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The University of Koblenz and Landau (German: Universität Koblenz-Landau) was a German public university located in Koblenz and Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate, which primarily focused on teacher education.
Universität Koblenz-Landau | |
 | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Active | October 1990–January 1, 2023 |
| Budget | € 41.5 million[1] |
| Chancellor | Michael Ludewig |
| President | May-Britt Kallenrode |
| Vice-president | Harald von Korflesch, Gabriele Schaumann |
| Students | 17,764 (2022)[2] |
| Location | , , Germany 49°12′16″N 8°06′31″E / 49.20444°N 8.10861°E |
| Website | www.uni-koblenz-landau.de |
Formed in 1990 following the merger of several schools of education in Rhineland-Palatinate, the university was unique in Germany in that it had two campi that were on opposite ends of the state and essentially functioned as two separate universities, complete with their own staff, administration and student culture, with little to no interaction with its counterpart. To not privilege one campus, the president's office and central administration were located in the state capital Mainz.
After years of criticism of this convoluted, inefficient and expensive structure, the state restructured its universities, leading to the university to formally disband in 2023. The Koblenz campus was repurposed as the University of Koblenz, while the Landau campus was merged with the much closer Technical University of Kaiserslautern to form the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau.
History
edit
Predecessor organisations (1903-1990)
editDespite being one of the youngest universities in Germany even when it was closed, the University of Koblenz and Landau traced its legacy back to the early 20th century. As early as 1903, the government of Prussia founded the Königlich Preußisches Lehrerinnenseminar Koblenz, a facility to train female teachers located in the suburb of Koblenz-Oberwerth. With the fall of Prussia following World War I, the institution was closed in 1925 and reopened as a school of education (Pädagogische Akademie) in 1937, where teachers of both genders were trained until 1960, when it was upgraded to the rank of a college (Pädagogische Hochschule). In 1969, six of these institutions in Rhineland-Palatinate, located in Koblenz, Landau, Mainz, Neuwied, Kaiserslautern, and Worms, were merged to form the Erziehungswissenschaftliche Hochschule Rheinland-Pfalz (EWH).[3] in 1978, the latter three locations were closed, while the Mainz location for special education was merged into the University of Mainz.
Formation, expansion and closure (1990-2023)
editIn October 1990, the EWH was closed and restructured as the University of Koblenz and Landau.[3] Still primarily focussing on teacher education, the university also added psychology and computer science, while the institute for special education was again relocated from Mainz to Landau. In total, the university featured eight faculties: pedagogy, philology and cultural studies, mathematics und natural science, as well as computer science were located in Koblenz, while in Landau special education, cultural and social studies, natural science and environmental studies and psychology were taught.[4] To not privilege one campus, the president's office and central administration were located in the state capital of Mainz. This led to a structure unique in Germany,[3] where the two campi, located at opposing ends of the state and roughly a two-hour drive apart, essentially functioned as two separate universities, complete with their own staff, administration and student culture, with little to no interaction with its counterpart.
Since 1990 the number of students had more than quadrupled.[3] There were almost 18,000 students[2] registered by the time the university was closed, making it the second largest university in Rhineland-Palatinate after the University of Mainz.[3] To accommodate them, the Koblenz campus left its established location in Oberwerth and relocated to the premises of the now-closed Pionier-Kaserne (Metternich) in Koblenz-Metternich in 2002, while the Landau campus also saw the addition of multiple new buildings in 2004.[3] Both campi were further expanded in the 2010s.[3] Most students focused on teacher education, making up roughly two thirds of all students, while most others attended computer science, psychology and biogeology.
After years of criticism of the convoluted, inefficient and expensive structure with three separate locations, the state decided to again restructure the university in 2019. On January 1, 2023, the Koblenz campus was formally repurposed as the University of Koblenz, while the Landau campus was merged with the much closer Technical University of Kaiserslautern to form the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau and the Mainz office was closed, officially disbanding the university. According to a spokesperson of the university, both new institutions would profit by getting more funds, staff and faculties, making them more capable of competing with universities from neighboring states.[5]
Notable alumni
edit- Fabian Jager and Patrick Ohler, founders of the now-defunct social networking service werkenntwen. Both studied computational visualistics from 2002 to 2007 and graduated with a diplom.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Jahresbericht des Präsidenten 2008" (PDF) (in German). University of Koblenz–Landau. p. 36. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Studierende an Hochschulen im Wintersemester 2021/2022" (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland Pfalz. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Luckhaupt, Lutz. "1990: Die Gründung der Universität Koblenz-Landau" (in German). Institut für Geschichtliche Landeskunde in Rheinland-Pfalz. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ Vodicka, Sonja (1 October 2018). "Universität Koblenz-Landau" (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ VFrey, Thomas (20 January 2023). "Universität Koblenz-Landau beendet Doppelmodell" (in German). Frankfurter Rundschau. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ Wienand, Lars (31 March 2014). "Einst 9,6 Millionen Mitglieder bei Wer-kennt-wen: Soziales Netzwerk steht vor dem Aus" (in German). Rhein-Zeitung. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
External links
edit- Official website (in German and English)