The well-known campus personality Gisela Gründl is retiring and leaving the University of Bremen after 27 years of service. Her name is inextricably linked to the Children's University, numerous advanced training courses for teachers, and successful educational formats for high-school students at the interface between the University and society.
More than 200 events
Professor Thomas Hoffmeister, Vice President Academics, spoke in his laudation of the “more than 200 events” that she had coordinated at the University. He praised Gisela Gründl for her excellent work. Through her “precise planning and perfect organization, you could always be sure that everything ran smoothly”. The Vice President pointed out the importance of transfer. “Today we call this the ‘third mission’: Cooperation with the city and society,” said Hoffmeister. In this context, “Gisela Gründl has worked for many years at the University and built up a system of reliable networks.”
Farewell with a drum roll
The event in the Haus der Wissenschaft started with a drum roll. A gift from the Bremen Teachers' Academy, as the renowned mathematics teacher Klaus Lies underlined. “Gisela Gründl was the soul of her first major project in Bremen,” he said, speaking of a training event that took place 23 times. She linked the annual event, which attracted teachers from all over Germany, with wonderful cultural events. Among the contributing partners were the Bremer Shakespeare Company and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. The two timpanists Stefan Rapp and Marcus Linke gave several rhythmic performances, adding almost a concert atmosphere to the farewell celebration.
Gratitude for fulfilled years
Brain researcher Gerhard Roth took the guests through stations in Gisela Gründl’s life with some light-hearted humor. Her education included being a physics lab assistant, studying engineering, and training to be a teacher of mathematics and physics. In 1990 she moved to Bremen from Mainz, where she taught at a comprehensive school. With her transfer to the University began her work on the many successful events for which she was so well-known. “I want to have more time for my family now,” Gisela Gründl told the many guests in the well-filled Hans-Olbers-Saal. She thanked her colleagues for the fulfilled years. But even in retirement, she won’t be all that far away from the University, so much was apparent. On the one hand, she will be on hand to counsel her successor and the University management; on the other hand she will continue supporting Professors Gerhard Roth and Christof Büskens in their projects.
