University of Duisburg-Essen
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 Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
and Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany and a member of the new founded University Alliance Metropolis Ruhr.http://www.ua-ruhr.de/index_en.htm
It was founded on January 1, 2003 as a merger of the Gerhard Mercator University of Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
and the University of Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, both of which were established in 1972. Until 1994 the name of the Gerhard Mercator University was Comprehensive University of Duisburg.
With its 12 departments and more than 37,000 students, the University Duisburg-Essen ranks among the 10 largest German universities. Many international students study at the University Duisburg-Essen and give the cities of Duisburg and Essen an international atmosphere.
History
Its origins date back to the 1555 decision of DukeDuke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
Wilhelm V von Jülich-Kleve-Berg to create a university for the unified duchies at the Lower Rhine
Lower Rhine
The Lower Rhine flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hoek van Holland, Netherlands.Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches. The main branch is called the Waal which flows from Nijmegen to meet the river Meuse; after which it is called Merwede...
. To this end, it was necessary to obtain a permission of the emperor and the pope. Although the permission of the pope was granted in 1564 and of the emperor in 1566, the university was founded about ninety years later in 1654, after the acquisition of the duchy of Kleve by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg. It opened on October 14, 1655 by Johannes Claudberg as their first rector.
The university had four faculites: Theology, Medicine, Law and Arts. During its period of activity it was one of the central and leading universities of the western provinces of Prussia.
Only a few decades later the university was in competition with the much better equipped Dutch universities. Since only about one third of the population in the western provinces of Prussia were member of the reformed church, most Lutheran and Catholic citizens in the second half of the 18th century, sent their sons to other universities.
The university declined rapidly and was on 18 October 1818 due to a Cabinet Order of Friedrich Wilhelm III. officially lifted. At the same time, the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
was founded. Large parts of the Duisburg University Library were relocated to Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and then formed the basis of the newly formed Bonn Library. Also the sceptre of the University of Duisburg was given to the University of Bonn, and is available until today.
In 1891 the Rheinisch-Westfälische Hüttenschule was settled from Bochum to Duisburg, which was later developed to the Königlich-Preußischen Maschinenbau- und Hüttenschule, and was renamed in 1938 to Public School of Engineering.
After a decision of the federal state government in 1960 the teacher training college of Kettwig was settled to Duisburg and was named Pedagogical University Ruhr. In 1972 the Pedagogical University Ruhr and the Public School of Engineering, which was renamed in 1971 to University of applied sciences Duisburg. Other schools were also relocated to Duisburg. The University of Duisburg was then called Comprehensive University of Duisburg. In 1994 the university was renamed to "Gerhard-Mercator-University".
In 2003 the Gerhard-Mercator-University and the University of Essen merged to the University Duisburg-Essen.
Recent developments
In march 2007 the three universities of Bochum, Dortmund and Duisburg and Essen founded the University Alliance Metropolis Ruhr, which is modelled on the University of California system.Organizations
The University Duisburg-Essen today has twelve faculties, listed below:- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Department of Educational Sciences
- Faculty of Art and Design
- Faculty of Business Administration and Economics
- Mercator School of ManagementMercator School of ManagementThe Mercator School of Management refers to the faculty of business administration of the University of Duisburg-Essen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
- Faculty of Business Administration - Faculty of Mathematics
- Faculty of Physics
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Biology and Geography
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Medicine
Central scientific institutes
- Center for nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE)
- German-French institute for automation and robotics (IAR)
- Erwin L. Hahn institute for magnetic resonance imaging
- Essen college of gender studies (EKfG)
- Institute for experimental mathematics
- Institute for east Asian sciences (IN-EAST)
- Institute for advanced study in the humanities
- Centre for logistics and transport (ZLV)
- Centre for medical biotechnology (ZMB)
- Centre for water and eviromenmental research (ZMU)
- Center for empirical research in education (ZeB)
Associated institutes
- German textile research centre north-west (DTNW)
- Development centre for ship technology and transport systems (DST)
- Asia-Pacific economic research institute (FIP)
- Institute of energy and eviromental technology (IUTA)
- Institute of mobile and satellite communication technology (IMST)
- Institute for prevention and health promotion (IPG)
- Institute of science and ethics (IWE)
- IWW water centre
- Rhine-Ruhr institute for social research and political consulting (RISP)
- Salomon Ludwig Steinheim InstituteSalomon Ludwig Steinheim InstituteThe Salomon Ludwig Steinheim Institute of German-Jewish Studies is a research institute of the University of Duisburg-Essen whose research focuses on the cultural and religious history as well as the history of literature and events of the Jewish community in German-speaking areas...
for German-Jewish history (StI) - Center for fuel cell technology (ZBT)
Mercator-Professorship Award
The University Duisburg-Essen awards the Mercator-Professur to individuals who are well-known for their social and scientific engagement. So far, recipients of the Mercator-Professur have been:- 1997: Hans-Dietrich GenscherHans-Dietrich GenscherHans-Dietrich Genscher is a German politician of the liberal Free Democratic Party . He served as Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany from 1974 to 1982 and, after a two-week pause, from 1982 to 1992, making him Germany's longest serving Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor...
- 1998: Siegfried LenzSiegfried LenzSiegfried Lenz is a German writer, who has written novels and produced several collections of short stories, essays, and plays for radio and the theatre. He was awarded the Goethe Prize in Frankfurt-am-Main on the 250th Anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's birth...
- 1999: Jan Philipp Reemtsma
- 2000: Jutta LimbachJutta LimbachJutta Limbach is a German jurist and politician. She is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany . She received her doctorate in law in 1966 by the Free University of Berlin and fulfilled the requirements to be appointed professor by the German educational system in 1971...
- 2001: Volker SchlöndorffVolker SchlöndorffVolker Schlöndorff is a Berlin-based German filmmaker who has worked in Germany, France and the United States...
- 2002: Ulrich WickertUlrich WickertUlrich Wickert is a German journalist. He is one of the best known broadcasters in Germany.As a result of his father's employment with NATO, Wickert grew up in Heidelberg and Paris. In the 1960s he studied law and political sciences at the University of Bonn...
- 2003: Daniel Goeudevert
- 2004: Walter KempowskiWalter KempowskiWalter Kempowski was a German writer. Kempowski was known for his series of novels called German Chronicle and the monumental Echolot , a collage of autobiographical reports, letters and other documents by contemporary witnesses of the Second World War.-Childhood :Walter Kempowski was born in...
- 2005: Richard von WeizsäckerRichard von WeizsäckerRichard Karl Freiherr von Weizsäcker , known as Richard von Weizsäcker, is a German politician . He served as Governing Mayor of West Berlin from 1981 to 1984, and as President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1984 to 1994...
- 2006: Necla KelekNecla KelekNecla Kelek is a German feminist and social scientist, holding a doctorate in this field, originally from Turkey. She gave lectures on migration sociology at the Evangelische Fachhochschule für Sozialpädagogik in Hamburg from 1999 until 2004.In 2006, the scientific community distanced itself from...
- 2007: Hanan AshrawiHanan AshrawiHanan Daoud Khalil Ashrawi is a Palestinian legislator, activist, and scholar. She was a protégé and later colleague and close friend of Edward Said. Ashrawi was an important leader during the First Intifada, served as the official spokesperson for the Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East...
- 2008: Christiane Nüsslein-VolhardChristiane Nüsslein-VolhardChristiane Nüsslein-Volhard is a German biologist who won the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1991 and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995, together with Eric Wieschaus and Edward B...
- 2009: Peter Scholl-LatourPeter Scholl-LatourPeter 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...
- 2010: Alice SchwarzerAlice SchwarzerAlice Schwarzer is the most prominent contemporary German feminist. She is founder and publisher of the German feminist journal EMMA.-Biography and positions:...
- 2011: Udo Di FabioUdo Di FabioUdo Di Fabio is a German jurist and a member of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, Germany's highest court.-References:...
Professors include Jette Joop, Kai Krause
Kai Krause
Kai Krause is a software and graphical user interface designer, best known for founding MetaCreations Corp., his Kai's Power Tools series of products, and for his contributions to graphical user interface design.-Biography:...
and Bruce Ames
Bruce Ames
Bruce Nathan Ames is an American biochemist. He is a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute...
.
Points of interest
- Botanischer Garten der Universität Duisburg-EssenBotanischer Garten der Universität Duisburg-EssenThe Botanischer Garten der Universität Duisburg-Essen is a botanical garden maintained by the University of Duisburg-Essen on its Essen campus. It is located at Henri-Dunant-Strasse 65, Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The garden is maintained for research and educational uses, and not open...
, 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...
in EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
Further reading
- 30 Jahre Universität Essen (Essener Universitätsreden, Heft 10, Akademisches Jahr 2001/02), Universität Essen 2002 (Beiträge aus der Vortragsreihe „Wurzeln der Universität“)
- Claus Bussmann, Holger Heith: Chronik 1972-1997. Chronik der ersten 25 Lebensjahre der Gerhard-Mercator-Universität/GH Duisburg, die als Gesamthochschule Duisburg das Licht der Welt erblickte, Duisburg 1997, ISBN 3-000-01433-0
- Dieter Geuenich, Irmgard Hantsche (Hrsg.): Zur Geschichte der Universität Duisburg 1655-1818 (Duisburger Forschungen 53), Duisburg 2007
- Helmut Schrey: Die Universität Duisburg. Geschichte und Gegenwart. Traditionen, Personen, Probleme, Duisburg 1982, ISBN 3-870-96166-X