50 Years 50 Faces
Prof. Dr. Jochen Seufert
Dean, Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences and Humanities, subject areas: Physics and Applied Computer Science
At FHWS since 1 October 2010
For me, FHWS is ...
a place where many creative minds come together, innovative ideas arise in a modern research environment and students receive a first-class education.
What do you appreciate about FHWS?
When teaching in the various engineering degree programmes, I appreciate the curiosity and interest that (almost) all of the students show. Learning and teaching at FHWS is simply fun with a friendly atmosphere and with the excellent technical facilities in our lecture rooms and laboratories. As the Dean, I particularly appreciate the collegial cooperation between the faculties in the extended university management. This excellent collaboration is the basis for joint development of long-term strategies, in the fields of research and teaching, for example.
What was the best decision in your professional career and why? What has changed since then?
At the start of my career, I was faced with the choice of taking a job with a large corporation or getting involved with the development of a new start-up company. In a nutshell: it was the choice between a regular 40-hour job and a 60+ hour week. I have never regretted choosing the “60+” option because, as an employee in a very new company, I was able to gain experience in all internal divisions at the same time over a long development period, starting from research and technology development through production planning, quality assurance and customer support to project and personnel management. I learned a lot more there than would have been possible in a small division of a large corporation. Today, the former start-up has become an international company and a global player on the world market in the field of laser technology and it is fulfilling to pass on the insights (into more than just engineering) to the students at FHWS.
What do you think has shaped FHWS the most over the last 50 years?
Of the particularly striking changes which have shaped FHWS, probably the foremost is the internationalisation of our higher education institution: the impression of the audience in the lecture rooms has become significantly more diverse, more colourful and also livelier.
Alongside this, the constantly growing number of project collaborations with industry is an impression of the self-image of FHWS, which I like a lot and from which everyone – industry partners, professors and students – ultimately benefits.
What is your vision of the future for FHWS? What might FHWS look like in 50 years’ time?
An aspiration would be to expand research activities and collaboration with industry at FHWS even further. FHWS is already very well equipped for the future here: we have gained a gratifying number of research professorships within the context of the Bavarian Hightech Agenda, who will spark a "research turbo".
My vision for the future of FHWS in 50 years: a strong higher education institution which has many interdisciplinary competence centres, offers our students an excellent education and – even more so than today – is available to the regional economy as a contact partner and for joint projects in all matters relating to innovative technologies, as well as in the societal, social and economic fields.
What is your insider tip for the cities of Würzburg or Schweinfurt and why?
The lake scenery around Schweinfurt is fantastic. From Schwebheimer See through to Grafenrheinfelder Badesee swimming lake, there is something here for everyone, including families with children. In the summer, you can often find us somewhere in this Schweinfurt “Tuscany” area on the weekends.
The “Schweinfurt urban beach” at Maxbrücke where you can enjoy the pleasant beach atmosphere with your evening beer is another insider tip for summer evenings.