It is both a personal recognition for her and her management team as well as an expression of appreciation for her work to date: on Wednesday, September 17, Prof. Dr. Susanne Menzel-Riedl was presented with the certificate of appointment for her second term as President of Osnabrück University, which begins on October 1. The Senate and University Council had previously unanimously decided not to call for tenders and proposed the re-election of the previous President to the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture.
"I am very pleased," said Menzel-Riedl. "On the one hand, of course, about the trust that has been placed in me, but also about the opportunity to continue shaping the future. Together with my team and all staff and students, I would like to use the next few years to strengthen our university as an innovative and open place of science."
"It is a great pleasure for me to present Prof. Dr. Susanne Menzel-Riedl with the certificate of appointment for her second term as President of Osnabrück University. Under her presidency, the university has sharpened its profile, expanded its research strength and gained national and international visibility. With her clear value orientation and strong communication skills, Prof. Menzel-Riedl has positioned the university as a strong voice of science," said Lower Saxony's Science Minister Falko Mohrs at the Senate meeting in Osnabrück University. "The Senate and University Council have unanimously expressed their confidence in her for a further eight years: This is a strong signal and acknowledges her strategic foresight, her reliable and empathetic leadership. As Chairwoman of the State Higher Education Conference and Vice President of the German Rectors' Conference, Prof. Dr. Susanne Menzel-Riedl plays a decisive role in shaping the higher education landscape in Lower Saxony and beyond. I look forward to continuing this successful path together."
In her second eight-year term of office, the President intends to continue the successful development of Osnabrück University and at the same time set new priorities. An important component of this is the implementation of the goals in the "Strategically Developing Potential" funding program, which provides the university with € 16.25 million. Among other things, these funds from the Volkswagen Foundation are intended to increase the visibility of research and further develop research-oriented teaching and learning.
Menzel-Riedl would also like to integrate newly appointed professors even more closely into the university and thus into the university's existing academic landscape. "Our university is characterized by strongly networked, broad-based research; this is our strength and we want to continue working on it," says the President.
The students are particularly important to the University President: "Our campus should not only be a place of learning for them, but also a discursive meeting place where different perspectives can be discussed, friendships can be formed and our students can also develop personally."
During her first term of office, Prof. Menzel-Riedl already provided decisive impetus, such as the increased internationalization of the university. She placed particular emphasis on further profile development in research. Under her presidency, two special research areas were acquired: one on cellular membrane networks and another - unique in Lower Saxony in its focus on the humanities - on migration research. In addition, the AI-Reallabor Agrar (RLA) was established together with seven partners, which is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation with € 18.9 million.
About the person:
Susanne Menzel-Riedl came to Osnabrück as a junior professor in 2008, where she was appointed Professor of Biology Didactics after turning down appointments in Giessen and Cologne. In 2019, she was elected President of the University - the youngest female university president in Germany at the time. She has also been Chair of the Lower Saxony State University Conference since 2022 and Vice President of the German Rectors' Conference for Higher Education System and Organization since 2023. She came second in the 2025 "Rector of the Year" election organized by the German University Association (DHV). Since 2021, she has been consistently in first place among the university leaders in Lower Saxony in this election.
Further information for editorial offices:
Dr. Oliver Schmidt, Osnabrück University
Marketing and Communications Office of Osnabrück University
Email: oliver.schmidt@uni-osnabrueck.de
