27 October 2023

Congratulations from the Thuringian state government and from all over Germany for application-orientated administrative research from Nordhausen

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences welcomed 121 guests from all over Germany to the 20th anniversary of the Public Management degree programme. Among them were managers from administrations, researchers, alumni, students and school pupils, who engaged in lively discussions about the opportunities and challenges of effective task fulfilment in public administration.

Dr Hartmut Schubert, State Secretary and Commissioner of the Free State of Thuringia for eGovernment and IT, welcomed the spirit for new ideas that is conveyed at universities. This is the only way to make the digitalisation of administrative tasks attractive to future specialists and managers from various disciplines.

Prof Dr Elmar Hinz, spokesperson for the Institute of Public Management and Governance, expressed his thanks for the many academic impulses and projects presented. These show that the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Public Management at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences enable secure and flexible careers in the public sector. Applied administrative research creates the opportunity to be at the cutting edge of public task fulfilment and to practically improve the quality of life in a region on a daily basis.

District Administrator Matthias Jendricke addressed frank words about the challenges facing local authorities to the State Chancellery. The head of the Central Services / Modern Administration department, Johannes Blasius, was confident that administrative modernisation can be successful in the face of demographics, digitalisation, decarbonisation and destabilisation by combining administrative practice and science and taking a generalist, commercial approach.

Prof Dr Jörg Wagner, President of the university, expressed his thanks for the congratulations. The "Transferwerk" project, which has been funded by the BMBF since the anniversary year, can help to further expand the research focus on "Management and Governance", inspire students to study administration in Nordhausen and develop management impulses for all municipal tasks.

The Public Management degree programme is Germany's only new public higher education establishment in the last 20 years with a strong focus on administrative management. In 2003, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences offered the first alternative to the diplomas awarded by administrative universities at the time with its Bachelor's degree programme in Public Management. With over 544 Bachelor's degrees and, since 2007, 193 Master's degrees, the degree programme has now established itself in the administration ecosystem. The almost dual study programmes continue to be very popular in the region and throughout Germany.