Julia von Blumenthal, Photo: Philipp Plum / HU

On 15th February 2022, Prof. Dr Julia von Blumenthal was elected the new president of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in the first ballot. Out of the 58 votes cast, she received 44 votes in favour and 12 votes against. Two votes were invalid. Julia von Blumenthal thus becomes the third woman to lead Berlin's oldest university, after Marlies Dürkop-Leptihn (1992 to 1996) and Sabine Kunst (2016 to 2021). 

Prof. Dr Julia von Blumenthal: 

“I would like to thank the Academic Council and the Board of Governors of the Humboldt-Universität for the trust they have placed in me. I look forward to taking on this task of great responsibility. As a university, it is our job to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need in order to help shape the society of the future. With excellent research, we contribute to answering the challenges of today and the questions of tomorrow. We do this in close cooperation with our partners in the Berlin University Alliance. We are open-minded and a place for free speech on the foundation of the constitution. Creating good general conditions for all members of the HU and advancing the university on its path to climate neutrality will be important tasks during my term of office. I look forward to collaborating with people at all levels in Berlin and Brandenburg and, of course, with our international partners from Melbourne and Singapore to Vienna, Zurich, Oxford, Princeton and São Paulo.”

Dr Maren Huberty, chair of the Academic Council: 

“I congratulate Ms von Blumenthal on her election. The vote of the Academic Council is clear. We wish the elected president every success in leading our university and look forward to working together in the interests of our university.” 

Edelgard Bulmahn, chair of the Board of Governors of the Humboldt-Universität:

“Ms von Blumenthal is ideally suited to successfully steering the Humboldt-Universität through the upcoming challenges in the years ahead. She pursues clearly set goals and ambitious projects. For this reason, she already convinced the Board of Governors during the identification phase. Today, the Academic Council confirmed that it, too, has this trust in her. I look forward to working with Ms von Blumenthal and am certain that she will achieve visible success for the Humboldt-Universität during her tenure.”

Prof. Dr Peter Frensch, acting president of the Humboldt-Universität:

“I would like to thank the Academic Council for the clear vote in favour of Ms von Blumenthal as the next president of the Humboldt-Universität. When she assumes office, I will be able to place official duties in the professional hands of a strong leader. I am very pleased about that. Until then, I will continue to pave the way and further advance the projects of the previous president, Sabine Kunst, as well the tasks that are of importance for the Humboldt-Universität, in coordination with the newly elected president.”

Ms von Blumenthal’s assumption of office will come as a result of negotiations and talks that she will hold in Berlin and Frankfurt (Oder) in the coming weeks and months. A possible date could likely be the start of the 2022/23 academic year. 

About Julia von Blumenthal

Julia von Blumenthal has been president of the Europa-Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) since October 2018. Previously, she was dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and she has been a professor at the Humboldt-Universität’s Department of Social Sciences in the division for German Domestic Politics since 2009 (currently on leave). In addition, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Berlin Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research at the HU, vice-president of the Evangelische Akademie zu Berlin, and a member of the Executive Board of Zentrum für Wissenschaftsmanagement e.V. (ZWM), Speyer.

Further information

• Download press photos of Julia von Blumenthal (Photo: Philipp Plum / HU)
• Elections at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• The Academic Council
• The Board of Governors

Contact

Hans-Christoph Keller
Press spokesperson of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Phone: 030 2093-12710
hans-christoph.keller@hu-berlin.de