At the Cutting Edgeof Research and Education

UNIVERSITY OF MAINZ

Dear Reader,

This brochure was created to give you a first impression of the Johannes GutenbergUniversity of Mainz and to recommend additional sources of information.

Approximately 35,000 students attend our university, making it one of the larg-est in Germany. Here, research and teaching have always been closely linked.Our wide range of subjects helps us maintain this tradition and also serves as an excellent basis for interdisciplinary research and teaching, as well as for thedevelopment of special research areas. In order to improve opportunities for studying and pursuing research at the University, we have introduced an exten-sive program of reforms and have already completed the initial stages. For these efforts, we received the nationally recognized Best Practice Award from the Zen-trum für Hochschulentwicklung (center for university development) in Güterslohin 2002. However, we have no intention of resting on our laurels; instead, we see the award as an incentive to continue our efforts.

The Johannes Gutenberg University is not only one of the few campus univer-sities in Germany. In fact, its School of Applied Linguistic and Cultural Studieseven has its own campus in Germersheim, 100 km south of Mainz. The thingsthat make our campus university even more attractive are the picturesque landscapes, the wide range of cultural opportunities and the great economicpotential of the Rhine-Main region where many of our graduates find their firstjobs. The university works closely together with many partners in the region,throughout Germany, Europe and around the world.

The following pages will acquaint you with our work and facilities, and will provide you with an overview of our various research, teaching and professionaltraining programs. We hope you will find something that interests you. If youwould like to know more about us, please have a look at our website or feel free to contact us.

We hope you enjoy reading our brochure!

Prof. Dr. med. Jörg Michaelis, President of the University

Contents

EDITORIAL

EVOLUTION OF A UNIVERSITY A Look Back in Time

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH Excellence and Focal Areas of Research

STUDYING AND TEACHING Commitment to Our Students

CONTINUING EDUCATION Partner for Lifelong Learning

LIFE ON CAMPUS A lively academic culture

THE APPROACHABLE UNIVERSITY Cooperation in Theory and Practice

INTERNATIONALIZATIONA University Open to the World

GAINING AUTONOMY AND ENSURING - BEST POSSIBLE PERFORMANCEBest Practice University

MAINZ – IN THE CENTER OF THE RHINE-MAIN REGION Media, Culture and Lifestyle

CONTACT INFORMATION

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Publisher President of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz,Prof. Dr. med. Jörg Michaelis

Conception Petra Giegerich, Head of Public Relations

Text Petra Giegerich, Nicola Roether

Translation Dr. Don Kiraly, FASK

Photography Fotodesign Thomas Hartmann

Graphic Design TWONE® Design Group

Printed by Druckerei und Verlag Klaus Koch

Date September 2004

A Look Back in Time

EVOLUTION OF A UNIVERSITY 4

When Diether von Isenburg, Archbishop ofMainz, Prince Elector and Arch-chancellorof Germany, opened the University ofMainz in 1477, he was completing a planthat had been initiated by his predecessor.The founding of universities was highlyfashionable in the age of humanism.New ones were opened in almost everymajor state of the Holy Roman Empire.The subjects taught were theology, medi-cine, religious law and Roman law as wellas the seven Freie Künste (free arts):grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic,geometry, astronomy, and music – as wastypical in the Middle Ages.

Already famous by 1508

From the very start, the University ofMainz flourished. The student body in-creased to 200 within only a few years.The erudite jurist Petrus Ravenna wrotethat the University had already becomevery famous by the year 1508. However,reforms attempted in 1523, 1535, and1541 showed that the institution wasgoing through a crisis due to financial difficulties. Moreover, the Reformation did not leave Mainz untouched, althoughthe Catholic faith prevailed in the region.

In 1561, the Archbishop of Mainz pursuedmore than one aim by opening the newJesuit College, which was part of the Uni-versity at the time. He wanted to supportthe Counter-Reformation by initiating acomprehensive shift of education towardsCatholicism. He also wanted to renew andstabilize the University. These latter goalswere achieved mainly in the Departmentof Theology and partly in Medicine. Finally,a new building became necessary.Between 1615 and 1618, the Domus Uni-versitatis was built; it is now home to theSchool of Journalism and the Institute ofEuropean History.

The Thirty Years’ War drastically reducedthe number of students in Mainz andelsewhere. When Swedish troops occu-pied the town, students pursued theirstudies in exile, for example in Cologne.It took the University a long time to re-cover.

A Secure Financial Basis

As a result of the suppression of theJesuit Order in 1773, the Mainz collegewas dissolved in the same year, whichrequired further university and statutoryreforms. In the course of these reforms,the University of Mainz fund was estab-lished under Archbishop Friedrich KarlJoseph, which for the first time provideda secure financial basis for the universi-ty. The increase in the number of sub-jects was also of great significance. At a new faculty, various subjects such ashistory as well as political sciences andstatistics were introduced.

At another new faculty, mathematics,political science, and agriculture weretaught. Of course, it was still possible to study theology and medicine. The wide range of subjects attracted up to700 students in the following years.During this period, the University of Mainz was influenced by the Enlighten-ment. Georg Forster, a natural scientist,explorer and author who was probably the best known among Mainz’ scholars,worked at Mainz as a university librarian.

The French Revolution had a considerableimpact on Mainz. While the first republicon German soil was founded in 1792,the French Revolution also led to the tur-moil of war, with the city being taken andretaken repeatedly, so that eventually,instruction came to a standstill. The medi-cal faculty managed to survive the longestand continued to award doctorates until1818.

Nevertheless, the University of Mainz fundstill existed as well as the Accouchement,an academy for midwives that had beenfounded in 1784, thus securing some ofthe University’s traditions. Throughout thisperiod a seminary was held and the re-sumption of lectures discussed. Theseplans failed as it was not possible to fi-nance them.

Mainz Cathedral with its Moller Dome.Photograph taken in 1868.

Monument of Diether von Isenburg,Archbishop of Mainz, Prince Elector and Arch-chancellor of Germany

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EVOLUTION OF AUNI VERSITY

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Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz

On May 21, 1946, the University, now called the ”Johannes Gutenberg Universityof Mainz“, opened its doors again.In making this possible, the French militarygovernment showed its intention to contri-bute to the re-education of Germany in a”new democratic spirit“. Furthermore, theLand of Rhineland-Palatinate that they hadestablished would otherwise not have hada university. In the first semester, 2,088students were enrolled, including womenstudents for the first time. In the wintersemester of 1946/47, degree courses inscience and medicine started, leading to a tremendous increase in the number ofstudents; in fact, the student body morethan doubled to 4,205.

The University was housed in a former barracks, which allowed it to develop into a campus university, but this also meantthat the institution was somewhat isolat-ed from the city center, where only a fewinstitutes are now located. In order toestablish a closer bond with the people of Mainz, the University regularly sponsorsevents such as lectures in the city hall orelsewhere in town, and they also organize

the Wissenschaftsmarkt (science market),which was held for the first time in 2002.

Over the past few decades, the number ofstudents in Mainz has steadily increased.At the same time the University has expand-ed its range of subjects, thereby increasingits appeal.

General studies, international summerclasses and the numerous internationalpartnerships (especially those with Frenchuniversities) reflect the aims that the peo-ple of Mainz as well as the French intend-ed to achieve by reopening the university.The role of theology, the name of the Uni-versity and many names of streets oncampus are in keeping with the ideals ofthe ”original“ university. In this way, theJohannes Gutenberg University draws onits traditions, which are also responsibili-ties as indicated in its mission statement.

Maintaining the Gutenberg tradition:situated in the media city of Mainz,the University stands out due to itsacademic and creative competence in the media domain. Its diversemedia-related programs of study areconcentrated in the Medienhaus.

As Gutenberg would have liked it: Innovative Ideas and Technologies

With roughly 35,000 students from morethan 130 different nations, the JohannesGutenberg University is one of the largestGerman universities and the center ofacademic work in Rhineland-Palatinate. A total of 2,800 scholars including 560professors teach and do research in theUniversity’s more than 150 institutes andmedical facilities.

A wide range of subjects is offered to thestudents covering almost every field ofhigher education, from law and econom-ics to social studies, humanities and nat-ural sciences, medicine and dentistry to an integration of music, fine arts andsports unparalleled among German uni-versities. The School of Applied Linguistics

and Cultural Studies, located in Germersheim, educates translators andinterpreters in numerous European andnon-European languages. This great variety of subjects ensures interdisciplin-ary research and teaching, and – asintended by the University's namesake,Johannes Gutenberg – innovative approaches to ideas and technologies.

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Excellence and Focal Areas of Research

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH 8

The quality and the scientific prowess ofthe University of Mainz are represented by ten special areas of research (SFB),sponsored by the German ResearchFoundation, five research centers, thirteencompetence centers, two research teams,as well as twenty-one interdisciplinarystudy groups and six graduate colleges for the promotion of the new generationof scholars. These colleges are especiallyimportant to the University.

The existing focal area in medical-scientif-ic research is currently concentrated inseveral research centers: the physical andchemical compounds research center, themulti-functional materials and miniatur-ized function units research center, thehigh-resolution electron microscopy cen-ter, and five special research areas in thefield of medicine.

Concentrated competence:A distinct profile through focal areas of research

Nano research in Mainz has an excellentreputation and is well respected. This isreflected in the fact that the GermanFederal Ministry of Education and Re-search had already contributed about 10 million euros for the multi-functionalmaterials and miniaturized function unitsresearch center. Currently, 28 researchgroups at the University of Mainz and theMax Planck Institute for Polymer Researchare working in this diverse and promisingfield.

The existing focal area in medical researchis currently concentrated in the fields ofoncology, infectious diseases, allergic dis-eases, immunology, microsurgery, preven-tion, and drug research.

The humanities and the social sciences are also acquiring a more pronouncedresearch profile within the scope of theCenter for Intercultural Studies (ZIS).This center sees itself as a forum for inter-disciplinary research in the social sciencesand the humanities, and its work is con-centrated on a key theme of our day: themulti-facetted aspects of interculturality.Within the scope of the ZIS, 37 researchprojects are involved in the investigationof cultural phenomena like problems ofglobalization, current cultural contacts andcultural conflicts, as well as migration andmobility.

Interdisciplinary Research

The formation of focal areas of researchmakes it clear that a key component of theresearch culture at the University of Mainzis interdisciplinary collaboration. The con-sistent expansion of interdisciplinary re-search – from working groups to researchpartnerships on a high international level –is evidence that the University of Mainztakes advantage of the great variety offields it covers and the consequent multi-tude of interdisciplinary opportunities.

The attractiveness of the University ofMainz as a site of scientific exchange isfurther enhanced by the high concentrationof research institutes on campus, includingthe Max Planck Institutes for Chemistryand Polymer Research, which cooperateclosely with the University. The combina-tion of intense research, the exchange ofstudents, the guidance of junior researchersand the constructive discussions in classesleads to success in this domain.

Internationally Renowned: Physical-Chemical Collaborative Research

The results of the scientific work withinthe scope of Physical-Chemical Collabo-rative Research have contributed signifi-cantly to the strengthening of the repu-tation of Johannes Gutenberg Universityof Mainz as a site of international re-search. Scientists at the Institute for Nu-clear Physics, Nuclear Chemistry andPhysics contribute to 20 work groups inthis area; they are globally networked in first-rate international teams.

The Federal Ministry for Education andResearch (BMBF) provides considerablefinancial support for this work. Over thelast ten years the Ministry has providedan average of about three million eurosper year to the Mainz research groups.This makes the University of Mainz thelargest recipient of BMBF funding. Withthe merging of the Mainz workinggroups in the Center for Physical-Chemi-cal Collaborative Research, basic re-search has the status of a recognizeduniversity focal area for the developmentof this domain.

The University of Mainz is an internation-al research location resolutely pursuing a strategy of promoting excellence inscience and research. The Universityintends to establish itself as a center forscientific competence and excellent re-search. This is being achieved mainlythrough the development of both newand existing focal areas of research.

One of the features that make the Uni-versity of Mainz an internationally re-nowned center of science is its excellentrange of facilities, including:

■ the Mainz Microtron (MAMI), an elec-tron accelerator, at the Institute of Nu-clear Physics. Here, international researchteams conduct experiments, for example,on the structure of matter or – in a morepractice-oriented domain – new methodsof medical diagnosis.

■ the Light Water Research ReactorTRIGA at the Institute of Nuclear Chemis-try. It is not only used in the field of nu-clear chemistry, but also in the areas ofenvironmental analysis and materialsresearch.

Commitment to Our Students

STUDYING AND TEACHING 10

In addition to providing academic training,the University sees it as equally importantto foster students’ personal developmentand to provide them with skills they willneed in their careers. In more than a hun-dred courses of study, the Johannes Guten-berg University does not only teach inter-disciplinary thinking; its 35,000 studentsalso earn a valuable academic or artisticqualification while acquiring social andmethodological competence, communicativeand critical abilities, as well as a tolerantand liberal attitude. In the Foreign LanguageCenter, students can expand their languageskills, particularly for specialized communi-cation in their chosen field.

Selection of new courses of study since 1998:Courses of study that lead to a bachelor’s degree

- Musical Arts- Computer Science- Mathematics- Archeology- Translation- Molecular Biology- Geoscience

Courses of study that lead to a master’s degree- Chemistry of Materials- Vocal Coaching- Biomedicine- Conference Interpretation- Journalism- German as a Foreign Language

Postgraduate courses of study that lead to a master’s degree

- Executive Master of Business Administration- Media Law- Epidemiology

Courses of study that lead to the Diplom (corres-ponding approximately to a masters degree)

- Sociology- Church Music- Drama Studies- Music teacher: Voice- Media Management- Biomedical Chemistry- Jazz and Pop Music

Continuing education programs- Psychotherapy- Correspondence Course for Biology Lab Assist.

Supplementary Qualifications- European Migration- Russian Language and Social Studies

and teaching that helps the Universityprepare its students to assume responsi-bilities at home and abroad. The variety of the courses offered ranges from inte-grated bilingual programs in law, business,and the humanities with a double degreein Germany and France to courses of studyoffered in English that will lead to thebachelor’s and the master’s degree (alsoin field of art), right down to the interna-tional master’s in Chemistry of Materials.Among the English speaking courses ofstudy are international PhD programs,such as Performance and Media Studies.

International and Interdisciplinary

Students need different professional quali-fications in order to meet the demands ofan increasingly international job market.Thus students have higher expectationswhen it comes to more clearly defined andpractice-oriented studies at the university.

With this idea in mind, the Johannes Guten-berg University is modifying existing coursesof study and is introducing new bachelorsand masters degrees to develop a moredifferentiated and internationally-orientedacademic system. It is particularly thisconsistent internationalization of studying

Not only do the new interdisciplinary courses of study relate more closely to theprofession, but they also include otherimportant aspects, such as a shortenedperiod of study, international mobility, andgreater comparability on an internationallevel. Furthermore, the University offersattractive, interdisciplinary, and up-to-datecourses of study (for instance Biomedicineand Molecular Biology).

Above and beyond the quality of the coursesoffered, the University creates transparentstructures that enable students to completetheir studies successfully. It provides stu-dents and potential students with exten-sive information and counselling services.Mainz is the first university in Germany tohave a Call Center, where students receivequick and competent answers to all theirquestions about applying to and studyingat the university.

Orientation programs as well as informationand counseling services for high school stu-dents have a long tradition. This is illustrat-ed by the fact that, over a period of 26years, 10,000 high school students havetaken advantage of the open day each yearto get an insight into what studying atMainz is like.

In the student office, students are treated like customers:The student office at the University

By restructuring the student office, the Johannes Gutenberg Universitywants to considerably improve its in-formation and counseling services forstudents and future students. There are three ways to contact the office:

Call CenterHere students can ask for information via phone, fax, or email.

Service Center for StudentsStudents can come to the center for in-formation and for answers to questionsconcerning counseling, applications, ad-missions, enrollment, re-registration, and taking their name off the registra-tion list.

Internet PortalStudents receive standard informationand additional services via the Internet.They can also get help with online appli-cations, re-registration, and interactiveschedule planning.

The School for Applied Linguistics andCultural Studies in Germersheim does notonly have a long tradition; it is also theworld’s largest educational institution fortranslators and interpreters.

Thorough preparation for working on an international level. The range of programs offered ranges from bilingualstudy programs to English-language pro-grams of study leading to the bachelorsand masters degrees, even in the arts, andto the international PhD programs, such as Performance and Media Studies.

The Johannes Gutenberg University does notonly support incoming and current students,but it also assists graduates as they enterprofessional life by integrating work place-ments that relate to the respective profes-sions into the programs of study, and it putsthem into contact with partners outside theuniversity. The university has organized a jobfair (Jobmesse) on campus for the past fiveyears. This forum helps students get off to asuccessful start in a career because everyyear more than 60 companies use this jobfair, the largest one in Rhineland-Palatinate,each year to seek qualified professionals andmanagers. It goes without saying that this isan excellent opportunity for graduates tocome into contact with potential employers.

Partner for Lifelong Learning A lively Academic Culture

CONTINUING EDUCATION LIFE ON CAMPUS 12 13

The importance of lifelong learning is wide-ly acknowledged. Due to the changingprofessional world, further education afterbasic training forms an essential part ofprofessional qualifications. Only studentswho update and enhance their knowledgeand abilities on a regular basis will beable to cope with the new expectations.On the basis of its academic competence,the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainzhas responded to this development andhas compiled a comprehensive program of continuing education. The wide rangeof courses is focused on the Center forContinuing Education (ZWW), the programof which is constantly expanding.

15,000 visitors take advantage of morethan 150 events each semester. Discussions on campus, lectures with differ-ent speakers, workshops, conferences,and excursions in Mainz deal with a widerange of topics from ”the brain and soul“to ”the individual and society“ and ”virtu-al spaces“. The General Studies Programinvites internationally renowned scientiststo come to Mainz. These have included,for instance, Fritz Stern, (who was award-ed the Peace Prize of the German BookTrade in 1999), Neil Postman, and alsoWolf Singer and Gerhard Roth, who areinvolved in the latest brain research.

Above and beyond this program, the Uni-versity of Mainz offers various opportunities

for students to spend their leisure time in anactive way. Students are able to participate,for instance, in the choir or the orchestra ofthe Collegium musicum or the EuropaChor-Akademie (European choir academy).Furthermore, they can engage in the regularsports activities provided by the University,they can enjoy acting in drama groups orwatching movies on campus, and they canparticipate in numerous other activities initia-ted by students. Every year, the highlight ofthese events is the summer festival organizedby the student executive committee.It attracts thousands of people to a celebrationon campus. In contrast to that, the botanicalgarden of the University provides a quiet andrelaxing atmosphere for those who want toescape from everyday life.

Besides research and teaching, the Univer-sity of Mainz considers further educationto be a central task that needs to beachieved in terms of educational policy.Those who are interested in enhancing,reinforcing, or complementing their know-ledge have the opportunity to take advan-tage of the university’s knowledge, com-petence and contacts. The universitymakes these resources available particu-larly for people who have gained some ini-tial experience on the job, who have justfinished their first degree, or who havebeen away from the market for an extend-ed period. The university fulfills its respon-sibility to provide continuing education not

only by offering seminars and other courses,but also by establishing parallel newcourses of study. The Executive Master ofBusiness Administration, a course of studyfor which students have to pay tuition, aimsat working people who want to refreshtheir business knowledge and who wantto further develop their managementskills. In cooperation with the pharmaceu-tical industry and a publishing house forscientific literature, the university has es-tablished the first correspondence coursefor biology lab assistants in Germany. Theprogram in media law, for graduates inlaw and economics, fills yet another gapin the market.

It’s Never Too Late to Study

Continuing education is also becomingincreasingly important for older peoplewho wish to deal with academic issuesand take advantage of opportunities offer-ed by the university. The ”Studieren 50Plus“ (studying after 50) program initiatedby Johannes Gutenberg University opensnew prospects to this ever-growing group.

Building Bridges

The objective of the Center for ContinuingEducation is to overcome boundaries be-tween educational systems. It is thereforecommitted to the federal government'sproject “Lernende Regionen – Zukunfts-aufgabe Bildung im städtischen Raum”(learning regions - education as a missionof the future in urban areas) sponsored bythe Federal Ministry for Education andResearch (BMBF). Its objective is to con-struct a network between the differenteducational institutions in the region. Thisnetwork helps make the educational mar-ket more transparent. It also ensures thatinformation is well organized and readilyavailable.

Continuing education is important for theuniversity’s dialogue with the public aswell as for the transfer of knowledge andtechnology. The courses offered help builda bridge between education, training andprofessional life.

The Johannes Gutenberg UniversityMainz focuses on contemporary issuesby making a lively academic culture and creative restlessness part of life on campus. The University considers it a challenge to relate scientific findings to the real world. Thus it foments re-flection on recent problems of society,seeking explanations, and developingprospects for the future. Interculturaldiscussions with internationally renown-ed scientists, important individualsfrom politics and economics as well as musicians, artists, writers, and pro-ducers are a key feature of the GeneralStudies Program and to the activities of the Center for Intercultural Studies.The University commits itself in particu-lar to the expansion of interdisciplinarycourses of study and to the support ofinterdisciplinary approaches to researchand teaching.

General Studies Program: Getting the Whole Picture

The General Studies Program is of par-ticular importance since it is an institu-tion of its own. It enables students tobroaden their specialized studies in aninterdisciplinary way and offers theopportunity to deal with current aswell as basic scientific issues. About

Cooperation in Theory and Practice

THE APPROACHABLE UNIVERSITY 14

As one of the universities in the RhineMain Region, the Johannes GutenbergUniversity works within the scope of aninternational network of culture, educa-tion and science. We see ourselves as acompetent partner for business and thepublic sector, art, and society as a whole.In our mission statement, we devote awhole section to the ”living cooperation“.One of our major aims is to make theUniversity even more approachable. Toachieve this, we have initiated a widerange of new projects and are improvingon existing ones. Among others, the Uni-versity cooperates with the City of Mainz,the Staatstheater, and the Media. A spe-cial focus lies on cooperation with schoolsand companies.

Building Bridges

In order to make our University more visi-ble within the city of Mainz and to pro-mote the residents appreciation of sci-ence, we hold different events with ourcooperation partners like the “university inthe town hall”, or the science market withhands-on participation. On the other hand,it is very important for the University to

open its lecture halls to the people and bydoing this, to open the door to the worldof science, for example at events held inconnection with the Johannes GutenbergChair. This professorship, with holders likethe German historian Fritz Stern, the ento-mologist Bert Hölldobler and the formerGerman Foreign Secretary Hans-DietrichGenscher, established by the organizationFreunde der Universität Mainz e.V., is re-served for scientists and public figureswith an international reputation and inter-disciplinary flair. Within the scope of theactivities organized around this chair,thousands of guests came to the campusbecause of a guest lecture on Europegiven by the former President of the USSR,Mikhail Gorbatchov. But exhibitions andthe annual summer celebration in the Uni-versity’s botanical garden are also majorattractions for the public.

NatLab creates access

Among the active cooperative ventures ofthe Johannes Gutenberg University ofMainz, the NaT-Lab for pupils of all agegroups is of special importance. Designedas a network, the expectations of schools,universities, companies and politics as wellas other educational institutions went intothe development of this program. The re-sult is a focused set of programs aboutchemistry, physics, mathematics, biologyand geoscience with new teaching andlearning styles, aimed at promoting pupils’lasting interest in natural sciences. OurUniversity sets great store in making surethat our young visitors’ interest is not onlyaroused for a short time but in fact lastsyears right up to the beginning of univer-sity studies.

With this initiative, the JohannesGutenberg University of Mainz shows theawareness of its responsibility to societyas a whole, and contributes actively to thecurrent debate on education. Educationand science will form the most important‘raw materials’ in the 21st century.

The lack of specialists and qualified man-agement personnel, especially in mathe-matics and the natural sciences, the maintopic in the debate in Germany concerningthe awarding of residence permits to foreign-ers, harms Germany’s opportunities as anindustrial location.

Due to our responsibility to promote newgenerations of leaders in science, business,cultural affairs and social domains, theJohannes Gutenberg University of Mainz

has to offer high quality in the areas ofscience, study and teaching– and not onlyfor the sake of its students. Qualified sup-port begins with the early identificationand fostering of talented young people.With its NaT-Lab, the Johannes GutenbergUniversity of Mainz creates successful”bridges“ for pupils.

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Mikhail Gorbatchov, former Presidentof the USSR, on campus as holder of theGutenberg Foundation Professorship.

The University’s botanical garden draws alarge crowd with 10,000 species of plantsfrom almost every region in the world.Every year, thousands of guests, includingchildren as well as adults, participate inguided tours and special exhibitions.

Coming together through music:”Young Ensemble“ for the gifted

The idea for the Young Ensemble aroseform the performances of ”Kleinen Zau-berflöte“ by the music department atStaatstheater in a production by GeogesDelnon, the theater's artistic director. This cooperative venture between theMusic Department, the Staatstheater andthe Peter Cornelius Conservatory enablesgifted students to participate in produc-tions at the Staatstheater, giving them anexcellent opportunity to gain experienceon stage.

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A University Open to the World

INTERNATIONALIZATION16

International Summer School:The World Meets on the Mainz Campus

From A as in Argentina to Z as in Zimbab-we – since the founding of the University,students and other learners of Germanfrom all over the world come togetherevery summer on the Mainz Campus toengage in the study of the German lan-guage and culture. More than 150 guestsfrom approximately 40 nations participateevery year in the ‘International SummerSchool’ at the Johannes Gutenberg

University of Mainz. The program doesnot only cover language courses withpractical exercises. Seminars and otherintroductory classes in German literature,philosophy, politics and economics, aswell as a multitude of regional activi-ties such as excursions, concerts andsightseeing tours are also part of theprogram. As a special feature, the Uni-versity offers the participants the oppor-tunity to spend two weeks living with aGerman family when the course is over.

The University of Mainz employs approxi-mately 140 foreign scientists. Moreover,an average of 250 foreign guest scientistsand more than 160 grant holders workingon a doctorate do research at our insti-tutes. Scientists at the University of Mainz,on the other hand, conduct a multitude ofresearch projects around the world.

Our direct involvement in severallarge-scale EU projects as well as inresearch projects with multinationalcorporations exemplifies the interna-tional orientation of our joint researchactivities. Natural scientists from theUniversity work in international re-search groups, for example at theCERN research facilities.

Worldwide Partnerships

The Johannes Gutenberg University ofMainz has more than 100 partnershipsand agreements concerning academiccooperation with universities from all fivecontinents. Within Europe, it cooperateswith 220 additional universities.

The University is also the headquarters ofthe French university attaché for Rhine-land-Palatinate, Hesse and the Saarland,who is appointed by the French Foreign

Ministry. The Bureau de CoopérationUniversitaire Franco-Allemande is de-signed to intensify and further improvethe relations between the universities ofthe two countries. The University of Mainzsees this institution as an acknowledge-ment of its cooperation with French uni-versities.

Our cosmopolitan character is the trade-mark of the Johannes Gutenberg Univer-sity of Mainz: students and teachers fromevery continent come to study and workon our campus. More than 5,000 foreignstudents – almost 15 % of the total –contribute to the international flair of ourcampus. The University also encourages its students to study abroad. Thanks to the three Franco-German joint degree programs offered, France is the mostimportant destination. By offering inter-national degrees and programs, the Uni-versity wants to facilitate study abroad.Students at Mainz who are working on adoctorate in biomedicine or biochemistry,for example, can do research togetherwith Nobel prize winners in the top labo-ratories of the Southwestern GraduateSchool of Biomedical Science at the Uni-versity of Texas in Dallas.

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Best Practice University

GAINING AUTONOMY AND ENSURING BEST POSSIBLE PERFORMANCE

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Gaining autonomy by achieving the bestpossible performance was the goal the Jo-hannes Gutenberg University of Mainz setfor itself when it initiated the reform processin 1999. This process was motivated by thefact that in Germany, the relevant govern-mental bodies increasingly specify only guid-ing principles and objectives rather thancontrolling every aspect of a university’sadministration. For the universities, this opensup considerable scope for autonomous deci-sion-making and policy shaping. The Univer-sity of Mainz understands this autonomyand self-determination in a double sense:as the freedom to make decisions and asthe capability to make them. In order to beable to apply its policy-making authority ina responsible manner, the University has hadto streamline its organization and manage-ment, but also acquire new competences.

The measures undertaken within the reformprocess therefore aim, on the one hand, atan extensive reorganization of the Univer-

sity’s administration. This means increasingthe effectiveness and efficiency of its oper-ations as well as consistently strengtheningthe customer orientation of its administra-tive services. On the other hand, these mea-sures also aim at questions dealing with theUniversity’s strategic orientation, its profile,and its reputation. In 2002, the Universitywas awarded the title of Best Practice Univer-sity by the Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung(center for university development), for itscomplex and integrative reform approach,its highly innovative modernization measures,and the professional implementation ofthose measures.

The change from being an institution per-ceived as a rather undifferentiated massuniversity to a large, highly structured andoutstanding university is the main objectiveof the reform process. Therefore, strengthen-ing the profile and the competitiveness ofthe University are two of the key elementsin its reform approach.

The Key to Success: Cooperation Within the University

The University is convinced that internalcooperation is vital for the success of itsdifferent departments and the Universityas a whole. The Center for Data Process-ing and the university library, amongother facilities, serve as vital links. Whilethe Center for Data Processing has set upa wireless-LAN network that enables stu-dents and staff to access the internet withtheir laptops whenever and wherever theywant on campus, the University Library isoptimizing its services, for example byproviding a large selection of electronicjournals. Especially within the departmentsfor natural sciences and medicine, theseservices have become indispensable.Central libraries and large faculty librariesguarantee long opening hours and there-fore excellent conditions for study andresearch.

Since the 1990s, quality assurance anddevelopment has been one of the focalpoints of the Johannes Gutenberg Univer-sity and it can now draw on a differentiat-ed system of procedures and programs inthis domain. This project, which was intro-duced in 1992, has become the Center forQuality Assurance and Development,which, in particular, is responsible for thecarrying out of evaluations. What is out-standing about the Mainz Evaluation Mod-el is that it includes all fields of study andteaching as well as relevant aspects ofresearch, organization and the overallstructure of a program of study.Evaluations are carried out on three tofour programs of study or departmentsevery year. To ensure that the results are

used to improve the University's practices,every evaluation measure is linked to anobjective that the respective program ofstudy or department and the University’sadministration agree on. The Center forQuality Assurance and Development isnow a consulting agency that also increas-ingly offers services to external institutionsand universities.

Media, Culture and Lifestyle

MAINZ – IN THE CENTER OF THE RHINE-MAIN REGION 20

The Cathedral dominates the panorama:City with history

Mainz can definitely look back on an im-pressive history. Here, Roman relics arereminiscent of the city’s 2,000-year heri-tage, there magnificent Baroque buildingsbring back the days of the Prince Electors.The best architects and the most capableartisans left their mark on the city in the17th century and created unique palacesas well as new churches. Since as early asthe Roman period, Mainz has been theseat of a bishopric. Just how closely thehistory of the church and the city areintertwined is revealed by the imposingcathedral, a 1,000-year-old constructionthat always dominates the famous pano-rama of this state capital.

Today, Mainz is a major platform for busi-ness as well as a magnet for innumerabletourists.

21

Mainz certainly does not lack self-confi-dence or enthusiasm, and for a good reason.The fact that tradition and progress neednot be diametrically opposed becomesapparent in Mainz, even in day-to-day life.Despite its 2,000-year history, Mainz hasremained a young city.

The place where Romans, Emperor Barba-rossa, the Bible-printer Gutenberg or noblePrince Electors once left their mark is to-day a picturesque home for people andcommerce. The very name of the city is atrademark in the Rhine-Main region. TheMainz of today has an open, cosmopolitanflair, which is reflected in the traditionalFastnacht celebration. Here, nostalgia al-ways remains in fashion. So it is no won-der that the narrow, picturesque alleys inthe old part of the city have an almostmagical attraction for tourists and trade

fair visitors. Beside one of the numerousfountains or in the shade of half-timberedhouses along the historic mile are lovelyplaces to chat and get to know a bit ofthe Mainz savoir vivre, just like the friendlyatmosphere of the many local wine bars.

Mainz has always been open to culture,not only because of the renowned Whit-sun festival that takes place here with theater, music, and cabaret. In addition,the national theater, little theaters andcultural centers for all ages ensure that no one will be bored here in the evening.Here you find new and experimental formsof theater appear, there you find opera,plays and ballet in the historical Mollerbuilding. Another facet of the Mainz cul-tural life is the Unterhaus stage.

At the same time, Mainz is a well-situatedand vital site of economic activity. And lastbut not least, this university city is also acity of the media – home to the secondnational German TV station, which makesits home town renowned throughout Eu-rope with its daily programming.

Extensive wine-growing marks the geo-graphy at the periphery of the city, wherea walk between the grapevines of Rhein-hesse – the largest German winegrowingregion helps you forget day-to-day stressat any time of year. The environs of Mainzare simply enchanting, calling to residentsand visitors to make day excursions intothe surrounding area. These might includea trip to the Frankfurt airport, the aviationcenter of Europe; a tour of the picturesqueRheingau region with its famous monas-teries like the one situated high up inEberbach; a boat trip on the romanticRhine, or an excursion to the beautifullandscapes of the Hunsrück, Odenwald orTaunus.

▲ Trullo in the Rheinhessen vineyards

▲ Rhine-Main Airport, Frankfurt

▼ The Mainz Staatstheater (Grosses Haus)with its glass dome, after the 2002 renovation

Schillerplatz with the carnival fountain in front of the Osteiner Hof

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CONTACT INFORMATION22

International Office

Forum universitatis 2, 55099 Mainz, Germany

Phone: + 49 6131- 39-22281

Fax: + 49 6131- 39-25548

E-Mail: aaa@verwaltung.uni-mainz.de

Head: Rainer Henkel-von Klaß

Press and Public Relations

Forum universitatis 2, 55099 Mainz, Germany

Phone: + 49 6131- 39-22369

Fax: + 49 6131- 39-24139

E-Mail: presse@verwaltung.uni-mainz.de

Head: Petra Giegerich

Student Advising Services

Forum universitatis 1, 55099 Mainz, Germany

Phone: + 49 6131- 39-25001

Fax: + 49 6131- 39-25004

E-Mail: zsb@verwaltung.uni-mainz.de

Head: Birgit Leinen

Center for Continuing Education (ZWW)

Forum universitatis 1, 55099 Mainz, Germany

Phone: + 49 6131- 39-22133

Fax: + 49 6131- 39-24714

E-Mail: zww@verwaltung.uni-mainz.de

Head: Dr. phil. Beate Hörr

General Studies

Colonel-Kleinmann-Weg 2, 55099 Mainz, Germany

Phone: + 49 6131- 39-22660

Fax: + 49 6131- 39-23168

E-Mail: studgen@mail.uni-mainz.de

Head: Prof. Dr. phil. Andreas Cesana

For further information, see: www.uni-mainz.de

PHOTOS

Page 15: NaT-Lab for pupils, Photograph: Peter Pulkowski

Page 20: Views of the City, City of Mainz Public Relations OfficeTrullo in Rheinhessen, Photograph: Thomas Hartmann, German Wine Instititute

Page 21: International Airport Frankfurt, Photograph: Werner Krüger/LufthansaViews of the City, City of Mainz Public Relations Office

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz55099 Mainz, GermanyPhone +49 6131/39-0