Prof. Anja Steinbeck, Chairwoman of the Board of the Association for the Promotion of Wissensregion Düsseldorf e.V., receives a prestigious award: she is named “University Manager of the Year”

The award is presented by the CHE Center for Higher Education Development and the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”.
In the opinion of a high-caliber jury, the Rector of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) leads her institution in an outstanding manner and also demonstrates special crisis and leadership skills during the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement was made on the afternoon of December 2 as part of a digital education conference in Berlin in front of around 2,000 participants.
The title is considered the most important award in the field of university management in Germany.
Prof. Steinbeck’s outstanding corona crisis management was recognized in particular.
However, her commitment to opening up the university to the city’s population with the “Citizens’ University” and her initiation of the Wissensregion Düsseldorf, which she represents as Chair of the Board, are also likely to have played a role in the jury’s decision.
Since 2017, she has been working with Wissensregion Düsseldorf to promote cooperation between HHU and other universities and representatives of business, culture and vocational training.
The association’s flagship project, the Innovation Semester, which is a prototype for the dismantling of educational hierarchies, is also based on her idea.

We are very pleased about this recognition of our CEO and would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Prof. Steinbeck!

Here you can read the HHU press release on the topic and download Prof. Steinbeck’s acceptance speech. Photo: HHU/Paul Schwaderer