Mourning loss of founding president Fritz Schaumann

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March 7, 2017

Jacobs University is mourning its founding president Dr. Fritz Schaumann, who passed away on Friday at the age of 70. Professor Katja Windt, president of Jacobs University, honored Schaumann as a man whose great commitment set the university on its way.

“With power, passion, and farsightedness, he was a decisive force since 1999 in the founding and the academic development of our university. Our university is much obliged to him and will always honor his memory,” Windt stated. “And we extend our condolences to his family.”

Fritz Schaumann took up his post as founding president of the then International University Bremen (IUB) in February 1999 following his appointment as managing director by the IUB planning committee at the end of 1998. After his presidency, he led the arts foundation “Kunststiftung NRW” until 2011.

Before his time in Bremen, he served from 1988 to 1998 as State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and in this function represented the Federal Government in numerous national and international commissions.

Dr. Schaumann, whose academic background was educational and organizational psychology, was active from 1972 to 1985 as a researcher and later as director of studies in the College of Education at the University of Dortmund. Beginning in 1985, he served for three years as a member of the state parliament in North Rhine−Westphalia and as parliamentary chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

 

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