Alexander Freier was unanimously elected by the Board of Governors as µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï's new chancellor, effective April 1, 2023. He succeeds Dr. Immo Schmidt-Jortzig, who resigned from his position as scheduled on March 31, 2023, and is leaving the university.
Change of Chancellor at µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï
"I would like to thank the Board of Governors for the trust they have placed in me and I am very much looking forward to the new challenge and the opportunity to become even more involved in the further development of µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï," explains Freier.
Alexander Freier studied Social Sciences in Cologne and International Management in Berlin. He has worked as a marketing and sales expert for µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï since 2010. Since 2020, he has been an authorized signatory and member of the university management. In January of this year, he was appointed deputy executive director by the Board of Governors.
"On behalf of the entire Board of Governors, I warmly congratulate Alexander Freier on his election as µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï's new Chancellor and very much look forward to working with him. I am convinced that with him we are gaining a personality who will decisively advance the university in its development," explains Astrid Nissen-Schmidt, Chair of µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï’s Board of Governors. "At the same time, all members of the Board of Governors and I would like to express our sincere thanks to Dr. Immo Schmidt-Jortzig for his work and great commitment over the past eleven years and wish him all the best for his future path."
During his tenure, Immo Schmidt-Jortzig has initiated many fundamental projects that have been instrumental in the strategic development of the university. In particular, µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï owes great successes in the area of quality management to him, including the first system accreditation. This enabled µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï to independently design and accredit new degree programmes. Thus, Schmidt-Jortzig was responsible for and managed very successfully a phase of strong growth and internationalization of µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï.