“The Deutschlandstipendium enables me to study and continue my voluntary work at the same time”

The Deutschlandstipendium is a very successful model of cooperation between universities and civil society. To mark the tenth anniversary of this initiative, Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) has increased the number of scholarships from 12 to 17. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, UW/H hosted the first digital dialogue: 25 scholarship recipients and sponsors met online in a ceremony. "By getting together at the beginning of the year, we have created a nice little tradition: High-achieving and award-worthy students meet kind and generous supporters - a wonderful occasion," said Prof Dr Martin Butzlaff, President of the University, welcoming the guests.

One of them is Kolja Fußbahn. "The Deutschlandstipendium enables me to study and continue to fulfil my honorary positions on the side. I am committed to social justice in politics and patient-centred healthcare at eye level." It didn't look like he was going to study medicine at school: "At school, for example, I was laughed at for wanting to become a doctor and fight for cutting-edge medicine for all people, regardless of their background or budget. Well, admittedly, I was one of the worst pupils, but letting people get me down was and is out of the question."

And so his path first led him to UW/H via the diversions of studying cultural studies. "Even if it seems impossible, the combination of willpower, a certain degree of stubbornness and perseverance can lead to dreams being realised. I have experienced this all my life and have also had to. My grandad always said that you should never stand still, otherwise it would become increasingly difficult to overcome hurdles. That's why I would write a novel about my life under the title 'There are no limits, but you can't stand still either'," says Kolja Fußbahn.

He is one of the recipients of the Deutschlandstipendium:

Nina Angenendt (Medicine), Leonor Bloch (Management), Julia Ebner (PPÖ, Ethics & Organisation), Tom Eisterhues (Psychology), Theresa Frische (Psychology & Psychotherapy), Jannik Howind (PPÖ), Ole Kistenmacher (Management), Timur Oruz (Medicine), Leonie Ries (Psychology), Tim Robrecht (Dentistry), Katharina Saelzer (Ethics & Organisation), Nicole Steller (Management), Helena Stricker (Medicine), Kristof Szekely (Medicine), Ramona Szymczak (Cultural Reflection), Aaron Uthayakumaran (Dentistry), Leonie Weber (Ethics & Organisation).

Sponsors and supporters

The scholarship programme would not work if the sponsors were not so intensively involved in the UW/H. This year we would like to thank: Peter Pohlmann, Christa Thoben (former Minister of Economics), Tillmann Neinhaus, Hans Pechtel, Dr Anita Pfeil, Klaus Rommel, the Wittener Universitätsgesellschaft e. V., the foundation Studienfonds der Witten/Herdecke University, Volksbank Bochum Witten eG, Dr Ausbüttel & Co GmbH, Continentale Krankenversicherung a.G. and the Sportstiftung NRW.

Facts and figures on the Deutschlandstipendium

A total of around 197 million euros has been donated since the programme was launched. The number of scholarship recipients currently stands at 28,159. More than half of these are women. With the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship, which was introduced in 2011, the monthly funding amount of 300 euros is split: One half comes from private sources, the other half is subsidised by federal funds. This support creates leeway that the recipients can use to concentrate more on their studies or expand their voluntary work. It is also about recognising achievement, promoting ideas and supporting students who are socially involved outside the university.