| University of Konstanz | |
|---|---|
| Universität Konstanz | |
| Established | 1966 |
| Type | Public |
| Chancellor | Jens Apitz |
| Rector | Prof. Dr. Ulrich Rüdiger |
| Students | more than 10,000 |
| Location | Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Affiliations | German Excellence Universities, EUA |
| Website | http://www.uni-konstanz.de/ |
The University of Konstanz (German: Universität Konstanz) is a university in the city of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was founded in 1966, and the main campus on the Gießberg was opened in 1972. As one of nine German Excellence Universities today University of Konstanz is counted among Germany's most prestigious institutions of higher learning and has a strong reputation as a research institution. The University is consistently ranking among the top 200 Universities in the world according to Times Higher Education World University Rankings (194th, as of 2011).
Recently awarded as part of the German Excellence Initiative, the University of Konstanz offers a superb combination of learning and lifestyle opportunities. Over 10,000 students from close to 100 countries are enrolled at the university, while over 130 links to European partner universities and numerous exchange programmes facilitate global networking. All in all students can choose from more than 100 degree programs. It is particularly well known for its political science and law departments as well as for its mathematics, computer science, biology and psychology programmes. The sports programme at Konstanz University is among the best nationwide. Moreover, Konstanz University cooperates with a large number of foreign universities such as Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, the University of British Columbia, University College Cork, and the University of Zurich. Its award winning library is open 24 hours a day and boasts more than two million books.
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In 1965 the founding committee of the university developed the concept of a reform university with new forms of study and teaching, a central administration and central facilities for technology, computers and language training. New forms of self-administration replaced traditional university structures. In 1966 the university began its work in a wing of today's Inselhotel, formerly a Dominican monastery. Professor David Daube, Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford, gave the inaugural lectures.
The beginning was makeshift - in the middle of Sonnenbühl on the edge of the town quarter Petershausen on the right side of the Rhine, with only a handful of professors and a few dozen students. Starting in 1967, today's campus was developed through individual construction projects on the hill known as the Gießberg. Until today, the university has continued to be structurally altered and expanded. In 2007 the University joined the national Exzellenzinitiative competition and succeeded in becoming Germany's smallest and youngest University of Excellence.[1]
The campus is located on the Gießberg, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the center of the city. It is easily accessible by foot, bike, and through the public bus system of the city. Lake Constance, one of Germany’s most popular watersports locations, is right on the doorstep, and the university has its own beach. Winter and alpine sports fans will find perfect conditions in the neighboring Alps. The town’s cultural offerings range from the open-air “Rock am See” festival to the legendary “Seenachtsfest” and the regional carnival (“Fasnet”). In addition, the Swiss metropolis of Zurich is just an hour away. The Lake Constance region is one of Europe’s most innovative IT locations.
The university was planned as a place of life and learning, in which the new forms of research and teaching should be reflected in the architectural style. Dense construction, short paths, the absence of large auditoriums in exchange for a large number of seminar rooms, as well as the variety of work, traffic, and quiet areas, are all part of the architectural concept. In addition, there was the idea of creating lasting "Kunst am Bau" (structural art) accents, so that the building of a desolate concrete landscape could be avoided in an effective manner.
These are the 3 faculties into which the university is divided:
As of 2011 the university is ranked 194th in the world (11th in Germany) by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. As of 2007, the university has been designated as an elite German "University of Excellence".
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