After almost three decades, Prof. Dr Reinhard Schmidt ended his work as Chairman of the University Council of TU Bergakademie Freiberg on 1 May 2024. Prof. Rector Prof. Dr Barbknecht thanked and recognised Prof. Schmidt on 23 April 2024 at a festive ceremony for the performance of this office and his services to the development of the university.
The former Saxon mining governor Prof Dr h.c. Reinhard Schmidt was Chairman of the Board of Trustees and later the University Council of the university from 1994 and thus played a key role in shaping the university's profile and development. Prof Schmidt is an honorary doctor of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. At the same time, the university is bidding farewell to Prof Dr Hans-Joachim Kümpel, former President of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, from the University Council. Prof Kümpel was a member of the Freiberg University Council between 2010 and 2024 and most recently its Deputy Chairman.
On 1 May 2024, the University Council will also welcome two new members, Juliane Schmidt and Prof Dr Volker Steinbach. Both were appointed to this honorary position by the Saxon Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism. The experienced science manager Juliane Schmidt is Commercial Director of the Dresden Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research. Prof Dr Volker Steinbach is Head of the Raw Materials Department at the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and its Vice President. He was appointed Honorary Professor at TU Bergakademie Freiberg in 2023.
At the meeting on 23 April 2024, Prof. Dr Bernhard Cramer will take over as Chair of the University Council. Prof Cramer is the head of the Saxon Mining Authority in Freiberg.
11 members of the University Council of TU Bergakademie Freiberg
The Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism and TU Bergakademie Freiberg decide on the members of the council. Personalities from science, culture, business or professional practice who are familiar with the university system are appointed. Among other things, the University Council makes recommendations for the development of the university's profile and improvement of its performance and competitiveness, proposes candidates for the election of the Rector and formulates principles for the utilisation of positions, funds and reserves. At TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the University Council meets twice per semester.
The University Council of TU Bergakademie Freiberg consists of the following honorary members (as of May 2024):
- Chairman Prof. Dr Bernhard Cramer (Chief Mining Officer, Saxon Mining Authority)
- Dr. Claudia Dommaschk (TU Bergakademie Freiberg)
- Prof. Dr Hans-Michael Eßlinger (former managing director of Brauhaus Freiberg)
- Wolf-Dieter Jacobi (former television director of MDR)
- Prof. Dr Monika Mazik (TU Bergakademie Freiberg)
- Dr. Simone Raatz (Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology)
- Juliane Schmidt (Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research)
- Prof. Dr Volker Steinbach (Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources)
- Prof. Hans-Ferdinand Schramm (Sparkasse Mittelsachsen)
- Prof. Dr. Burkhard Schwenker (former CEO Roland Berger Strategy Consulting)
- Prof. Dr Andreas Tünnermann (Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering)