Seven secrets and a request to the graduates

Twice a year, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences fills the Protestant town church ‘Unser lieben Frauen’. As the stadium and sports hall are not really suitable, the late-Gothic church in the university town is the only venue capable of accommodating up to a thousand people to celebrate two important milestones: the exciting start and the happy conclusion of their studies – matriculation and graduation.

Around nine hundred people attended the Graduation Ceremony (Feierliche Exmatrikulation) in the church on Friday, 25 October. Over two hundred graduates – out of a total of 594 from the previous summer term – had registered to attend and brought along relatives and friends. They were joined by many lecturers and staff from the university, who were now accompanying their former students on this symbolic step into professional life or further academic study.

One of them was Rector Volker Tolkmitt: “Today, I have the honour of symbolically seeing you off as you leave your student life behind, and it is my pleasure to do so!” Tolkmitt went on to say: “You are a special cohort because you have written your own story during your studies; because you have added your own chapter to the chronicle of our university family!” The spirit of family also extends to the future: “The university would like to continue supporting you on this journey – please stay connected with us.”

Maximilian Schulze, Managing Director of the Students’ Council, also emphasised the lasting connection: “You’ll definitely never be able to shake off the HSMW. It’ll stay on your degree certificate forever,” he said, linking this to the positive impact this connection will have in the future: “You know that many student projects are only made possible because HSMW alumni, through their companies, support the university’s study projects.”

As we stand on the threshold of the future, however, the first thing to note is this: “You can be incredibly proud of yourselves and of what you have achieved. Not just because you are receiving your certificates today. For many of you, a few years ago marked the first step towards complete independence. You had to learn to make your own decisions about your day and how to manage your resources. … Studying means … learning how to live, too.”

The university had invited Dr Sabine Hückmann to deliver the keynote address. Since September 2024, she has been a senior partner specialising in strategic consultancy and communications management at fischerAppelt, a communications agency with ten offices across Germany and internationally. Drawing on her own experience of progressing from studying chemistry and completing a PhD to a senior management role in the communications sector, Hückmann shared “seven secrets” and “one request” with the graduates.

Two of the secrets: “Linear career paths are a thing of the past. Gaps in your CV are virtually inevitable in today’s world and are the new normal.” And: “Wherever life takes you, try to understand the motives of the people around you. Ask lots of questions – curious ones, and even the uncomfortable ones. Analyse the answers and take the time to get to know one another before jumping to conclusions. Getting to know one another and giving each other a chance requires empathy. It is the key to mutual understanding.”

Dr Sabine Hückmann’s call for action also stemmed from her own life experience as someone who had ‘climbed the social ladder’ and from the fact that social background still has far too great an influence on career opportunities in Germany. “It is important to me to promote social diversity in business and academia. It’s about dispelling the myth of meritocracy: ‘It’s all down to you’ or ‘All doors are open to you’.” And so she appealed: “Take others with you. Share your knowledge and experiences with others. Open up your personal network to people who aren’t yet as far along as you are today, fresh from university with a degree in their pocket. Ask people who are further along than you for help when you need it.”

The “supervision” provided by the professors marked two hundred individual highlights. All graduates were called out by name. Professors from the five faculties offered their congratulations and presented certificates – and finally placed the bachelor’s caps on their former students’ heads.

Following the Graduation Ceremony (Feierliche Exmatrikulation), the gathering made its way along the newly paved Rochchlitzer Straße to Technikumplatz for the traditional hat-throwing competition.

Even the church would have been too small to accommodate all 594 graduates of the summer semester and their guests. Among them, 42 per cent are women (253). 29 per cent (106) are international students from 25 countries. 21 of the international graduates hold a double degree. The most common qualification awarded is the Bachelor’s degree (332), followed by the Master’s degree (152). A final grade of 1.0 was achieved twice. The overall average is 1.9. The youngest and oldest graduates are both graduates of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, but are separated by a 52-year age gap – 20 and 72 years respectively.

As at 31 October, 6,115 students were enrolled at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, including 2,291 women (37 per cent) and 1,396 international students (23 per cent).

The livestream of the Graduation Ceremony (Feierliche Exmatrikulation) on 25 October 2024 can be viewed on the Mittweida University of Applied Sciences’ YouTube channel.

The photos will soon be available to download free of charge from Mittweida University of Applied Sciences’ alumni page.

Photos:
André Wirsig (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 20)
Helmut Hammer (3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22)