Thomas Spägele re-elected Rector of RWU

In a joint meeting on 19 May, the University Council and the Senate of Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences (RWU) elected Professor Dr. Thomas Spägele as Rector in the first round of voting. Spägele is thus entering his third term of office in Weingarten.

In his presentation to the two committees, Spägele first looked back on his second term of office from 2014 to 2022, citing system accreditation as a key development, as a result of which RWU is now able to develop its courses independently and more quickly. Collaborations such as the founding of the Southwest University Federation or the BW-CAR research association with the prospect of the right to award doctorates have contributed to networking and thus enabled projects that would not have been possible on their own. "Yes, we need the right to award doctorates. It will change our image as a UAS, it will create resources and, above all, it will increase our visibility in an international context," said Spägele.

Looking to the future, Spägele first defined the framework conditions. Demographic change is making itself felt in the number of applications, not only at RWU, but throughout the country. In addition, according to Spägele, the university has to fulfill an increasingly diverse educational mission without the corresponding increase in resources. "We have an increasingly inhomogeneous student body. We need to discuss new structures and alliances, even beyond our university," said Spägele.

Sustainable degree course portfolio

He named key areas of action for a third term of office, some of which are already being worked on as part of the ongoing university development process. In the area of teaching, these include the upcoming system reaccreditation, work on a future-proof degree course portfolio and structures in the area of academic continuing education. Furthermore, the internationalization of RWU is to be further advanced. "I can very well imagine the internationalization of nursing in particular," says Spägele. And finally, the digital transformation of teaching should continue to be a focus.

Spägele would also like to focus on the structural development of RWU and the path to a climate-neutral campus. In cooperation with the responsible Office for Property and Construction, the focus here will be on the renovation of the main building and renovations or new buildings in the area of buildings K and T. "All of these topics have motivated me to run for a third term in office. I would like to," concluded Spägele.

"You have a lot to do. But we know that RWU is in good hands."

The members of the University Council and Senate then proceeded to the election. Both bodies confirmed Thomas Spägele in office, the University Council unanimously and the Senate with two thirds of the votes. The duration of the third term of office was set at six years until 2028. The Chairwoman of the University Council congratulated him: "You have a lot to do. But we know that RWU is in good hands and we look forward to continuing to work with you and your Rectorate team," said Dr. Carolin Bischoff.

Thomas Spägele studied at the University of Stuttgart and completed his doctorate. He worked for MTU and was appointed Professor of Simulation Technology, Combustion Engines and Machine Dynamics at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in 2000. From 2004 to 2008 he was Director of the DHBW in Friedrichshafen and from 2006 to 2008 Deputy Director of the DHBW Ravensburg. Thomas Spägele has been Rector of Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences since 2008.

Text: Christoph Oldenkotte