Universität Mannheim | ||||||||||||
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| Motto | In Omnibus Veritas Suprema Lex Esto (Latin) | |||||||||||
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Motto in English | Truth in everything should be the supreme law | |||||||||||
| Type | Public | |||||||||||
| Established | 1 August 1967; 58 years ago (1 August 1967) | |||||||||||
| Budget | €123million[1] | |||||||||||
| Chancellor | Katrin Schoppa-Bauer | |||||||||||
| Rector | Thomas Fetzer | |||||||||||
Academic staff | 907 (full time)[1] | |||||||||||
Administrative staff | 617 (full time)[1] | |||||||||||
| Students | 12,000(HWS 2020/21)[2] | |||||||||||
| Undergraduates | 7,173[2] | |||||||||||
| Postgraduates | 4,828[2] | |||||||||||
| 793[2] | ||||||||||||
| Location | ,, Germany 49°29′00″N8°27′53″E / 49.4832°N 8.4647°E /49.4832; 8.4647 | |||||||||||
| Campus | Urban (Mannheim Palace), 74 acres (0.3 km2)[3] | |||||||||||
| Colors | Mannheim Blue and White | |||||||||||
| Affiliations | AACSB;AMBA;CFA Institute;Council on Business & Society;DFG;EQUIS;ENTER;German Universities Excellence Initiative;IAU;IBEA | |||||||||||
| Website | www.uni-mannheim.de | |||||||||||
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TheUniversity of Mannheim (German:Universität Mannheim), abbreviatedUMA, is apublicresearch university inMannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1967, the university has its origins in thePalatine Academy of Sciences, which was established byElector Carl Theodor at Mannheim Palace in 1763, as well as theHandelshochschule (Commercial College Mannheim), which was founded in 1907.[4]
Today, the University of Mannheim is regarded as one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education inGermany andContinental Europe, particularly in the fields ofeconomics,social sciences,law, andpolitical science.
The university’s main campus is located withinMannheim Palace, one of the largest Baroque palaces in Europe, which now houses both administrative offices and academic departments. The university offersundergraduate,graduate anddoctoral programs in business administration, economics, law, social sciences, humanities, mathematics, computer science and information systems. In the academic year 2020/2021 the university had 11,640 full-time students, 1600 academic staff, with 194 professors, and a total income of around €121 million.[2][1] It is organized into five schools and two graduate colleges.
Numerous former students and faculty members have held prominent positions in the German and international economic and institutional landscape. Notable alumni and affiliates includeIsabel Schnabel, member of theExecutive Board of the European Central Bank;Jens Weidmann, former president of theDeutsche Bundesbank;Clemens Fuest andHans-Werner Sinn, current and former presidents of theifo Institute; andWolfgang Franz, chairman of theGerman Council of Economic Experts.
The University of Mannheim has no clear foundation date. Its history can be traced back to the establishment of one of its predecessor institutions – theKurpfälzische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Palatine Academy of Sciences) in Mannheim Palace, founded byElector Carl Theodor in 1763. A further predecessor was theMunicipal Commercial College Mannheim (1907–1933) which was reopened in 1946 as theState College for EconomicsMannheim and renamed as to the University of Mannheim in 1967.[4]
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In 1907, theStädtische Handelshochschule Mannheim (Municipal Commercial College) was founded on the initiative of Mannheim's senior mayor Otto Beck (1846–1908) and the economics professor Eberhard Gothein (1853–1923) as a college for future merchants. It conducted teaching and research in business administration, economics,pedagogy, psychology, law, languages and the humanities. From the beginning, women had a strong standing at theHandelshochschule.[5] In 1908, it was the first college of higher education in Germany to employ a female professor[6] and one quarter of all students were female.[5]
In 1933, the Handelshochschule was merged into the University of Heidelberg by the Nazi municipal administration.Otto Selz, a German philosopher and psychologist with a Jewish background, who had been a professor at theHandelshochschule since 1923 and its rector in 1929/30, was discharged on 6 April 1933. This followed theBadischen Judenerlass administered byNSDAP politicianRobert Heinrich Wagner, adecree designed to ban Jewish academics from German universities. In 1943, Selz was executed inAuschwitz concentration camp;[7] with only 3 of the 14 Jewishdocents at Mannheim's Handelshochschule surviving theHolocaust. With the transfer of all institutes, inventory and staff to Heidelberg University the merging process was completed, the "Jews released" and the Handelshochschule closed.[8]
From December 1940 until the end ofWorld War II, Mannheim was heavily bombed and saw more than 150 air raids.[9] The largest raid on Mannheim took place on 5–6 September 1943 when a major part of the city was destroyed. In 1944, theMannheim Palace was almost entirely destroyed, leaving only one room undamaged out of over 500 and with only external walls surviving.[10] By May 1945, only around 30 percent of the building stock in the city remained.[11]
In 1946, theHandelshochschule was reopened under its new nameStaatliche Wirtschaftshochschule Mannheim (State College for Economics) with a student body of 586 students in the first year.[5] In 1955, the Wirtschafshochschule moved into the rebuilt East Wing of Mannheim Palace. In the same year, the seal, which is still in use today, was created. It depicts the Mannheim Palace on top and the square-based outlay of Mannheim's downtown below; surrounded by the latin phrase "In Omnibus Veritas". This is a shortened version of the university's official motto, based on a line in the constitution of Carl Theodor's Palatine Academy of Sciences:In Omnibus Veritas Suprema Lex Esto, translated as "Truth in everything should be the supreme law".[4]
In 1963, the Wirtschaftshochschule extended its faculties to a total of three – Business Administration and Social Sciences, Philosophy-Philological Sciences and Law. It subsequently gained the status of university on 4 July 1967. The University of Mannheim started out with around 3,000 registered students. During the growth phase of the university in the 1960s and 1970s the number of students and faculties increased. In 1969, the University of Mannheim expanded its faculty number to eight by adding the faculties of Economics, Geography and Political Sciences and by splitting the faculties of Business Administration and Social Sciences as well as Philosophy-Philological Sciences.[5]
The emphasis of the University of Mannheim has remained on business and economics, although teaching has been broadened to further disciplines. In 2000, its Business School received accreditation from theAssociation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.[12]
In 2008, the rectorate passed a reform to strengthen the core disciplines of the University of Mannheim, that is the economic and social sciences. This transformation, which started in 2002 with the closure of certain departments and the fusion of formerly independent faculties, did not go without protests.[13] In September 2006, around 1,000 students and professors demonstrated against the plans.[14] Two years later, a compromise was found and the reform passed the Senate as well as the University Council without votes against. In the wake of the vote, the number of schools decreased to five.[13]
In 2005, theMannheim Business School (MBS) was founded. It offers MBA programmes for executive education. In 2018, it was ranked #1 in Germany in the international MBA Rankings byBusinessweek,Financial Times,Forbes andThe Economist. According to these rankings, the MBS also belongs to the Top 20 business schools in Europe and Top 60 in the world.[15]
From 2007 until 2017, the University of Mannheim was funded by the "Excellence Initiative" of theFederal Ministry of Education and Research and theGerman Research Foundation. Under this initiative, the University of Mannheim established theGraduate School of Economic and Social Sciences (GESS) which offers Ph.D. programmes with a focus on empirical and quantitative methods and their interdisciplinary application in the economic and social sciences.[16]
The University of Mannheim is located in the city center of Mannheim. It consists ofCampus East, reaching from Mannheim Palace to Mannheim Main Station, andCampus West, consisting of the squares A5 and B6 which are in walking distance to the palace. Around 800 meters southwest of the university lies theRhine River.[17] Between 1955 and 1973, Mannheim Palace became the core of the UMA's campus. Today, it is home to the university'sBusiness School,Law School, parts of theSchool of Humanities and theUniversity Library.[6]
In 2000, the UMA initiated theRenaissance des Barockschlosses (Renaissance of the Baroque Palace), a campaign aimed at raising funds for renovating and extending the main campus. With the €53 million raised, the university renovated 24 lecture halls, the palace facade and built a new library inside the palace.[18] In 2007, a palace museum was opened in the central part of the building displaying the reconstructed historical halls and rooms ofElector Carl Theodor, who resided there from 1742 until 1777.[19] In 2017, the university opened a new research and teaching building on square B6[20] and the Study and Conference Center of theMannheim Business School behind the palace's West Wing.[21]
Contemporary campus landmarks include theMannheim Jesuit Church, theMannheim Observatory, the original Antikensammlung (Collection of Antiquities) within theMannheim Palace, the Anna Hoelzel Memorial, theMannheim Palace Church, theCentre for European Economic Research, thePalais Bretzenheim, the Landgericht Mannheim (district court) and theMannheim Schneckenhof.
The University of Mannheim is organized into five schools (Fakultäten):
And two Graduate Colleges:
| Years | Rector |
| 1966–1967 | Knut Borchardt |
| 1967–1968 | Rudolf Wildenmann |
| 1968–1969 | Rainer Gruenter |
| 1969–1970 | Hans-Martin Pawlowski |
| 1970–1973 | Gerhard Zeitel |
| 1973–1976 | Eduard Gaugler |
| 1976–1979 | Rudolf Wildenmann |
| 1979–1982 | Heinz König |
| 1982–1985 | Gerd Roellecke |
| 1985–1988 | Heinrich Chantraine |
| 1988–1994 | Otto H. Jacobs |
| 1994–2001 | Peter Frankenberg |
| 2001–2012 | Hans-Wolfgang Arndt |
| 2012–2018 | Ernst-Ludwig von Thadden |
| 2018–2024 | Thomas Puhl |
| 2024– | Thomas Fetzer |
The University of Mannheim is administered by theRectorate, which comprises the Rector (President), three Pro-Rectors (Vice Presidents) and theChancellor, who is also head of the central administration. The main task of the rectorate as executive body is to implement the strategic aims concluded by theUniversity Council(Universitätsrat).[22] Since October 2024 the UMA is headed by rector Thomas Fetzer.[23]
TheSenate is the "legislative branch" of the university. The rector and the members of the rectorate are senatorsex officio, as are the deans of the faculties. Another 18 senators are elected for four-year terms, within the following quotas: nine university professors, three academic staff, three delegates of the student body, and three employees of the universityadministration. The University Council is the advisory board to the aforementioned entities.[22]
TheAllgemeiner Studierendenausschuss of the University of Mannheim (AStA) is the student government of the university. It is elected by the Student Parliament (StuPa) which in turn is elected by the entire student body. Elections are held each year. The AStA's task is representing the interests of the UMA students.[22]
The UMA offers undergraduate and graduate programs as well as Ph.D. degrees withinbusiness administration, economics, law,social sciences,humanities, mathematics,computer science andinformation systems. Many of the study programs combine non-economic subjects such as literature and cultural studies, law, mathematics and informatics with business studies and economics.[24]
As of 2016, Mannheim was the only German university with an international academic calendar, which means that the academic year is divided into a fall and a spring term.[25]
Since 2012, universities in the State ofBaden-Württemberg do not charge any tuition fees.[26] Excluded from this rule are non-EU citizens who since 2017 have had to pay a tuition fee of 1,500 Euro per semester according to state law.[27]
The University of Mannheim has a scholarship system of its own consisting of various types of scholarships serving different needs.[28]
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The University of Mannheim has been featured in various internationalcollege and university rankings. In the 2024 edition of theQS World University Rankings, it was placed at the 454th position globally and ranked 24th in the national context.[33] Concurrently, in the 2024Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the institution received a global ranking of 187 and a national rank of 18.[34]
In the QS Social Sciences & Management ranking of 2023, the university was globally ranked at 122nd, while being 4th nationally.[35] The Times Higher Education 2023 rankings for Business and Economics placed the institution 41st globally and 2nd nationally.[36] Moreover, in the 2023 rankings for Business & Management Studies and Economics & Econometrics, QS placed the university at 75th and 43rd globally, with national ranks of 1st and 2nd, respectively.[35] In the 2022 ARWU Subject Ranking, the university ranks first in Germany in political science and finance.[37]
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The university's programs for social sciences, politics as well as business informatics rank nationwide within the Top 3 and its programs for law and computer science within the Top 10.[according to whom?][38][39][40]
In 2008, the Business School was the first German institution to receive the "Triple Crown", that is accreditations by the world's three largest business school accreditation associationsAMBA (UK),AACSB International (USA) undEQUIS (Belgium).[24]
In the German CHE University Ranking 2017/2018, the psychology as well as the Romance languages department were ranked highest in Germany, receiving more top scores than any other institution of their discipline nationwide.[41][42]
The university's Master in Management is ranked 14th in Europe by the FT.[43][44] The university's business school is ranked 1st in Germany by theEduniversal ranking and 34th worldwide.[45]
| Student Body | Germany Census | |
|---|---|---|
| German | 82.3% | 80.5% |
| African | 0.4% | 0.7% |
| Asian | 6.2% | 2.5% |
| American | 1.6% | 0.5% |
| European | 9.4% | 14.3% |
In the 2024 fall semester there were 11,933 enrolled students, of whom 15% came from abroad (588 exchange students and 1,198 directly enrolled at the university).[46] More than 100 nationalities are represented in the UMA student body.[46]
In 2018, there were about 50 active student organizations at the University of Mannheim. Among them are groups of different NGOs, such as theAmnesty International Student Initiative 1388 Mannheim, theUNICEF Student Initiative Mannheim,Model United Nations Mannheim orEnactus Mannheim, several departments of European and global student organizations, such asAEGEE Mannheim orAIESEC Mannheim, business or economics related student groups[48] such as the Student ConsultancyINTEGRA as well as initiatives focusing on community life, from helping deprived school children in Mannheim[49] to welcoming refugees or incoming exchange students at the university.[50]
The official organization of former students of the University of Mannheim is ABSOLVENTUM Mannheim, which was founded in 1995.[51]
TheMannheim Forum is an economiccongress organized by students.[52]
Founded in 2016, Q-Summit is the biggest German innovation and entrepreneurship conference solely organized by students.[53]
The university offers courses in 82 different athletic disciplines. For students most of the courses are free of charge.[54] The sports programme includes ball sports, body fitness, self-defence and martial arts, outdoor sports, yoga, dance courses, water sports and E-Sports.[55] The University of Mannheim also offers a sports scholarship for top-athletes at the university. In 2017, 55 students were funded,[56] e.g., Lisa Hattemer (Artistic CyclingUCI World Champion 2016),[57]Alexandra Burghardt (World Relay Champion 2017), Sarah Brüßler (U23 Kayak Vice World Champion 2017),[58]Cécile Pieper (Indoor Hockey World Champion 2018)[59] andMalaika Mihambo (Long Jump World Champion 2019)[60]
Each year the University of Mannheim hosts theSchlossfest (Palace Festival), a festival at which the Mannheim Palace campus is open to visitors and introduces the university to incoming freshmen. During theSchlossfest several arts, science and music events take place. The science events include live experiments and academic speeches regarding specific subjects, while the arts events include art exhibitions, workshops, dance acts, museum guides as well as guides through the old, non-public areas within the Mannheim Palace.[61] In 2016, theSchlossfest counted about 20,000 visitors.[62]
Besides theSchlossfest the University has a long-established tradition of weeklySchneckenhof parties that usually take place Thursdays on UMA'squadrangle "the Schneckenhof" during the summer terms and in UMA'scatacombs during the winter terms. The parties are regularly organized by theFachschaften (student councils) of the different faculties. The tradition of conducting parties on the Schneckenhof dates back to the early 1970s. The first party was organized by the Norwegian students at the University of Mannheim, who were the largest group of international students until the late 1980s.[6] TheNorweger Parties (Norwegian Parties) still exist today. Normally, the event takes place during the academic summer at the Schneckenhof and is organized and hosted by Norwegian exchange students or Mannheim students with Norwegian background, in conjunction with international UMA societies. During the event the Schneckenhof is decorated in Norwegian themes and offers traditional beverages and food from Norway.[63]
Another famous party is the "BWLer Fete" hosted by theFachschaft BWL (Student Council of Business Administration) once each academic term.[64] Each party usually ends at around 1am with therefrain of the song "Meine Stadt" by theSöhne Mannheims:
"Meine Stadt holt ihren Mann Heim,Ganz egal wo er auch ist.
Diesen Reim schickt ihr der Mann Heim, der sie so oft vermisst."[65]
Alumni and faculty of the University of Mannheim include many founders and businessmen as well as a large number of economists, philosophers, jurisprudents and social scientists. In business, Mannheim alumni and faculty notably include;
Stefan Lippe, CEO ofSwiss Re;Claus E. Heinrich, board member ofSAP;[66]Henning Kagermann, former CEO of SAP;Claus Wellenreuther, co-founder of SAP;Jens Weidmann, economist and President of theDeutsche Bundesbank;Hans-Peter Wild, CEO ofRudolf Wild & Co.;[67]Bruno Sälzer, CEO ofHugo Boss, CEO ofEscada,Gitanas Nausėda, economist and President ofLithuania;
Alumni and faculty in the field of economics include; the President of theIfo Institute for Economic ResearchHans-Werner Sinn,[68] the President of theZEWClemens Fuest,[69] the President of theRWI EssenChristoph M. Schmidt,[70] economistsAxel Dreher,[71]Isabel Schnabel[72] andHorst Siebert,[73] as well as theGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winnersRoman Inderst[74] andKnut Borchardt.
Alumni and faculty in the field of computer science include; theGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winnersJoachim Weickert[75] , as well asHans Meuer, chairman of theInternational Supercomputing Conference.
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