In the right place at the right time
Prof René Geißler has been Professor of Public Administration at the Faculty of Business, Computing and Law at TH Wildau since 2020. He told the Career Centre for Professorial Development how he is involved in social transformation processes as a professor - and what lucky coincidences brought him to Wildau.
My path to a professorship at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau ...
... seems quite straightforward in retrospect, but it was actually full of coincidences. At the time, I only found out about the Administrative Studies programme at the University of Potsdam by chance. My doctorate was never planned and I was the second doctoral student ever for my supervisor. A three-month project at the Hertie School turned into six years and I met my future boss at the Bertelsmann Stiftung at a café. And if a friend hadn't transferred to TH Wildau a few years ago, I wouldn't have known our university at all.
In my professorship, I am shaping ...
... the public administration in Brandenburg. We are faced with the challenge of having to do more and more with fewer people and limited finances. This poses existential questions for some authorities, calls into question what they are used to, but also creates space for innovation, flexibility and a willingness to change. We want to empower students for this future and I am happy to work on these processes.
Working as a professor at a Technical University of Applied Sciences is unique because...
»Working as a professor at a Technical University of Applied Sciences is unique because it is close to reality. We don't work on theories or write for journals, we work with young people and write solutions.«
... it is close to reality. We don't work on theories or write for journals, we work with young people and write solutions. A professorship at a Technical University of Applied Sciences combines science, teaching and practical research. You gain a lot of contacts in the authorities, have to teach students real expertise and learn something new every semester.
In Wildau and at the university, I particularly like...
... that our university stands for Brandenburg in Brandenburg. We have a clear mission and a clear profile. The infrastructure is excellent, the management is dynamic and there is plenty of room for development.
When I'm not at the university, you can find me...
... reading the newspaper.
