The key to success: IUB receives award for its educational concept

On September 11, 2006, IUB received an award as one of four winning universities in the national “Key Qualifications plus” competition; sponsored by the Mercator Foundation and the Donors’ Association for Promotion of Science and Humanities in Germany. The award, which is endowed with 100,000 Euros, acknowledged IUB’s outstanding concept of providing students with personal and professional skills beyond academic competence. A total of 94 applicants had participated in the competition.

[ Sep 12, 2006]  “We are very proud that IUB’s profile convinced the jury from such a wide range of applicants, especially as we are a relatively young institution of higher education”, Joachim Treusch, IUB President, commented on the competition’s results.

Besides giving students an excellent academic education, it is becoming increasingly important for universities to prepare their graduates for the growing challenges of the globalized job market by helping them develop additional personal skills. The competition “Key Qualifications plus”, which awarded a total of 450,000 Euros, aimed at identifying and advancing “best practice models” of study programs and educational concepts that actually reach this goal. In addition to IUB, the Ruhr University Bochum, the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich, the University Witten/Herdecke, and the initiative “femtec - University Career Center for Women, Berlin” received awards.

The prizes were awarded during a symposium organized by the Association and the Mercator Foundation that takes place until September 12 in Essen. Here, Experts from both Science and Economy discuss different concepts for providing key qualifications in higher education.