Did everything really used to be better? - Studying in Hohenheim 30 years ago

Panel discussion with alumnae and alumni of the University of Hohenheim

Diplom or Bachelor’s and Master’s, age of graduates, lecture style, housing situation, student involvement - Five former Hohenheim students reminisced with many other guests at the panel discussion “Everything Used to be Better!?” on 6 July 2018.

Alumni Manager Tatjana Junge welcomed around 60 audience members at the alumni highlight during the Anniversary Festive Week in July. The panel was put together jointly by the Alumni Network and Faculties.

What has changed in the last 30 years? - presentation by Prof. Fellmeth

Prof. Fellmeth, Director of the University Archives, talked about the changes in university and student life during the last 30 years. His comparison made clear that many things have fundamentally changed at the University of Hohenheim since the 1980s and 1990s. The number of students has almost doubled since then to 10,000 students today. The growth at the University formerly dominated by Agricultural Sciences came especially in the areas of Business, Economics and Social Sciences. At the same time, the proportion of female students has been steady increasing, and since 2001 they have even made up a clear majority.

The switch from Diplom to Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs represented another major change which started in 2000 and took almost a decade to fully implement. Another difference is the exponential increase in the number of degree programs offered since 1985. The Euro-Forum, Verfügungsgebäude, Otto-Rettenmaier-Audimax, new student residence halls: Prof. Fellmeth showed the former Hohenheim students that a great deal has changed in the campus’s buildings since they studied here.

At the end, he regretfully noted that campus life has been significantly reduced by the fact that a majority of students commute. “Many things were different before, things were smaller, even family-like, but they were also somewhat more restrictive.” Whether that was truly better was something the historian asked the panel guests to comment on, leading into the discussion.

Did everything really used to be better? 5 alumnae and alumni talked about their memories

The discussion was moderated by the in-house expert Prof. Dr. Jens Vogelgesang, Department Director at the Institute of Communication Science. He greeted the five panel participants (from left to right).

Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin Haase, studied Biology in the 1980s
Today: Institute Director at the Institute of Natural Sciences at the Pedagogical University in Schwäbisch Gmünd
Martin Ries, studied Agricultural Sciences from 1989 to 1995
Today: Head of the Ecological Agriculture Unit in the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Rural Affairs, Food and Consumer Protection
Nicole Ackermann, studied Business Administration and Economics in the mid-1990s
Today: Managing Partner of the Mouna GmbH Film & Media Studios
Dr. Ulrich Dahm, studied Agricultural Sciences in the 1990s
Today: Managing Director of the Sales Group South at Waren-Zentrale Rhein-Main eG
Stephanie Fleischmann, studied Business Administration and Economics in the 1990s
Today: Director Strategy and International Relations Division at the Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH

In the following there are excerpts from the discussion, which lasted a total of about an hour.

Leistungsdruck früher und heute?

Prof. Vogelgesang: A quick pace and pressure to perform characterize student life today: A shortened Abitur ending when you’re 17, three years for a Bachelor’s, then a Master’s, and written exams throughout your entire program. You graduate when you’re 23 or 24. That was definitely different before. Is it even possible to speak of a lost world that students today can no longer even imagine?

Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin Haase: I took 12 semesters to finish, and that was relatively fast. What bothered me was that I had almost no Biology in my basic study period and the content was limited to mathematics, statistics, and physics. I remember incomprehensible, 12-meter-long formulas on the blackboard. I was only able to prepare well for the exams with the help of a tutorial led by a student assistant. What we lacked was preparation that was focused on professional life.

Martin Ries: I also wondered when my studies would really get started. I didn’t realize that the basic study period mostly consisted of a lot of basic subjects. Then in the advanced study period we got rolling. I really didn’t care about the difference between a full university and a university of applied sciences. Today I’m glad that I did a degree at a university because I wouldn’t be able to have the position I have today if I hadn’t studied at a university.

Dr. Ulrich Dahm: For me it was important to do as much as possible during my time at university before “real life” started. The plan was for me to take over a farm. The Catholic German students' association Carolinga, in which I was and still am a member, was a great help to me. The tips my fraternity brothers gave me helped a lot, and that was very beneficial to my studies and increased my efficiency.

Favorite professor?

When asked about their favorite professor, all participants were able to spontaneously name one or more favorites.

In summary, the lecturers named were characterized by social and subject-area competence, and they held interesting lectures that included a lot of examples and used experiments either to loosen things up or to make the theory more tangible. Even then, use of media was an important method to make it easier for students to understand the content: “Back then it was a slide, and today it’s a projector,” said Prof. Haase, who directs an institute himself today. None of the panel participants was able to remember a female lecturer. Prof. Vogelgesang concluded this part with the statement: “Thankfully, a lot has changed in that regard in the meantime.”

Campus-Leben?

Living at home, commuting, or close to campus?

Even then, commuting was a possibility (“for love every day from Pforzheim”) or students travelled from their parents’ house to the university so they could still by pampered by their parents. The panelists didn’t see much change on this point between then and now.

How were the TMS parties back then?

The importance of the TMS parties varied among the panelists. The fact is: None of the participants fit the cliché of having met their current partner at a TMS party.
Stephanie Fleischmann: The best TMS party was the “Hüttenzauber” before Christmas that a lot of people attended. Today it probably wouldn’t get approved. And of course we can’t forget the Mr. Macs-Party team parties that were interesting for me especially at the start of my studies.

Beteiligung im Bereich der Hochschulpolitik?

Martin Ries: In a student initiative, we put pressure on the University Management and got the specialization organic agriculture started. In the final year, it even resulted in a center of organic agriculture here in Hohenheim.
Stephanie Fleischmann: I was active in the Marketing Forum Hohenheim, so not directly in university politics. During my time as a research associate, in which I was already a member of the ALUMNI HOHENHEIM e.V board, I started the graduate ceremonies together with Fachschaft representatives. These ceremonies still take place today, although the format has changed somewhat. I’m kind of proud of that.

Mal andersherum gefragt: Was hat sich zum Besseren entwickelt?

Stephanie Fleischmann: Everything you did in your studies was irrelevant for your final grade. Back then, only the five written and five oral Diplom exams at the end of your studies counted for your final grade. Fellow students who had exam anxiety had to hope that their Diplom thesis was good enough to make up for it. Many people would have been happy to have today’s system. Everything that you do during your advanced study period counts, although that does lead to more pressure to perform during your studies.
Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin Haase: I think it really depends on the person. I was able to concentrate on the “dependable” final exams and had a lot more freedom during my studies.
Nicole Ackermann: You couldn’t do anything with an intermediate examination (Vordiplom). That is why I think the Bachelor’s degree is better. If you stopped after the intermediate examination, then you still would have been considered a drop-out. The switch to Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs also adds a lot of flexibility, especially in our globalized world.
Martin Ries: Back then, after our degree we were just thrown into the deep end. I picked up my degree certificate from the Examinations Office. “Congratulations. You are no longer enrolled,” just a pure administrative act. Then I didn’t have any more contact with the University. That is why I really value the alumni work. It’s an important foundation for networks.
Dr. Ulrich Dahm: We might have had more time to reflect on what we had read and to have our own experiences back then. That was also helpful for building up networks and living them. With today’s tight windows, there is not much room for reflection - both because of a lack of time and a lack of opportunities.
Stephanie Fleischmann: I have a lot of interns, including a lot of very young Bachelor’s graduates, who are only 21 years old, but they can reflect very well and have a confident attitude. I wouldn’t have been able to do that at that age - I had just finished my intermediate examination. But there are also graduates at that age who need a lot of instruction.