Alumni-News

The executive board of the alumni association (Alumni der Universität Bremen e.V.) has, with its own appeal, endorsed the joint declaration made by all Bremen academic institutions in the U Bremen Research Alliance (UBRA) and the Landesrektor:innenkonferenz (LRK) in favour of “Demokratie. Vielfalt. Weltoffenheit.” (Democracy. Diversity. Open-Mindedness.). On the initiative of Jutta Günther, university rector, chairwoman of the UBRA and of the LRK, the joint declaration of Bremen's academic institutions was formulated in mid-January and has elicited a large response nationwide, including reports in the ARD and ZDF news programmes and a one-hour talk show on Deutschlandfunk.

Our 18th general meeting on 22 November – yes, it was a routine, obligatory event. But that’s far from the whole story. Because what can be taken for granted about our growing membership over the past several years, now totalling 4,239 members? And what a wonderful routine it is, that every year with over 20,000 euros our association reliably supports alumni work in Uni Bremen faculties, the Deutschlandstipendium and projects like B-Human, the perennial world champions in robot football. For the alumni association it’s been a lively year, which our chairman Dr Tim Nesemann recapped for the 35 or so members who were present. And there was a farewell to announce: the end of a symbol that for many members had become a cherished standard.

After a three-year break from Corona, we can finally invite you to our traditional Alumni Summer Fête. It will take place at a particularly interesting location: the new Ellener Hof Foundation Village. This is one of the most exciting urban development projects in Bremen, developed by our company member, the Bremer Heimstiftung. At their invitation, we want to get together there from 5.30 pm to 10 pm with delicacies from the grill and drinks in a relaxed, summery atmosphere. Participation is limited to 120 people due to the space available. So register soon! The tour is already fully booked.

The alumni association has updated its logo to match the style of the University of Bremen’s official logo. The figurative “U” remains red (as a rule) but now consists of two instead of three lines, and the checkered pattern from the Bremen flag is gone. The university modernised its logo and visual identity about three years ago. The clearer structure is especially helpful for use on social media, where small elements don’t display well on smartphones. In taking the decision to revise our logo, the board stressed that the change is meant to underscore the alumni association’s connection with the university – even if we’re a bit sad to leave behind the “bacon flag” logo.

What was already good last year will be even better this year. Finally, popular in-person events that had to be cancelled in the past couple of years due to the pandemic can happen again, and without restrictions. This includes our always well-attended summer party, which we plan to celebrate this year on 1 September in the Bremer Heimstiftung’s new socio-ecological residential quarter Stadtleben Ellener Hof. In May, we will discuss the EU's Africa policy as part of Europe Weeks, on 24 June you are invited to university’s Open Campus and at the end of September it's off to Berlin again. Here is a snapshot of all you can look forward to.

The alumni association is growing – not rapidly but steadily, with more than 4,000 members now registered. About 45 alumni gathered at the new Fraunhofer Institute MEVIS for a remarkably harmonious general meeting, where they elected a new board and then witnessed a fascinating introduction to the work going on at MEVIS.

Der Alumni-Verein wächst. Im September konnten wir unser 4.000 Mitglied begrüßen: Laura Henke hat von 2010 bis 2016 ihren Master für Soziologie an der Universität Bremen gemacht. In dieser Zeit hat sie auch ein Jahr an dem Dickinson College studiert, der langjährigen Partneruniversität Bremens in den USA. An der Universität Bremen hat Laura Henke studiert, weil sie den Reformgedanken schätzt und damals der Master in Bremen deutschlandweit am stärksten auf Interdisziplinarität ausgerichtet war. „Das hat mir auch für meine heutige berufliche Position im Bildungsprogramm von Google sehr geholfen“, so Laura Henke. Als neue Alumna hofft sie, den Kontakt zur Universität weiter aufrechterhalten zu können. Mehr erfahren Sie in unserem kurzen Interview auf YouTube.

Our office has moved to a new location on the university campus. The bigger and brighter new office is in the Unicom 2 building, right between the Fallturm and Horner Bad. In future, we will share the floor with other organisations including the U Bremen Research Alliance, whose managing director Derk Schönfeld also manages the alumni association's business affairs. The new visitor address is: Mary Sommerville-Str. 2, Oxford House, 28359 Bremen. 

Our annual general assembley will take place on Tuesday, 22nd November 2022, at 5 pm. We are planning to hold the general meeting in the spectacular new building of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS. Following the meeting, a lecture about the institute is planned.

For many years, the Alumni Association has been advertising for new members with a smart flyer at events and when students say goodbye. We have now revised the flyer: All facts are updated and new faces bear witness to how the association is developing. The goal is clear: we want to welcome our 4,000 member as soon as possible.

It was a difficult year due to the pandemic, but nevertheless a successful one, concluded the members present at the alumni association’s general meeting held online on 23 November. Several well-attended online events, a new chapter in India, and an increase in membership add up to a strong record for this year, the University's anniversary, in which our alumni were also more visible in Bremen media.

We are pleased to welcome a new corporate member into our alumni association: the auditing and tax consulting firm RSM. A very warm welcome indeed! Why is RSM coming on board?

"RSM is joining the University of Bremen Alumni Association to expand our already close ties with the university into networks with students, graduates, academic professionals and other supporting members. As one of the leading medium-sized auditing and tax consulting firms in Bremen, we offer internships to students and hire several graduates from the university every year. In future, we will also strive for deeper cooperation in our research and development work."

Holger Genenger (Partner, German Public Auditor, Tax Advisor)

At a 13 July 2021 online meeting, more than a dozen University of Bremen alumni founded the India chapter of our association. The chapter’s first event, planned for 12 November, is an online conference on sustainability, covering issues such as mobility and the use of hydrogen to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The chair of the new chapter is nanoscientist Dr. Amretashis Sengupta, who did postdoctoral research at the Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science (BCCMS). His deputy is Dr. Madhura Panse, who did her master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Bremen. Rounding out the chapter’s leadership is Karthikeyan Sreetharan, an engineer who studied for his master's degree at the University of Bremen.

Since 14 June 2021, Johanna Lodemann has been responsible for supporting the marketing and communication activities of the alumni association. She is a second-semester student of Cultural Studies and Communication and Media Studies at the University of Bremen. In her free time she does sports, reads and helps out at art exhibitions and openings. "With Johanna Lodemann, we’ve gained a committed addition to our team. We welcome her and are looking forward to working together and to many great projects," says alumni association managing director Derk Schönfeld.

"A wonderful time; part of my life; everything I dreamed of..." When it comes to their university, the alumni of the University of Bremen sing its praises. It’s all there to see on our new "alumni wall", which we created to mark the university's 50th anniversary. Around 100 alumni have already posted their profiles on www.meineunibremen.de, where we spent a little time browsing through the anecdotes.

In 2021, our university will be 50 years old. This anniversary year will be marked by numerous activities, including from the alumni association — just different than what we initially intended. Since the Corona situation means we cannot get together in person, we have come up with something special: the University of Bremen digital Alumni Wall. Here you have the opportunity to share information about yourself and your affiliation with the University of Bremen — to publish a personal statement, a photo, even a memory. In the best of company for 50 years: join us! We look forward to receiving your entry and filling in our Alumni Wall.

Since 1 May 2021, Luisa Lauterbach has been working with us as a student employee responsible for the alumni associations’s regional groups and chapters. After graduating from the University of Bremen in September 2019 with a bachelor’s degree, she began a master’s degree in psychology. Outside of her studies and work, she volunteers for the student organisation AIESEC, where she chairs the Bremen local committee in Bremen. “Through Luisa Lauterbach’s work, we are pleased to be able to further support our many committed regional group and chapter members,” said Alumni Managing Director Derk Schönfeld.

The good news reached us just before Christmas. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) will be supporting the work of our association and the University of Bremen with a co-funding of close to 20,000 Euro. ‘Alumni digital’ is the name of the approved concept that is supposed to mainly develop formats for international online events.

Up-to-date news from the University of Bremen and its alumni association in its anniversary year, announcements and background information for our various events, and of course a really large network – we’re offering further options for online participation for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the university

For the first time, we held our general meeting online this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Participation was far above average. In the beginning, a little contest was held about who was joining the meeting from furthest away.

In November, the US presidential election moved people in Germany and around the globe like few others. In the weeks after it, as well as often already during the Donald Trump presidency, many may have had doubts how stable democratic institutions in the US still are. We wanted to know in more detail and spoke to Professor Andrew Wolff, political scientist at Dickinson College, one of the long-term partner universities of the University of Bremen.

“BLG LOGISTICS joins the alumni association of the University of Bremen in order to network with students, graduates, academic professionals, and other supporting members and to present BLG LOGISTICS as an attractive employer as well as a partner for internships or theses in and outside of Bremen. Through this membership, we additionally take on our social responsibility as a large employer in the State of Bremen and support this important educational institution.” Udo Klöpping, Head of HR, BLG LOGISTICS

On June 11, alumni of the University of Bremen met in Munich – online. The openness of the group members was remarkable. The alumni now want to organize a regular’s table and even offer places to sleep.

There has been a second meeting already by our alumni in Brazil. Online of course – there is no other way in this vast territorial state. The Brazil Chapter has ambitious goals and wants to become the largest Bremen alumni network outside of Germany.

It is scheduled for spring: our alumnus Klaus Uhlhorn’s emigration to Cuba. His new center of life will be the port city Cienfuegos, whose university already has a remarkable scientific cooperation with universities in Bremen. Klaus Uhlhorn plans on establishing an Alumni chapter on Cuba.

Taking stock what went well in the past year – and what the prospects are for the future? That is what the association’s well-attended 14^th general meeting at the end of November 2019 was all about. One upcoming event was of particular interest.

Our long-standing board member Christoph Sodemann will coordinate all activities of the alumni association concerning the 50^th anniversary over the next two years.

It is with deep sadness that we have to inform you that our member Norbert ‘Nobby’ Schröder passed away suddenly in November 2019 at the age of 63. Norbert Schröder had led our regional group in Munich for many years.

We are looking for alumni in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. Did you study or work at the University of Bremen and now live in one of the aforementioned countries? The alumni association in cooperation with the International Office is in the process of establishing chapters in Eastern Europe.

We have them all together! With our campaign The University in Search for Its Alumni, our association promotes the encouraging and multifaceted work of the alumni. We would like to thank the numerous participants very much for their commitment and support! Click here to see the result.

A further regional group has recently been established in Stuttgart. Bremen alumni Janina Vogel and Ilhan Harun are organizers of the new group, which met for the first time on April 11.

Alumni of the University of Bremen do not only meet all over Germany but also across the globe. Another alumni group abroad has now been established in Nigeria. Our alumnus Dr. Ignatius Adeh coordinates the new chapter. He studied law at the University of Bremen.

After having been elected in November 2018, the newly-elected board came together for its inaugural board meeting. The course for the upcoming four years had to be set in various areas.

More than ten years ago there was the first attempt to establish a regional group of alumni of the University of Bremen in Munich. Organized by Norbert Schröder, the group met in the Augustinerkeller in the Arnulfstraße. Besides the organizer, Rainer Sanders and Gerald Meyer-Haak were among the first participants. Over time this 'Stammtisch' fell asleep more and more. This year the relaunch of the group took place supported by Alumni Bremen.

The Annual General Meeting 2018 will take place on 15.11.2018at 4 p.m. (registration from 3.30 p.m.) in the Cartesium Building Rotunda (Level 0)  of the University of Bremen. An invitation will be sent to all members by e-mail in October. The Annual General Meeting is only for members of the association, guests are not admitted

There is a lot going on in our regional groups! In Hamburg, the first get-together took place on September 18. Six alumni met to get to know each other and reminisce about their time in Bremen. Similar events are planned in Hannover and Munich.

Alumni groups in Shanghai, Beijing, and Yaoundé as well as Research Ambassadors in Brazil, China, Cameroon, Mexico, Canada, and the USA are no problem at all. However, the German map still shows some ‘vacancies.’ Yet, there are some active groups already that meet locally – with our support – and maintain contact.

Some of you already marveled at our new Alumni mugs at the discussion on inclusion with senator Dr. Claudia Bogedan – everyone else is encouraged to continue reading.

… is something that is frequently seen on campus – but also the alumni of the University of Bremen can now enjoy the new design of our newsletter. Read in a focused manner and browse the wide array of information in our new newsletter – simply according to your personal interest...