Michael Strotkemper is to become the new Chancellor at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences and will therefore head the university administration in future. The 34-year-old, who holds a degree in business administration, is taking up the post of Chancellor, which has been vacant since 1 August 2016.
Michael Strotkemper was elected as the new Chancellor by the University Electoral Assembly of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences on 26 October 2017. A graduate in business administration, he completes the University’s Executive Board. His term of office will initially last eight years.
The President of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Dr Heide Naderer, is looking forward to working with the new member of the Executive Board: “In Michael Strotkemper, we have found a highly competent Chancellor. Mr Strotkemper brings with him significant experience from the higher education sector, from which Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences will certainly benefit in the coming years.”
Since 2012, Strotkemper has held various positions at the University of Duisburg-Essen, most recently as Acting Chancellor. Together with the university president, Dr Heide Naderer; Professor Dr Jens Gebauer as Vice-President for Research and Development; Professor Dr Marion Halfmann as Vice-President for Student Affairs, Teaching and Continuing Education; and Professor Dr Georg Hauck as Vice-President for Human Resources and Organisational Development, Diversity, Strotkemper now forms the Executive Board of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
Born in Attendorn, this native of the Sauerland region studied business administration at the University of Siegen. He began his professional career in 2008 as a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers AG WPG in Siegen. In 2012, Strotkemper moved to the University of Duisburg-Essen as a specialist in commercial accounting, where he held various administrative roles, most recently acting as deputy to the Chancellor and standing in for him on various matters.
Election procedure
The new Higher Education Act (HG NRW) has been in force since 1 October 2014. On the basis of this Act, the University Electoral Assembly was established on 9 February 2017 as a new body of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences. The main task of the University Electoral Assembly is to elect or dismiss the members of the Executive Board.
Half of the University Electoral Assembly consists of all members of the Senate and half of all members of the University Council. Members of the University Electoral Assembly entitled to vote are all Senate members entitled to vote, as well as the external members of the University Council.
On 26 October, the election to fill the post of Chancellor was on the agenda at the meeting of the University Electoral Assembly. In preparation for this election, the Senate and the University Council each appointed three members to a selection committee. This committee drew up the vacancy notice and conducted the selection process, and has now presented its proposal to the University Electoral Assembly.
As the Senate has more members entitled to vote than the University Council, but the votes of the two bodies are weighted in equal proportion to one another (Section 22a(1) of the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia), the votes were weighted by a factor that results in an equal voting ratio.
