Hertie School welcomes new students and professors into the academic year 2022/23

Berlin, 6 September 2022. With her inaugural lecture on "Reinventing Governance in Hard Times", Hertie School President Cornelia Woll officially opened the new 2022/23 Academic Year, welcoming 250 new students from around 40 countries to its four master’s programmes this fall semester, as well as returning second-year students already enrolled at the school.

Growth, more diversity and strengthening the social sciences for society and politics are on the agenda for Woll, who took over the leadership of the Berlin-based university in March. In order to continue the Hertie School’s successful expansion, she said, the university must also constantly question itself. 

"The Hertie School is a global university in the heart of Europe: Berlin," said Woll. "If we want to educate the decision-makers of tomorrow, we have to reflect the diversity of society today. If we want to solve the problems of tomorrow, we need respect and understanding for each other.”

This also includes not seeing politics as a competition for the loudest argument, according to Woll: "Compromise is a virtue in democracy, not a weakness. Therefore, students of social sciences should not only ask themselves how they can win a debate, but how they can work together to achieve solutions for the common good."

New deans and expanded faculty

The start of the academic year is also marked by new faces in the university leadership. Two new deans will support Woll over the next four years: both Dean of Faculty and Research Kai Wegrich and Dean of Graduate Programmes Thurid Hustedt assumed their new roles in August 2022. Together with Managing Director Axel Baisch and Dean of Executive Education Andrea Römmele, they form the Hertie School's management team.

Furthermore, two new assistant professors have joined the faculty since August: Shubha Kamala Prasad is Assistant Professor of International Relations, and Egon Tripodi is Assistant Professor of Economics. In her research, Prasad explores the influence of domestic challenges on a country's foreign policy. The political scientist from India was previously a postdoctoral researcher at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. She completed her doctoral dissertation on political insurgencies and their influence on state economic integration at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, USA. Tripodi investigates how incentives and social environments influence behaviour. Previously, the economist from Italy was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago, USA, and CEMA University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He completed his doctorate at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

The Hertie School also announced the full professorships of Anita Gohdes, Professor of International and Cybersecurity, Simon Munzert, Professor of Data Science and Public Policy and Lion Hirth, Professor of Energy Policy, starting this semester.

250 new students in four master's programmes

In total, 117 students are enrolled in the Master of Public Policy, 93 in the Master of International Affairs, 20 in the Master of Data Science for Public Policy and 20 professionals in the Executive Master of Public Administration. Additionally, ten PhD researchers and 28 students pursuing dual degrees with partner institutions joined the school this semester. Currently, all courses in the fall semester 2022/23 are scheduled to take place in person.