News
02.10.2020

What's new? | Opening of the Academic Year 2020/21

Explore the latest edition of the Hertie School newsletter.

The opening of the Academic Year 2020/2021 has been anything but normal, but we have been very excited to welcome – and welcome back – so many new students, faculty and staff this September. Most of our 240 first-year and 258 second-year students began their studies on campus in Berlin, while roughly a third joined their programmes remotely. In addition, 28 mid-career professionals started their Executive Master of Administration and 16 new PhD researchers have joined us.

We’ve also welcomed two prominent new faculty members: Cathryn Costello, an expert in international refugee and migration law, and Sébastien Mena, an expert in the interaction between business and society, focusing on corporate responsibility, governance and sustainability. Renowned political scientist and 2020 Michael Endres Prize winner Frank Schimmelfennig has joined us as visiting professor.

The School Leadership, including Henrik Enderlein, has identified three themes we will focus on and further develop throughout the year. The first concerns systemic and structural discrimination in societies and institutions. When one discusses such themes, it is often best to begin in one's backyard. We have established an Anti-Discrimination Task Force to address possible implicit or explicit discrimination within the School. The second theme focuses on the preservation of the core values of academic freedom and freedom of expression at the Hertie School. The third picks up on a sense that communities begin to drift from one another when they interact primarily online. We want to reinforce mutual respect and empathy among all of our community members.

Despite the ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unusual times we live in, we are determined to uphold our strong sense of togetherness and community. In this spirit, we wish you all a successful Academic Year 2020/2021! Explore our latest newsletter here.

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