exhibitions (drawings, prints, sculpture and photography) testify to a dynamic cultural life on campus. Every year, more than ten student drama groups stage their productions in the theatre on campus. Well equipped audiovisual studios cater to students with an interest in film and music production. The Sports Centre provides recreational courses for students. The choice of courses ranges from aikido to capoeira, and from kayaking to volleyball. The university's International Office offers international students well developed orientation and integration programmes.


Points of interest

* Botanischer Garten der Universität Regensburg, the university's
botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...


Partner Universities

The university currently maintains links with over 130 European academic institutions. The number of partner universities in countries of Central and
Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...
Europe,
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
and the Baltic States has steadily grown ever since the initiation of the programme for associated countries. The university now has over 20 partners in these countries. Favourite destinations for students are and have always been Great Britain, followed by France, Italy and Spain. Universities of
Kanazawa is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Overview Cityscape ...
, Japan and Korea University,
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
provide opportunities for Regensburg students to partake in teaching programs in English language and, depending on their level of language training, as teachers themselves. Two Latin American universities, the Universidad de los Andes, Mérida,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, and the
Universidad de Guanajuato The Universidad de Guanajuato (in English, the University of Guanajuato) is a university based in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, made up of about 33,828 students in programs ranging from high school level to the doctorate level. Over 17,046 of ...
, Mexico, provide several university places.


Notable people

*
May Ayim May Ayim (3 May 1960 in Hamburg – 9 August 1996 in Berlin) is the pen name of May Opitz (born Sylvia Andler); she was an Afro-German poet, educator, and activist. The child of a German student and Ghanaian medical student, she was adopted by a w ...
, alumna: psychology and education, 1986 *
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
, faculty member, theology, 1969–1977 * Hans Bungert, professor of American studies, 1974-2000, and president of the university of Regensburg, 1981-1989 * Theophilos Kuriakose, Bishop of
Jacobite Syrian Christian Church The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church (JSCC), or the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in India also known as Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, the Jacobite Syrian Church, and the Syriac Orthodox Church in India, ...
, alumnus, theology, 2001 * Benjamin Appl (born 1982), German-British lyric baritone * Elli Erl, alumna, sports and medicine, 2005 * J.S. Heinrich, 19th century professor of mineralogy, studied phosphorescence *
Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens Ieronymos II ( el, Ιερώνυμος B’, ''Ierōnymos II'', ; born 10 March 1938) is the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and as such the primate (bishop), primate of the Autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church of Greece. He ...
, alumnus, theology, 1978 * Werner Jeanrond, alumnus, theology, 1979 *
Hans Joachim Schellnhuber Hans Joachim "John" Schellnhuber (born 7 June 1950) is a German atmospheric physicist, climatologist and founding director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and former chair of the German Advisory Council on Global ...
, alumnus, theoretical physics, 1980 * Sarah Straub, psychologist, 2011 *
Udo Steiner Udo Steiner (born September 16, 1939 in Bayreuth) was a justice of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany from 1995 to 2007. He grew up in Franconia, and went on to study law in Erlangen, Saarbrücken and Cologne. In 1965, he earned a doctor ...
, faculty member, public law, * Karl Stetter, faculty member, microbiology, 2002 *
Edmund Stoiber Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber (born 28 September 1941) is a German politician who served as the 16th Minister President of the state of Bavaria between 1993 and 2007 and chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU) between 1999 and 2007. In 2002, he r ...
, alumnus, criminal law, 1971 * Wolfgang Wiegard, faculty, economics, 1999 * Thomas F.A. Whitfield, scientist, inventor * Micael Kalu Ukpong, Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Roman Catholic Diocese of Umua


See also

*
List of universities in Germany This is a list of the universities in Germany, of which there are about seventy. The list also includes German ''Technische Universitäten'' (universities of technology), which have official and full university status, but usually focus on engin ...


References


External links

*
City of Regensburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Regensburg, University Of 1962 establishments in West Germany Educational institutions established in 1962 Public universities and colleges in Germany
University of Regensburg The University of Regensburg (german: link=no, Universität Regensburg) is a public research university located in the medieval city of Regensburg, Bavaria, a city that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university was founded on 18 ...