Spotlight – The Rector’s Column

Dear Alums,

I am delighted to present you with to our latest “keep in touch” issue for the 2023 summer semester.

Sustainability is an important topic and a central task for RWTH. This is also demonstrated by our Sustainability Workshops. Following on from the first Sustainability Workshop, which was held in 2022 and which welcomed more than 100 participants, we recently held the second Sustainability Workshop at RWTH this year with experts and representatives from all University groups. The overarching goal of the workshop is to enable us here at RWTH to continue full steam ahead on the path to sustainability we are already on in research, teaching, and operations.

The energy cost crisis is a challenge we all faced this past winter. Looking back, we can now say that we mastered this challenge brilliantly together. With the active support of all RWTH members, we were able to significantly reduce the energy consumed at our University. This past winter, RWTH was able to reduce its electricity requirements by up to ten percent and its – weather-dependent – heating requirements by an average of almost 20 percent, simply by changing personal habits and raising awareness.

As a University, we are well aware of our responsibilities and we are actively working to increase energy efficiency in all areas. In the medium term, we have initiated technical measures in the form of checks for large-scale consumers (for example at the Melaten campus) that will further reduce energy consumption, such as through heat pump concepts. For RWTH to be able to operate efficiently in the long term and to guarantee the sustainable and responsible use of our resources, numerous buildings will have to be renovated to improve their energy efficiency.

One of these buildings is the historic Kármán Auditorium, which we have been refurbishing since last year. In addition to extensively renovating the facade, we are bringing the building up to the latest technical standards and ensuring that all current accessibility requirements are met – another topic that is particularly close to our hearts.

Another building we hold dear was the old gym for University Sports at Königshügel, which we began demolishing last month. The stage is now set for a new, modern facility that can accommodate the growing number of sports-minded students and staff. We are particularly proud that we will be able to run our University Sports operations with hardly any restrictions during demolition and new construction. Many thousands of RWTH students and employees enjoy being active thanks to University Sports each and every year.

RWTH Aachen is proud to be known for its excellent teaching and research, aided by having established specific focus topics that simultaneously serve as central quality measures. Our students and their interactions with instructors are always at the center of our attention so they can follow their path to graduation with the greatest success. The current Teaching and Learning Mission Statement emphasizes our University-wide commitment to a forward-looking, innovative, and appreciative teaching culture. It also serves to underline the shared responsibility of students and instructors for ensuring academic success. In doing so, the mission statement focuses on the continuous development of all aspects of teaching, learning, and holding exams across the entire University.

We hope this magazine will help you stay in touch with RWTH Aachen University and allow you to reconnect with us here in Germany over our shared passion for knowledge, innovation, and progress.
I wish you all a wonderful summer and an enjoyable read.

Best wishes,