Achim Förster
Image: Stefan Bausewein

50 Years 50 Faces

Prof. Dr. jur. Achim Förster

Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
Vice President for Academic Affairs

Working at FHWS since September 2015

For me, FHWS is ...
a place where I get to meet committed young people every day.

What do you appreciate about FHWS?

FHWS unites an incredible variety of disciplines under its roof. It has strong regional roots with an international focus at the same time, and also offers a variety of interdisciplinary opportunities and perspectives. I can’t imagine a better environment for my professional work and can well understand why FHWS is so attractive to young people.

What was the best decision in your professional career and why? What has changed since then?

Prior to my appointment as a professor, I worked as a public prosecutor and judge in the Bavarian judiciary and already regularly performed teaching duties during this time – e.g. training law clerks, as a lecturer at the University of Bamberg or as part of the specialist solicitor training. It was during this time that, despite really enjoying what I was doing at that time, I realised that my true calling lay outside the courtroom and in teaching. When I moved to the higher education institution, I turned my hobby into my profession, so to speak. This was certainly one of the best decisions of my professional career because I can now discuss challenging professional issues with committed young people on a daily basis.

What do you think has shaped FHWS the most over the last 50 years?

FHWS has been shaped above all by strong international networking, especially in recent years. With the i-Campus and the development and expansion of the international study programmes, the university is pursuing a clear and forward-looking strategy that has now encompassed all study areas and has noticeably and sustainably changed FHWS.

What is your vision of the future for FHWS? What might FHWS look like in 50 years’ time?

Bavaria’s Hightech Agenda and the pending higher education reform will give FHWS another major boost in development over the next few years. My vision for the future of the higher education institution is that FHWS will make full use of this potential and face the challenges ahead with even greater vigour in the future. The fact that the higher education institution has a very broad range of disciplines will prove to be a great advantage. I am certain that in 50 years FHWS will have an interdisciplinary, research-focused, innovative and international range of study programmes that is second to none.

What is your insider tip for the cities of Würzburg or Schweinfurt and why?

As a Würzburg native, I love walking through the Franconian vineyards with my family, especially in late summer and early autumn during the grape harvest. My insider tip is to make a detour to the Machikuliturm on such a hike, which can be reached via the hiking trail on the Innere Leiste. The tower is also open to visitors on a few days a year and has a casemate that leads up to the Marienberg Fortress. The Fürstengarten of the fortress is not far away from there, where probably the best view over Würzburg can be enjoyed.