On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the existence of the TU Ilmenau , a blog deals with the events in 1992 related to the TU Ilmenau. Staff members of the university archive have sifted through and processed numerous documents from 1992 in order to capture the spirit of the times in the early days of the university.
Today, TU Ilmenau is known as an internationally renowned university in the green heart of Germany. Students and scientists from around 100 nations successfully learn, teach and research together at five faculties of the TU Ilmenau. A milestone for this was set 30 years ago. In the summer of 1992, Ilmenau Technical University was awarded the status of "Technical University" on the recommendation of the Science Council. This became legally binding when the Thuringian Higher Education Act came into force on July 7, 1992 .
In 1992, an extensive transformation process of the TU Ilmenau culminated, which set the course for today's TU Ilmenau. Numerous construction and renovation measures were initiated on the campus to create more lecture halls, seminar rooms and living facilities for students in order to cope with the increasing number of students. The existing staff underwent a comprehensive evaluation and new staff was recruited with the creation of new departments. The TU Ilmenau was given new examination and study regulations based on the model of the universities in the old federal states, and more business administration content was added to the university's range of courses. After the already existing course of studies in business informatics, the course of studies in industrial engineering was introduced in 1992. The university staff expanded their contacts with West German universities in order to modernize the TU Ilmenau. Dr. Anja Kürbis, university archivist at the TU Ilmenau, together with her colleague Juliane Neidhardt, sifted through numerous documents such as minutes and handwritten file notes as well as old photos from that time in order to get an idea of the spirit of the times. She describes her impressions:
In 1992, there was a real spirit of optimism at the TU Ilmenau. People wanted to take advantage of the opportunities that the new freedom brought. At the same time, the GDR past had to be dealt with. This process proceeded calmly and in a structured manner at the TU Ilmenau, thanks in large part to the rector at the time, Prof. Eberhart Köhler.
New ideas for the co-design of the university
Prof. Eberhart Köhler, Professor of Semiconductor Devices and the first democratically elected Rector of TU Ilmenau, shaped the first years of the university with his charismatic and authentic manner. He operated an open communication policy: every month, the rector wrote an article in the university newspaper to inform all university members about the latest developments and to involve them in the transformation process of the TU Ilmenau. From today's perspective, he has mastered the transformation very well, as Dr. Anja Kürbis says:
Even though coming to terms with the GDR's past was not easy, Prof. Köhler understood that new beginnings had priority. He gave the employees courage to pursue teaching and research with vigor despite the uncertainty, because the research achievements of the TU Ilmenau were already recognized at home and abroad at that time.
After the reunification of Germany, the TU Ilmenau found itself in an unprecedented situation. Although Ilmenau Technical University already enjoyed a very good reputation in GDR times, the university now found itself competing with other universities nationwide. In 1992, only a negligible proportion of the total of 2,507 students in the 1991/92 winter semester came from the old federal states. The political target of increasing the number of students to 6,000 by the year 2000 put the TU Ilmenau under time pressure. The professors, employees and students contributed many ideas to help shape their university: Proposals, such as introducing a degree program in environmental engineering, were discussed and rejected again. The TU Ilmenau faced the challenge of introducing the West German university system without losing its own profile. The five faculties of mathematics and natural sciences, electrical engineering and information technology, computer science and automation, mechanical engineering, and economics, some of which had been newly formed, began their work. The buildings were equipped with new technology, and cooperation with partners from industry was intensified. With the election of Prof. Dagmar Schipanski to the Science Council, the TU Ilmenau as well as East German universities gained a voice in the political advisory body at the federal level.
The TU Ilmenau used the new circumstances as an opportunity, and the university's efforts paid off. Today, as in the past, the TU Ilmenau is known for its very good teaching and research with an excellent supervision ratio and state-of-the-art technical equipment. Students from the new German states make up the majority of the student body, and a third of all students come from abroad. Dr. Anja Kürbis sees many changes today, but also parallels to the beginnings of the TU Ilmenau:
Even today, young people study at a small university in the countryside that offers a lot. And the motto 'Ilmenau is what you make of it' still applies - even if it didn't officially exist back then. The students are and always have been very active and culturally very involved.
In articles with photos, the university archive works up all the important events from 1992. These can be found on the TU Ilmenau website . In addition, the blog posts are regularly shared on Instagram and Twitter .