As part of the traditional matriculation ceremony, President Prof. Dr. Winfried Speitkamp officially welcomed all first-year students to the University during a ceremony held in the Audimax in the University Library at 4 pm on Wednesday, 17 October 2018. After the event, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar celebrated the launch of the Bauhaus.Semester and the beginning of the 2019 Bauhaus anniversary year.

Some 930 students, including 266 international students from 64 countries, have enrolled at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar for the winter semester. They all successfully made it through the demanding admission procedure in place for most courses. A total of almost 3,500 applications were submitted.

All four of the University’s faculties are satisfied with the figures. »Compared to the previous year, the number of new students has increased significantly – by almost eight percent,« emphasises Gudrun Kopf, Head of the Office of Student and Academic Affairs. Together with her team, she is among others responsible for applications and enrolments.  These are just the preliminary applicant statistics as of 15 October 2018, however. »Students have until the end of the month to enrol. As we are expecting some late enrolments, the final figures are still expected to change slightly,« explains Kopf.

The considerable increase is also due to the traditionally high interest among international students. This year, 28 percent of newly enrolled students are from abroad. This is in line with the University’s self-perception: »Diversity, responsibility, respect – these fundamental values are particularly important at our internationally-oriented University. We are familiar with the global interactions in business and politics, the global networks. The international profile of our campus offers countless opportunities: openness and curiosity allow students to learn from one another, from the unexpected, from the differences, from the diversity,« says Prof. Winfried Speitkamp, President of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.

Matriculation ceremony launches the Bauhaus.Semester

On Wednesday 17 October 2018, new students were welcomed by the University’s President Prof. Dr. Winfried Speitkamp, the Mayor of Weimar Peter Kleine and the Student Council representative Janna Bülow. Prof. Dr. Christopher Buschow, who is the newest addition to the teaching body and junior professor for »Organisation and Networked Media« in the Faculty of Media, delivered the celebratory speech. Percussionist Alejandro Coello Calvo from the Liszt School of Music Weimar provided the musical accompaniment for the matriculation ceremony.

To mark the official start of the Bauhaus.Semester, the guests met with students from the architecture introductory course at 5:30 pm and walked together between Bauhaus.Oases along the Paths of Modernity downtown. The celebratory experimental procession ended at the Bauhaus.Atelier at around 7 pm where the Bauhaus.Semester officially launched and the start of the 100 years of Bauhaus was celebrated with music and drinks.

» Opening speech of the President of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Prof. Dr. Winfried Speitkamp(german language)

Matriculation ceremony and launch of the Bauhaus.Semester

Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Wednesday, 17 October 2018 

4 pm
Matriculation ceremony, followed by a champagne reception
Audimax (University Library), Steubenstraße 6

5:30 pm
Launch of the Bauhaus.Semester with performances and a walk through the town of Weimar to selected Bauhaus.Oases
Audimax (University Library), Steubenstraße 6

Approx. 7 pm
Official opening ceremony for the Bauhaus.Semester
Bauhaus.Atelier (courtyard of the Main Building), Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 6

For more information, please see:
https://www.uni-weimar.de/en/university/profile/events/events-2018/matriculation-ceremony-2018/