50 Years 50 Faces
Prof. Dr. Peter Bradl
Since 2014: Head of the IREM research institute
Since 2020: Head of the FHWS Covid-19 crisis team
Other positions: Member of the senate (2017-2019), Head of the Media Centre (2005-2010) and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (2007-2015)
At FHWS since 2003
For me, FHWS is ...
a place creating opportunity!
What do you appreciate about FHWS?
FHWS is pleasantly-sized and offers high diversity regarding topics. Despite that, all locations are easy to reach – even Schweinfurt is reached easily from Würzburg. I’ve been working here for almost 20 years, and was given the opportunity to work in various areas. The strong focus on practical work in our research represented a fundamental contribution to building the IREM (Institute for Rescue, Emergency and Disaster Management).
What was the best decision in your professional career and why? What has changed since then?
I cannot recall that I made “the one” decision. Rather, there were many opportunities – and I just seized them. The opportunity to go back to school after completing secondary school and a vocational training was most likely the strongest lever, as it opened a treasure chest full of options for me. The course I set in my private and academic life, which made me enthusiastic about the future at FHWS after assignments in companies of various kinds, contributed to my eventual appointment as a professor. At FHWS, the opportunity to start a second term as dean - a novelty at our faculty - and to be able to shape the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and the teaching staff for a total of eight years was formative. The constant involvement in the context of health and emergency services as well as disaster management created the professional basis for the start of IREM. Ultimately, both in health care and disaster management, as well as at FHWS, it is all about people, which is why I very much appreciate the combination of the fields. The following is true for me: “If you love what you do, you’ll never have to work a single day in your life!”
What do you think has shaped FHWS the most over the last 50 years?
In addition to the Bologna reform with its effects on the study programme portfolio, the higher education reform and thus the changed role of professors have definitely had a strong influence. Research in the non-technical disciplines was enabled, scopes for development were created. The politically-desired scaling of study places with changed supervisory relationships has significantly influenced the teaching concept. The sometimes very pronounced focus on grades and young people's efforts to optimise their curriculum vitae have pushed the value of studying as the most important phase in life into the background. Even if the Humboldtian ideal of education has never been at the top of the list at universities of applied sciences, I would still welcome a little more of it here.
What is your vision of the future for FHWS? What might FHWS look like in 50 years’ time?
It is hardly possible to predict what will happen over the course of such a time period. Our students will become more international, and the number of virtual teaching and learning environments will increase. FHWS will continue to be a place of further qualification for professionals. At the same time, the focus must remain on the fact that higher education institutions are not merely broadcasters of knowledge, but create knowledge and insight and make a major contribution to the development of individuals and thus of society.
What is your insider tip for the cities of Würzburg or Schweinfurt and why?
The restaurant “Die alte Mainmühle”: A place where we spent wonderful hours together with students after successful projects, with colleagues, with good friends within FHWS and beyond, enjoying delicious food. And, of course, the Nikolaushof: A restaurant which offers one of the best views over the city. Last but not least: The rooftop terrace of our main building found on Münzstraße in Würzburg. There, we hold graduation parties or enjoy one of the nicest views on the Marienberg fortress and its surrounding vineyards after a long day in the lecture room.