History
November 2010: Opening of the Institute for Detection Technologies
The Institute for Detection Technologies opened on the Rheinbach campus, enriched by a foundation professorship for cooperation partner EADS. In the next few years, new methods of detection research will be developed under the management of Professor Dr Gerhard Holl.
November 2010: University Development Plan (Hochschulentwicklungsplan, HEP)
In mid-November, the University Council passed a resolution on our University's objectives, which were presented by the Office of the President and are to be achieved by 2015. Among other things, these objectives determine our University's strategic orientation in the areas of internationalisation, research, tuition and finance. (University Development Plan - Hochschulentwicklungsplan, 2010 - 2015)
October 2010: Graduate becomes Wine Queen
Mandy Großgarten was not only the best graduate of the year in the study programme "Chemistry with Materials Science", but she was also the German Wine Queen. In addition, the 22-year-old graduate was awarded a prize from the University's Fund-Raising Association (Fördergesellschaft) for her thesis and was granted a scholarship by the German Cusanuswerk. She also intends to complete a Master's degree course.
October 2010: Research focuses
"Security research" and "Visual Computing" will be at the centre of our University's applied research activities in the future. In a special meeting, the Office of the President defined these topics as our University's research focuses. Our University thus intends to reinforce its research profile, using financial means of just under four million Euros over the next five years.
October 2010: Head of the new International Office
Dr Roland Weiß changed to our University in his capacity as Head of the International Office. This was an important step towards implementing our University's internationalisation strategy.
May 2010: Fund-raiser employed
In May 2010, our University employed Fidegnon Adeossi as a fund-raiser. In her new staff position "Fund-Raising and Funding Opportunities", she is, among other things, responsible for finding new ways of funding research projects - with the aim of supplementing our declining financial means from public sources.
March 2010: Professor Klaus W. ter Horst retires
He became a member of our University in its founding year 1995 as Founding Dean of the Sankt Augustin Department of Business Administration. Since then, he managed the Department - later in his capacity as elected Dean.
Spring 2010: Two new Master's degree programmes in Business Administration
The Department of Business Administration introduced two new part-time Master's degree programmes to be completed alongside work - Innovation and Information Management as well as Controlling and Management.
January 2010: Two new establishments
The Graduates' Institute and the International Centre for Sustainable Development (Internationales Zentrum für Nachhaltige Entwicklung, IZNE) were formally established. They serve to bring together the corresponding cross-departmental initiatives.
Winter 2009/2010: The Study Fund Foundation (Studienbeitragsstiftung) is established
By consent with the students, part of the tuition fees were used as a deposit for the new foundation. Among other things, the purpose of the Foundation is to grant scholarships.
Winter 2009: Anniversary of the University and District Library (HuKB)
The Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University and District Library has existed for ten years since the former university library merged with the non-fiction library of the Bonn-Rhine-Sieg District. The merger has become a role model for success.
Autumn 2009: Our University becomes a partner in the Bonn Sustainability Portal
The Bonn Sustainability Portal was introduced as an information exchange for Sustainable Development. Needless to say, our University was one of the founding members alongside several other institutions.
Autumn 2009: Two new international Master's degree courses are introduced
The degree course in NGO Management was introduced, which had already aroused lively interest during the planning stages. This is not surprising as no other region is home to as many non-governmental organisations as Bonn.
The second new Master's degree course is International Media Studies; alongside the University of Applied Sciences, its partners include the German broadcasting station "Deutsche Welle" and Bonn University.
Summer 2009: b-it-bots become world champions
Johnny the Robot showed his strong competitiors who was the boss in the RoboCup@Home-league. He was able to adapt himself to new surroundings, to fetch a drink from the dining room and serve it to a guest. In doing so, he recognised his counterpart's mood and responded to it accordingly.
Summer 2009: Founding of a joint institute with the Aachen University of Applied Sciences
The idea of a joint institute emerged from the joint competence platform "Polymeric Materials". In June a contract was signed to establish the "Institute for Applied Polymeric Sciences" as well as the joint Master's degree course in "Applied Polymeric Sciences".
Spring 2009: The Office of the President is complete
Alongside the President (Prof. Dr. Hartmut Ihne), there are Vice-Presidents for Research and Transfer (Prof. Dr. Volker Sommer), Internationalisation and International Cooperation (Prof. Dr. Wiltrud Terlau), Tuition, Education and Further Education (Prof. Dr. Manfred Kaul) as well as Innovation and New Financial Instruments (Prof. Dr. Reiner Clement); Hans Stender is the Chief Administrative Officer.
Winter 2008: The Senate decides to change our University's name
On 18 December 2008, the Senate of the University of Applied Sciences passed the decision to change our University's name from "Fachhochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg" into "Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg" - with only one dissenting vote.
Autumn 2007: The shift to Bachelor's degree courses and Master's degree courses is completed
In the 2007/2008 winter semester, the first students enrolled for a Bachelor's degree course at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Technical Journalism. In other words, the shift from the German Diplom (FH) to the American/British Bachelor's and Master's degree course system was completed throughout the entire University.
Summer 2007: The University Council commences operations
At the end of August 2007, the Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences was the first university of applied sciences in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia to have a university council. Its members were officially appointed by Andreas Pinkwart, then North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Science and Research; afterwards they convened in the Constituting Assembly. At this Assembly, Professor Dr. Rupert Gerzer, Manager of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Cologne, was elected Chairman of the University Council. The Chairman appointed the future President/Vice-Chancellor of the Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, who was to act as its supervisor at the same time. The University Council is convened at least four times a year. The President/Vice-Chancellor reports to the University Council on a quarterly basis - among other things, on the University Development Plan and the Business Plan.
Winter 2007: The Third Agreement on Objectives is signed
The German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences signed a new Agreement on Objectives for the period until 31 December 2010. This Agreement focuses on measures to ensure student achievement and to further the students' entrepreneurial skills. The University of Applied Sciences aimed to promote its image as an "entrepreneurial university" by supporting company foundations by students and graduates. In addition, it made efforts to provide interdisciplinary courses at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (IfIS), which was founded for this purpose. Furthermore, the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Science and Research and the University of Applied Sciences jointly decided to carry out an analysis of the impact the agreed measures had on the University's success and profiling. The University of Applied Sciences was to position itself as a "university with a high-quality, individual student advisory service". Furthermore, there were plans to institutionalise the Alumni Club and to obtain a certification as a "Family-Friendly University" from the Hertie Foundation (Hertie Stiftung gGmbH).
Spring 2007: The Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences is awarded the basic certification as a "Family-Friendly University"
The Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences has taken numerous measures to support family-friendly work and study conditions for its students and employees. This is why it was awarded the basic certification "Family-Friendly University Audit" on 26 March 2007.
Autumn 2005: The University of Applied Sciences celebrates its 10th Anniversary
Even though the Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences was founded as early as on 1 January 1995, the University did not commence operations until October of the same year, when tuition officially started with 30 students each on the campuses in Sankt Augustin and Rheinbach. In other words, this was the right time to celebrate the University's tenth Anniversary, to look back on the past, but above all, to look ahead.
June 2005
During our University's first summer festival with a large football tournament, our University's band TheBIGlive, which was still called "Aktionstheke" at that time, got the party going. The musicians had met on the initiative of the Founding President - with a view to the forthcoming festival.
Spring 2005: We move into the annex buildings
We moved into the new annex buildings on the Sankt Augustin and Rheinbach campuses. Alongside the Presidency/Vice-Chancellorship (Rektorat), the Administration and the Department of Business Administration, the Business Campus GmbH moved into the building in Sankt Augustin. The laboratories of the Department of Applied Natural Sciences are mainly housed in the Rheinbach building.
Spring 2005: The Second Agreement on Objectives is signed
The renewal of the First Agreement on Objectives, which had been negotiatied between the Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Research of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia three years earlier, confirmed that the University was pursuing the right course and thus shaping its own profile. Moreover, the agreement with North Rhine-Westphalia provided a framework for further development. For instance, the University of Applied Sciences was about to apply for new research focuses and competence platforms as well as activities to recruit new applicants. It was also on the point of internationalising the degree courses, above all at Rheinbach.
Autumn 2004: For the first time, the number of students exceeds 4,000
The University of Applied Sciences had reached its original goal of attaining the number of 2,500 registered students for a long time. Having more than 4,000 students in the winter semester 2004/2005, the University of Applied Sciences then made the breakthrough. It owed this steady increase to the continuous interest in the subjects Business Administration, Computer Science and to the degree course in Business Information Technology, which was introduced in 2003.
Autum 2004: The Business Campus Rhein-Sieg GmbH is founded
To support young enterprises that come onto the market with new ideas or technical innovation, the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, the Rhein-Sieg District (RSK) and the District Savings Bank of Cologne (Kreissparkasse Köln - KSK) joined together to form the Business Campus Rhein-Sieg GmbH. This joint venture furthers the foundation and development of new enterprises in the vicinity of the University of Applied Sciences. The two Centres for Company Founders (Existenzgründerzentren) at Sankt Augustin and Rheinbach are part of the Business Campus.
Summer 2003: A third campus
Hennef was added as a third campus. The University of Applied Sciences set up its study programme in Social Security Management in conjunction with the General League of Employers' Liability Insurance Associations (Hauptverband der gewerblichen Berufsgenossenschaften).
Autumn 2002: Founding of the Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology (B-IT)
The Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology (B-IT) was founded, using the scientific facilities of the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.
Spring 2000: A new name
Our name changed to "Fachhochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg" (i.e. "Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences").
Autumn / winter 1999: The new buildings are ready
The University of Applied Sciences moved into its new buildings on both campuses.
From winter 1996: New degree courses
1996: Applied Computer Science course starts at Sankt Augustin
1997: Chemistry starts at Rheinbach, Electrical Engineering at Sankt Augustin
1998: Materials Science starts at Rheinbach; Mechanical Engineering begins at Sankt Augustin
1999: Technical Journalism starts at Sankt Augustin
2000: Biology starts at Rheinbach
2001: Start of the shift from the traditional German Diplom system to the American/British Bachelor's degree system; introduction of the first Master's degree in Computer Science
2003: Social Security Management is introduced
Winter 1995: Teaching starts
At the beginning, the University was anchored in two towns on the left and right banks of the Rhine: Sankt Augustin and Rheinbach. Teaching started on the Sankt Augustin campus straight away, finding a temporary home in the Technopark of the GDM German National Center for Information Technology. The Rheinbach section was temporarily housed in a building in the town park. New buildings for the University of Applied Sciences were still at the planning stages on both campuses. Teaching began at both Rheinbach and Sankt Augustin with one degree course each in Business Administration.
January 1995: Founding of the University of Applied Sciences
After the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990, Berlin was chosen as capital of the new, united Germany. Thus Bonn lost its status as capital of the former West Germany and most government offices moved to Berlin. In 1994 an agreement was reached to compensate Bonn in various ways for this loss of status and income.
As an integral part of this agreement, the University of Applied Sciences was founded under the name "Fachhochschule Rhein-Sieg" by the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia on 1 January 1995. Its mission was to advance structural change in the region; to provide new educational opportunities; to make a contribution to the further structural development of the economic area through practical projects and co-operation with industry.
