Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Schwick left his mark on Fachhochschule Dortmund for a total of 23 years: as Professor of Mathematics and Data Processing, as Vice-Rector for Studies, Teaching and Academic Reform, and since 2009 as Rector.
After exactly 4,785 days in this position, Wilhelm Schwick retired on March 1, 2023. "And I still don't have any withdrawal symptoms," he said at the official farewell on April 19 at the Westfalenhallen Congress Center. In front of 200 guests, Dortmund's Lord Mayor Thomas Westphal paid tribute to him as a "strong piece of Dortmund".
"Wilhelm Schwick is a Ruhri, a person of the Ruhr region", who always kept the region and the city in mind in his actions, praised the Lord Mayor. Rector Schwick was also always calm in person, "except when he was talking about math lessons in German schools". And he was a man of real numbers. "These," said Thomas Westphal in his welcoming address, "are known to include rational and irrational numbers." And that is exactly what a principal must be able to do, "hold the rational and the irrational together".
Number of students increased by 77 percent
Guido Baranowski, Chairman of the University Council of Fachhochschule Dortmund, called Wilhelm Schwick a modernizer: "You managed to open up the university and network it," said Guido Baranowski in his speech to the Rector. "You created a climate at Fachhochschule Dortmund in which creative work was possible." During Wilhelm Schwick's term of office, the number of students increased by 77 percent from 8,300 to almost 14,700.
For the students, Dennis Friedel from the General Students' Committee (AStA) called the Rector a "natural constant". The door to the Rector's office was always open to students. For Wilhelm Schwick, looking after the interests of the students was a matter of course. The regular meetings with the AStA and the student councils also testify to this. "You are always welcome to drop by," said Dennis Friedel and promised: "Beer and bratwurst will be on us."
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Schwick looked back on many encounters during his time at Fachhochschule Dortmund. "I am very, very grateful to the students and lecturers, the employees and the partners of the UAS for the cooperation." One fly in the ointment is that there is still no decision on a joint location for Fachhochschule Dortmund. "That remains a task for the future," says Wilhelm Schwick.
Prof. Dr. Tamara Appel will officially take over this task as the new Rector on July 1 of this year.
