Double the Reason for a Doctoral Anniversary Celebration
A total of 167 golden and silver doctoral jubilarians recently celebrated their anniversary at RWTH.
RWTH Rector Professor Ulrich Rüdiger had double the reason to celebrate: With 27 golden and 140 silver doctoral jubilarians in total, never had so many former doctoral candidates accepted a rector's invitation to the celebration – some making the journey from as far away as the Philippines, Brazil, Thailand, and the USA this year. Since 2004, doctoral candidates who received their doctoral certificates 25 and 50 years prior have been invited to RWTH and have been honored each year. For the first time, the upper gallery of the Aula of the RWTH Main Building was also needed to be able to seat all the jubilarians and their guests. The historic venue was particularly fitting for the anniversary event.
Professor Rüdiger had another reason to celebrate this year: he was honored as a silver jubilarian this time around. His doctoral supervisor, Professor Gernot Güntherodt, did not miss out on the opportunity to congratulate him and personally present him with a renewed certificate.
"Tonight is certainly a fine occasion for us to look back over many years. Standing here in the Aula, I can vividly recall sitting right there on the side in my first semester," Rüdiger said. The RWTH Rector took the opportunity to show the guests the campus as it is today and to point out its potential: "Some things have stayed the same, but a lot has changed. RWTH is steeped in tradition but also embraces the modern. Both these aspects are important in shaping the future."
Memories of studying, researching and writing up doctoral theses, seeing fellow students and doctoral supervisors again as well as getting to know new faces and observing the developments at the University – the event left a strong and lasting impression on the guests: "Emotions and special moments, that's what we want to create with this event," emphasized Professor Bernd Markert, Rector's Delegate for RWTH Alumni, who, as host, guided the evening with inspiring conversations with the jubilarians, together with the Rector.