200 guests from the wine industry, politics and the university bid farewell to the graduates of the Neustadt Wine Campus on Friday at the Herrenhof in Mußbach. Dr. Volker Wissing, Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Viticulture, presented the certificates.
41 graduates from the degree programs Viticulture and Oenology and MBA Wine, Sustainablility and Sales received their certificates on Friday, 15.11.2019. Prof. Dr. Peter Mudra, President of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, Dr. Günter Hoos, Director of DLR Rheinpfalz and Prof. Dr. Dominik Durner, Head of the Neustadt Wine Campus, congratulated the eighth year of the Wine Campus on their successful graduation. The Mayor of Neustadt, Marc Weigel, and the President of the Palatinate Winegrowers' Association, Reinhold Hörner, addressed the graduates.
In his speech, Minister of Economic Affairs Dr. Volker Wissing highlighted the Neustadt Wine Campus' commitment to the digitalization of viticulture. According to Wissing, he also wanted to "do everything in his power to get the Franco-German Master's degree course in viticulture and oenology planned for the 2020/2021 winter semester off the ground."
Prof. Dr. Dominik Durner was delighted with the ministry's promised support. "These are very positive signals and we look forward to starting the program with our French friends next year," said Durner.
The English-language, part-time MBA Wine, Sustainablility and Sales degree programs were launched at the Weincampus three years ago. The second year of this Master's program received their degrees on this day. The prize for the best MBA degree went to Annemarie Hillenbrand.
Five Bachelor graduates were honored for outstanding academic achievements: Isabell Spieß received the award for best graduate, Fabio Fehrenbach for best graduate in the Viticulture and Oenology degree program. Marie-Luise Pfersich was also honored for the best bachelor thesis in viticulture, Marc Weber for the best bachelor thesis in oenology and Philipp Merk for the best bachelor thesis in business administration/marketing.
On behalf of Meininger Verlag, the Palatinate Wine Queen Anna-Marie Löffler presented a check for scholarships at the Weincampus in the amount of 10,000 euros to the student representatives of the Weincampus Neustadt. This will be used to support students with children, stays abroad and excursions during their studies. Another generous donation for scholarships in Germany was presented by Klaus Huter, Deputy Chairman of the Karl-Josef-Wagner-Foundation in Wachenheim. Another scholarship in the amount of 1,000 euros, donated by the Soroptimist Club Frankenthal, was awarded to student Michelle Adelseck.
Following the official ceremony, guests of honor, teaching staff, employees, alumni and graduates celebrated into the night in the wine cellar of the Staatsweingut with Johannitergut Neustadt.
Award winners:
Best graduate:
Isabell Spieß - awarded by Vinissima - Frauen und Wein e.V. with a membership and a voucher worth 450 euros.
Best graduate:
Fabio Fehrenbach - awarded a prize of 500 euros by the Association of Graduates in Viticulture Neustadt.
Best MBA graduate:
Annemarie Hillenbrand - awarded a prize of 500 euros by VR Bank Südpfalz e.G.
Best Bachelor's thesis in viticulture:
Marie-Luise Pfersich - awarded a prize of 500 euros by Braun Maschinenbau.
Investigations into the effectiveness of two different heating cable systems for late frost control in viticulture
Best Bachelor's thesis in oenology:
Marc Weber - awarded a prize of 500 euros by the Scharfenberger company.
On the odor threshold of So2 in wine and the analytical determination of molecular So2
Best Bachelor's thesis in Business Administration/Marketing:
Philipp Merk - awarded a magnum bottle of Sauternes by the LAFFORT company.
Comparison of entrepreneurship and employment in the winegrowing industry based on a case study
The Weincampus Neustadt is a scientific institution of the universities of Ludwigshafen (leading), Bingen and Kaiserslautern, which, in cooperation with the Dienstleistungszentrum Ländlicher Raum (DLR) Rheinpfalz and more than 500 cooperating companies, offers the dual degree programs Viticulture and Oenology as well as the continuing education Master's program "MBA Wine, Sustainability and Sales".
