University of Göttingen: President Tolan's deselection ensures turmoil!

University of Göttingen: President Tolan's deselection ensures turmoil!

In Lower Saxony, turbulent developments are currently emerging at the Georg August University in Göttingen. The Minister of Science Falko Mohrs (SPD) regretted the decision of the Senate to vote for President Metin Tolan. "I didn't want this escalation," said the minister. His hope is that the interests of the university are now being placed on personal sensitivities and selfishes. For Mohrs it is clear: it is about putting the well -being of the university in the foreground.

The Senate voted on Wednesday with eleven to two votes for the deselection of Tolan, who has been in office since 2021. The next step is now at the University of the Foundation Committee, which still has to give his consent to this decision. The Senate will then develop suggestions for interim management. However, if there is no agreement between the committees, the Senate could vote again and ultimately decide on the deselection itself. The date for the meeting of the foundation committee has not yet been determined. With over 26,000 students, the Göttingen University is one of the largest universities in Lower Saxony.

Important course

Minister Mohrs justified his assessment that Tolan had made important course for the institution. Tolan was originally appointed president to lead the university into a successful future. The regular term of office of a university president is six years, and the latest developments could apparently question these ambitions. Mohrs emphasized that the possibility of appointing a president from the country past the Senate is at best a "Ultima Ratio", the situation should continue to be.

The rumors about a possible deselection did not come out of nowhere. An internal paper from voting members of the Senate, dated to the end of August, found, among other things, that the university was unable to successfully submit funding applications in the Excellence Initiative in February. This was considered a decisive factor for Tolan's deselection. Nevertheless, a large part of the professors stood behind the previous presidents, which shows that opinions about his performance are split.

The Senate admitted that the extreme savings constraints Tolans act have been severely restricted. Nevertheless, he saw the deselection as the best solution in order to enable the university to realize the structural realignment soon. The Vice President received the trust of the Senate, which indicates a possible stability of the management structure.

The case has the potential to have far -reaching consequences for the Göttingen University. The current events raise questions about the future management and the strategic orientation of the institution. The coming weeks will be decisive for how the university's governance will develop and where the way for the university is going.