City of Paderborn congratulates on anniversary
"Celebrating the future" - under this motto, Paderborn University celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022. On Friday, September 26, the city of Paderborn invited representatives from culture, business, sports, administration and the university to the anniversary reception in the city hall to celebrate this milestone birthday together with a ceremony.
Mayor Michael Dreier and university president Prof. Dr. Birgitt Riegraf looked back on half a century of joint history between the city and the university. Since the founding year of the university, 1972, both the number of students and the population of Paderborn have grown enormously: While the comprehensive university was originally intended for 2,500 students, there are now nearly 20,000 students at Paderborn University. At the same time, the number of Paderborn citizens has also increased by several thousand. Dreier emphasized how much the young people are shaping the cityscape today and that he is happy to be the mayor of a university town.
During a roundtable discussion moderated by Sinah Donhauser, a journalist and graduate of Paderborn University, they also looked ahead. Riegraf pointed to numerous future-oriented projects with which the university intends to continue writing its success story in the coming years. As a sustainable, research-strong and cosmopolitan institution, the university wants to promote numerous national and international cooperations, e.g. with other universities and business partners, and contribute to strengthening regional development.
The „Akzelerator.OWL“ shows, among other things, how closely the university is networked in the region and with the city: The modern project, which the city and the university are currently realizing together, is intended to create a new home for the start-up scene in Eastern Westphalia-Lippe in the „Zukunftsquartier“.
To mark the university's 50th birthday, the city plans to plant a tree on the campus in the fall. Symbolically, the mayor presented a tree slice to the university president during the ceremony. Riegraf was also given a special honor on the occasion of the anniversary: she signed the Golden Book of the City of Paderborn on behalf of the university.
Entertainment during the reception was provided by singer Nadine Dubberke, also known as "nadu," and poetry slammer Sarah Lau, both of whom have ties to the university through their studies. After the official part, DJ Sir Benny Styles brought the festive evening to a close in a convivial atmosphere.
