Maren Schmohl is the new rector of Merz Akademie

Maren Schmohl, the university’s long-time vice rector, is the new rector, starting March 1, 2021. The Senate of the Merz Akademie has approved the proposal of its shareholder. She had already held the office by proxy for a year. Maren Schmohl is also a member of the Board of Representatives of ELIA, the European network of artistic higher education institutions, and a founding member of EQ-Arts, an international agency for quality assurance for artistic higher education. Term of office is five years.

Markus Merz, managing director of Merz Bildungswerk gGmbH, congratulates: “To my great pleasure, Maren Schmohl has been appointed rector of our university. She has accepted the appointment and will start on March 1, 2021. I combine my sincere congratulations with my best wishes for her upcoming term of office and for the continued positive development of Merz Akademie.”

“Maren Schmohl has an excellent international network and is very familiar with all aspects of university management. In her previous leadership position, she has repeatedly provided new and important impetus for all of the university’s areas of responsibility. As head of the academic department, she would like to set new goals in cooperation with the university senate,” adds Prof. Peter Ott, Dean of the Merz Akademie.

In her speech to the Senate, Maren Schmohl outlined her perspective on the new position as follows: “Higher education as a whole, and thus also the Merz Akademie, is part of major societal changes. Traditional definitions of excellence are being challenged by the urgent call for equality and diversity. This concerns questions of access, the composition of all member groups, but also affects studies, teaching and research. The need for environmental and economic sustainability is changing some ways of working in higher education and is also reflected in educational goals and preparation for careers. Critical thinking and theory are distinctive characteristics of the Merz Akademie, of which we are justifiably proud – along with the teaching of aesthetic and technical skills. The need to contribute concretely to desired societal changes through action must be balanced with this. Last but not least, the organization of studies must take into account the call for more self-determination of a heterogeneous student body and at the same time guarantee high-quality studies. I would like to sincerely thank the university and the shareholder for the trust they have placed in me and I am looking forward to this task, because I know what the Merz Akademie can achieve.”