On 7 May 2025, Michael Strotkemper, Chancellor of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, was elected as the new Chancellor by the University Electoral Assembly of the FernUniversität in Hagen. As a result, Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences may have to bid farewell to its Chancellor as early as this autumn. Strotkemper, who has been Chancellor of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences since April 2018, would thus leave the university shortly before the end of his eight-year term of office.
“I have enjoyed a relationship built on a great deal of trust with Mr Strotkemper for over seven years, and I hold him in the highest regard both personally and professionally. Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences is losing a chancellor of the highest integrity and outstanding ability, which I deeply regret. I would like to thank Mr Strotkemper for his outstanding work and his exemplary commitment, and I wish him every success in his new role,” said Prof. Dr Aloys Krieg, Chair of the University Council at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
The President of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, also paid tribute to Mr Strotkemper’s achievements: “Mr Strotkemper took up his post during a period marked by turmoil. Over the past few years, he has steered our university back into calmer waters with a steady hand and ensured that Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences is now successfully positioned. On behalf of the entire university, I would like to thank him for his dedication and commitment.”
As the Chancellor’s current term of office would have expired in spring 2026 in any case, Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences had already initiated an orderly process to find a new Chancellor at the start of the year. The university is confident that it will be able to finalise the succession in the coming months.
