At a joint event with friends and fellows of the Hertie Foundation, alumni and current students reconnected over panel discussions, workshop sessions, and social gatherings.
On 5-6 July 2024, about 500 attendees, including Hertie School alumni, current students and faculty, as well as fellows and experts of the Hertie Foundation met at this year’s Hertie Summit and Alumni Reunion at the Harnack-Haus in Berlin.
The two-day event is the annual gathering of the alumni network, which now boasts almost 3,000 Hertie School graduates from nearly 120 countries. The summit featured more than 20 alumni speakers as well as Hertie School faculty who engaged with the participants in discussions on some of today’s most pressing sociopolitical issues. The 2024 Summit and Reunion was particularly special, as this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Hertie School, and the 50th anniversary of the Hertie Foundation.
In a joint speech, Annette Schavan, Chairwoman of the Board of the Hertie Foundation, and Prof. Cornelia Woll, President of the Hertie School, praised the ongoing partnership between the two institutions, now in its third year, in curating and hosting the Hertie Summit & Alumni Reunion and bringing the entire Hertie community to learn, discuss, and celebrate together.
Annette Schavan extended her gratitude to the fellows of the Hertie Foundation who presented their research during the summit on topics ranging from democracy, youth participation, artificial intelligence, to neurobiology. President Woll expressed her appreciation for the over 200 alumni volunteers who actively participated in Hertie School activities this past academic year, including Alumni Chapter Leads, Alumni Council members, alumni mentors, and recruitment ambassadors. She also highlighted two alumni, Matthias Ecke and David Ramos Felix, who were recently violently attacked while engaging in public service through political campaigns in Germany and Mexico and praised the Hertie alumni community for their solidarity and support for the two alumni.
Programme
The programme for the Hertie Summit & Alumni Reunion featured nearly 50 sessions across two days, encompassing various formats such as panels, workshops and a joint session. Highlights included the "Careers for Impact", where Hertie community members hosted interactive sessions at their workplaces, providing insights into their professional roles. Another popular format at the Summit is the Joint Session, consisting of 8 short presentations where experts from the Hertie community shared results from their research and presented compelling theses for discussion. The presentations were followed by breakout sessions, allowing participants to engage directly with the experts for in-depth discussions.
The programme also provided ample opportunities for informal talks and networking, including the Pizza and Football Across Town meetups on Friday, hosted by various networks of the Hertie Foundation and Hertie School alumni. Additionally, thematic tables on Saturday allowed participants to exchange ideas and learn about the interests and projects of other Hertie community members. The Summit and Reunion weekend culminated with the traditional Summer Party in the garden of the Harnack-Haus. You can explore the full 2-day programme of the Summit & Reunion here.
Faruk Tuncer honoured with the 2024 Alumni Achievement Award
A highlight of the event was the distinction of Faruk Tuncer (MPP 2016) as the 2024 Alumni Achievement Award winner. With this award the Hertie School recognises Faruk’s exceptional contribution to making public administration fit for the future. Faruk is transforming public administration through data-driven solutions as the founder and CEO of Polyteia, a company that empowers governments with data intelligence for better decision making. A 2016 graduate of the Master of Public Policy programme, Tuncer has been instrumental in advancing digital governance in Germany. His company Polyteia provides public administration with platforms that integrate data from various sources at the municipal, state and federal levels.
“Under Faruk Tuncer’s leadership, Polyteia has supported the digitalisation of more than 100 public administration institutions in Germany,” said Hertie School President Cornelia Woll during the award ceremony. “That is an indisputable testament to his success and commitment to innovation. We at the Hertie School are extremely proud of his achievements in this crucial dimension of good governance.”
The Alumni Achievement Award, established in 2015, honours Hertie School graduates’ outstanding accomplishments in public policy or public management, demonstrating an innovative and dedicated commitment to the principles of good governance.
You can learn more about Faruk and his work here.
Ways to get involved
The traditional alumni reunion reconnects the Hertie School’s alumni network every year. The next Hertie Summit and Alumni Reunion will take place in Summer 2025. In the meantime, interested alumni are welcome to engage with one of the local alumni chapters close to them, join an alumni event, and explore different ways to stay involved.