Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
Encyclopedia
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg. With approximately 36,000 students (2010) in about 150 schools and clinics, it is among the ten largest universities in Germany. Starting on 1 January 2005 the university was reorganized into 11 faculties of study.
History
The first University of Mainz goes back to the Archbishop of Mainz, Prince-elector and Reichserzkanzler Adolf II von Nassau. At the time, establishing a university required papal approval and Adolf II initiated the approval process during his time in office. The university, however, was first opened in 1477 by Adolf's successor to the bishopric, Diether von IsenburgDiether von Isenburg
thumb|Diethers coat of arms stained glass in Mainz Cathedral...thumb|... and as relief at the city walls of [[Höchst |Höchst]]Theodoric of Isenburg-Büdingen thumb|Diethers coat of arms stained glass in Mainz Cathedral...thumb|... and as relief at the city walls of [[Höchst (Frankfurt am...
. In 1784 the University was opened up for Protestants and Jews (curator Anselm Franz von Betzel). It fast became one of the largest Catholic universities in Europe with ten chairs in theology alone. In the confusion after the establishment of the Mainz Republic of 1792 and its subsequent recapture by the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
ns, academic activity came to a gradual standstill. In 1798 the university became active again under French governance, and lectures in the department of medicine took place until 1823. Only the faculty of theology continued teaching during the 19th century, albeit as a theological Seminary (since 1877 "College of Philosophy and Theology").
The current Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz was founded in 1946 by the French occupying power
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
. In a decree on 1 March the French military government implied that the University of Mainz would continue to exist: the University shall be "enabled to resume its function". The remains of anti-aircraft warfare
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
barracks erected in 1938 after the remilitarization of the Rhineland
Remilitarization of the Rhineland
The Remilitarization of the Rhineland by the German Army took place on 7 March 1936 when German military forces entered the Rhineland. This was significant because it violated the terms of the Locarno Treaties and was the first time since the end of World War I that German troops had been in this...
during the Third Reich served as the university's first buildings and are still in use today.
The continuation of academic activity between the old university and Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, in spite of an interruption spanning over 100 years, is contested. During the time up to its reopening only a seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
and midwifery
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
college survived.
In 1972, the effect of the 1968 student protests
German student movement
The German student movement was a protest movement that took place during the late 1960s in West Germany. It was largely a reaction against the perceived authoritarianism and hypocrisy of the German government and other Western governments, and the poor living conditions of students...
began to take a toll on the University's structure. The departments (Fakultaeten) were dismantled and the University was organized into broad fields of study (Fachbereiche). Finally in 1974 Peter Schneider was elected as the first president of what was now a "constituted group-university" institute of higher education. In 1990 Jürgen Zöllner became University President yet spent only a year in the position after he was appointed Minister for "Science and Advanced Education" for the State of Rhineland-Palatinate. As the coordinator for the SPD's higher education policy, this furloughed professor from the Institute for Physiological Chemistry played a decisive role in the SPD's higher education policy and in the development of Study Accounts.
Today
Today the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz has approximately 36,000 students and consists of over 150 institutions and clinics.The range of studies is comprehensive; the university lacks some technical studies, veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
and nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
science. One can nonetheless study History of books, athletics, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
.
The University of Mainz does not currently levy fees or tuition (Studiengebühren) for a regular course of study. Senior citizen students, auditing students, and certain postgraduate students may be subject to fees. The Ministry for Science and Advanced Education introduced "study accounts" (Studienkonten) that were developed jointly with Prof. Zoellner. During the transition period, overdrafts on the account would incur a flat-rate charge of 650 Euro for every overdrawn semester. The Study Accounts allow for a free-of-charge initial course of study as long as it does not exceed 1.75 times the standard period of study. In a second step the accounts will soon be charged according to time actually used. It is still contested as to whether the enormous administrative burden will lead to an actual improvement of academic conditions. **Measurable success is similar by the introduction of long-term tuition in other federal states and its effect on the decline of nominally enrolled students.
Since 2008 the JGU is home of the editorial office of Management International Review
Management International Review
Management International Review is an economic journal dealing with aspects of international management. Started in 1960. MIR published its 50th volume 2010....
.
Departments
The Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz is divided in ten departments since 1 September 2010.- Catholic theology and Protestant theology
- Social Sciences, Media and Sport Science
- Law and Economics
- Medicine
- Philosophy and Philology
- Language and Cultural Studies
- Historical and Cultural Studies
- Physics, mathematics and computer science
- Chemistry, Pharmacy and Earth Sciences
- Biology
Then there are the Academy of Music and the Art School, which are as independent art colleges of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.
.
Miscellaneous
The University of Mainz is one of few campus-based universities in Germany. Nearly all its institutions and facilities are located on the site of a former barracksBarracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
in the south west part of the city. The university medical centre is located off campus, as is the Department of Applied Linguistics and Cultural Sciences, which was integrated with the university in 1949 and is located in Germersheim
Germersheim
Germersheim is a town in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, of around 20,000 inhabitants. It is also the seat of the Germersheim district. The neighboring towns and cities are Speyer, Landau, Philippsburg, Karlsruhe and Wörth.-Coat of arms:...
. Also on campus next to the University is the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the Max Planck
Max Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, ForMemRS, was a German physicist who actualized the quantum physics, initiating a revolution in natural science and philosophy. He is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.-Life and career:Planck came...
Institute for Polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
Research, and the electron accelerator MAMI
Mainz Microtron
The Mainz Microtron , abbreviated MAMI, is an electron accelerator of the microtron type, in which electrons are accelerated to relativistic velocities. It is operated by the Institute for Nuclear Physics of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. Its purpose is the generation of polarized...
, the research reactor TRIGA, the botanical garden, a sports stadium and an indoor swimming pool. Unique in the national higher-education landscape is the integration of the Rhineland-Palatinate Conservatory, the Academy of Visual Arts and College of Athletics at one university.
Since 2007, the university started a web-tv program which also airs its video clips in English. The short videos (two to seven minutes) are specially made for students who are new to the city or university, and do offer information relevant to first year students. This web-tv is unique amongst Germany's universities and can be viewed on a website that is run by students: ersti.tv.
One of the instruments carried by the Mars Exploration Rover
Mars Exploration Rover
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission is an ongoing robotic space mission involving two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, exploring the planet Mars...
s Spirit and Opportunity, a miniature Mössbauer spectrometer, was developed at the university.
Points of interest
- Botanischer Garten der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität MainzBotanischer Garten der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität MainzThe Botanischer Garten der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz , also known as the Botanischer Garten Mainz, is an arboretum and botanical garden maintained by the University of Mainz...
, the university's botanical gardenBotanical gardenA botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
Notable faculty (past and present)
- Alfred KrönerAlfred KrönerProfessor Alfred Kröner is a retired Professor of Geology at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Mainz, Germany. He specializes in the pre-Cambrian geology of Africa....
(Geology) - Gottfried MünzenbergGottfried MünzenbergGottfried Münzenberg is a German physicist.He studied physics at Justus-Liebig-Universität in Giessen and Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck and completed his studies with a Ph.D. at the University of Giessen, Germany, in 1971...
(Physics)
Alumni
Among the notable alumni from the university of Mainz are German politicians Rainer BrüderleRainer Brüderle
Rainer Brüderle is a German politician and member of the FDP. He served as Minister of Economics and Transport of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1987–1998. On 28 October 2009, he was appointed Federal Minister for Economics and Technology in the Cabinet Merkel II. On 12 May 2011, Brüderle left Federal...
(FDP, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology), Horst Teltschik(former Securitiy Advisor of Chancler Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
and president of the Munich Conference on Security Policy
Munich Conference on Security Policy
The Munich Conference on Security Policy is an annual conference on international security policy that is held in the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany.The 47th Munich Security Conference will be held from February 4th through February 6th 2011....
, Christina Schroeder, Federal Minister of Family and Social Affairs and Franz Josef Jung
Franz Josef Jung
Franz Josef Jung is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union . He became Federal Minister of Defence in the Grand coalition cabinet of Angela Merkel on 22 November 2005...
(CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
, Former Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs and former Federal Minister of Defence), as well as sports journalist Béla Réthy
Béla Réthy
Béla Andreas Réthy is a German sports reporter of Hungarian ancestry.When Réthy was born, his parents had to leave their home country because of the Hungarian Revolution. They emigrated to Brazil where they stayed until they came to Germany in 1968...
, political journalist Peter Scholl-Latour
Peter Scholl-Latour
Peter Scholl-Latour is a Franco-German journalist and publicist.In 1945 and 1946 Scholl-Latour was a member the Commando Parachutiste Ponchardier, a unit of French paratroopers, with whom he fought in the First Indochina War.After taking a master's degree at Institut d’études politiques de Paris...
, Dieter Stolte, the former General Intendant of ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
, the bigest television in Europe, and soprano Elisabeth Scholl
Elisabeth Scholl
- Professional career :Elisabeth Scholl was the first girl to sing with the boys choir Kiedricher Chorbuben. From 1982 to 1987 she sang the role of the First Boy in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden...
.
Among the university's notable faculty where theologians like W. Pannenberg, D. Soelle, Herbert Braun, political scientists like Werner Weidenfeld (a foreign politics adviser of Chancler Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
, Chemisist Paul J. Crutzen
Paul J. Crutzen
Paul Jozef Crutzen is a Dutch Nobel prize winning atmospheric chemist.Crutzen is best known for his research on ozone depletion. He lists his main research interests as “Stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry, and their role in the biogeochemical cycles and climate”...
, Nobel-Prize winner 1995, and the economists Klaus Rose, Rolf Peffekoven and Beatrice Weder die Mauro.