Paul Konrath, Yannik Hahn, Valentin Krimmel andSabiha Acar each received the €500 prize yesterday from the association "Förderer der Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society e.V." association, Pauline Fröhlich-Frey received the Family Award worth €300 and Lea Kohm the Gender Equality Award, also worth €300.
After honoring the best international students with the DAAD Prize and student commitment with the Volunteer Award last week, yesterday's agenda once again included honoring outstanding academic achievements at the HWG LU: At the central awards ceremony, the association "Förderer der Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society e.V."presented the prizes, each endowed with 500 euros, for the best graduates (Bachelor and Master) and for the best Bachelor and Master thesis. In addition, the university's Equal Opportunities Department presented the Family Award for successfully balancing family, studies, work and voluntary work, as well as the prize for the best thesis on a gender or women's studies topic (prize money of 300 euros each).
Paul Konrath, a graduate of the Bachelor's degree course in Social Work, was named the university's best Bachelor's graduate by the sponsors' association. "Paul Konrath is a shining example: intellectually, rhetorically and professionally outstanding and also very committed to university politics," emphasized laudator Prof. Dr. Arnd Götzelmann, looking back on Konrath's Bachelor's degree. His Bachelor's thesis on the reality of life for homeless people was also of outstanding quality, said Götzelmann. Paul Konrath, who is now studying for a Master's degree in Social Work at the HWG LU, said after the award ceremony: "I feel very connected to the university and especially to my Department and Social Work." The ability for critical reflection and empowerment through education taught there is essential for a democracy.
Valentin Krimmel from the Digital Finance, Strategy & Accounting (MBA) degree programs was awarded the prize for best Master's graduate, also worth €500, in his absence due to work. Valentin Krimmel had completed his MBA studies alongside his full-time job at VR Bank Ulm-Biberach - "a special challenge", as course director Prof. Dr. Gösta Jamin emphasized, praising Krimmel as an outstanding student from whom he, as an educator, had also learned a lot about innovations in banking. Krimmel's very complex master's thesis, which uses complex portfolio simulations to investigate whether banks should also rely on cryptocurrencies for their own investments, was also "innovative and outstanding."
Yannik Hahn, a graduate of the dual degree programs in International Business Administration and Information Technology (IBAIT), received the award for the best bachelor's thesis. Hahn's thesis, entitled "Concept and implementation of a system for managing the life cycle in the context of creating knowledge graphs from various sources in the process domain" and written at his employer SAP, aims to make data models and concepts comparable with huge amounts of data, explained Hahn. "Despite the difficult subject matter, the thesis is easy to read and comprehensible at all times," praised laudator Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab and also emphasized Hahn's commitment during his studies. Hahn himself, who is now working on his Master's alongside his full-time job at SAP, also expressly thanked his fellow students: "The prize is also for you!"
The prize for the best Master's thesis went to Sabiha Acar, a graduate of the Master's in Controlling. Her thesis entitled "Controlling of the future: requirements, potential and challenges (with empirical analysis)" was "outstanding in terms of content, methodology and transfer performance", said laudator Prof. Dr. Seufert enthusiastically. According to Seufert, Acar had not only carried out extensive and internationally oriented literature research, but had also conducted empirical research with the inclusion of artificial intelligence. Acar also "really took off" during her studies and pulled the entire course along with her. Sabiha Acar, who in her own words completed her Master's degree "just for fun" while on parental leave, looked back on her studies at HWG LU with great pleasure: "It wasn't just the subject matter that was right, but also the interpersonal aspects. My studies are a very fond memory," she said when presenting the award.
The prizes were presented by the Friends' Association's first chairwoman Tatjana Kamrad together with Prof. Dr. Edith Rüger-Muck, Vice President for International Affairs and Communication. "The Friends' Association has set itself the task of supporting the university in its educational mission. In addition to an emergency fund and the awarding of scholarships, the sponsorship awards are one of our three main tasks and a very special matter close to our hearts," said Tatjana Kamrad during the welcome speech. "The awards show the high quality of our students. Honor to whom honor is due," added Edith Rüger-Muck.
Following the award ceremony, the university's Equal Opportunities Officer, Prof. Dr. Petra Weber-Dreßler, presented the Family Award to Pauline Fröhlich-Frey, a student on the Bachelor's degree course in Midwifery, for her outstanding way of "reconciling family, studies, work and voluntary work". "Pauline Fröhlich-Frey started her studies in the winter semester 2021/22 and has so far been very determined and successful. She has three children aged 4, 5 and 18, supports her father in a nursing home, holds a 40% position as a midwife at Darmstadt Hospital and also represents her fellow students as the semester spokesperson for her year," said Petra Weber-Dreßler, explaining the reasons for her election. Due to illness, Pauline Fröhlich-Frey was unable to accept her award herself.
Finally, Lea Kohm was awarded the prize for the best thesis on a gender / women's studies topic for her Master's thesis entitled: "Female Entrepreneurship: The role of business angels in female start-ups". In her thesis, the graduate of the International Human Resources Management (IHRM) degree programs clearly and empirically examined the support female founders receive in terms of capital, but also in terms of networking and mentoring/coaching, explained Equal Opportunities Officer Petra Weber-Dreßler.
The event was accompanied by music from Farrukh Sobirov.
Specialist contact:
Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Alumni / University Communications Office
Britta Käufer
Tel.:0621 5203 - 249
E-mail: britta.kaeufer@hwg-lu.de
