On 1 June, a new co-chairing arrangement will come into effect at the Brandenburg State Conference of University Presidents (BLHP). For the period from 1 June 2026 to 31 March 2027, the President of the University of Potsdam, Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D., will now chair the body. The Deputy Chair is Prof. Andreas Wilms, President of the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences. For the period from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028, Professors Günther and Wilms will swap the roles of Chair and Deputy Chair.

Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D.: “Brandenburg’s higher education system benefits from the close and effective cooperation between university leaderships within the BLHP. In the past, it has repeatedly been demonstrated that, by working together, the universities have been able to present strong, unified positions on draft legislation, degree programmes and research activities. The BLHP therefore plays an important political role and will continue to do so in the future. I am therefore delighted to have now taken over the baton from Prof. Dr Gesine Grande of the BTU Cottbus and Prof. Dr Matthias Barth of the HNE Eberswalde. As BLHP chairs, both have done outstanding work for the higher education institutions in Brandenburg in the past.”

Prof. Dr Andreas Wilms: “Due to its size and diversity, Brandenburg’s higher education and research system enjoys excellent conditions for being agile and innovative. These conditions should continue to be utilised to develop research in Brandenburg as successfully as in recent years. Close cooperation within the BLHP creates the ideal conditions for this. One of the aims of the BLHP’s work is to provide important impetus on relevant topics, such as shaping the digital transformation and the responsible use of artificial intelligence.”

Minister for Science Dr Manja Schüle: “I would like to congratulate Oliver Günther and Andreas Wilms on taking over the chairmanship of the Brandenburg State Conference of University Presidents! And I am already looking forward to working with them. After all, there is no shortage of current challenges – whether it concerns the resilience of the research system, the state research strategy, the amendment to the Higher Education Act or the new higher education development plan. Despite all our differences: the recent joint workshop on anti-Semitism has once again demonstrated that there is close and trusting cooperation between my Ministry and the BLHP. This is not something to be taken for granted. I would like to express my sincere thanks for this, including to the previous BLHP chairs, Matthias Barth and Gesine Grande.”

The Brandenburg State Conference of University Presidents (BLHP) is an association of the eleven state universities in the state of Brandenburg. It promotes cooperation between the universities in the fields of education and research and addresses overarching higher education policy issues.
www.blhp.de
 

The BLHP comprises:

  • Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
  • Viadrina European University, Frankfurt (Oder)
  • University of Potsdam
  • Konrad Wolf Film University Babelsberg
  • Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences
  • Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development
  • Potsdam University of Applied Sciences
  • Wildau University of Applied Sciences
  • Brandenburg State Police University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Applied Sciences for Finance
  • Lausitz Medical University – Carl Thiem