Service anniversaries are a special occasion to honor those who have enriched the university with their dedication over many years. Today, the university congratulates Professors Dietmar Wolff and Michael Rauch on their 40th and 25th service anniversaries, respectively, and extends its heartfelt thanks to them for their significant contributions to the university’s successful development.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Wolff, 40th anniversary of service
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Wolff, Vice President for Teaching and Continuing Education at Hof University of Applied Sciences, is celebrating a special anniversary: he looks back on 40 years of public service.
His professional career began in 1986 with the German Armed Forces. After completing officer training and earning a degree in mechanical engineering from what was then the University of the German Armed Forces in Hamburg, he earned his doctorate in control engineering and image processing. This was followed by leadership positions in the IT and software industries, including as managing director of a company specializing in the social economy, before he joined Hof University of Applied Sciences in 2012 as a professor of “Information and Communication Systems for Business Tasks.” During his time in industry, he also served as a reserve officer in civil-military cooperation.
Since 2015, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Wolff has served as Vice President for Teaching and Continuing Education and has played a key role in shaping the university’s strategic development. His areas of focus include the digitization of teaching, quality assurance—including system accreditation—and the continuous development of modern teaching, learning, and assessment formats.
He also provides important impetus in research and knowledge transfer. In 2021, for example, he founded the “Innovative Healthcare” research group at the Institute for Information Systems (iisys) and oversees inter-university teaching projects such as “ii.oo” on digital testing. Through the “Go2Hof4ever” project—funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research since 2023—he is working with co-project leader Andrea Graf and the project team to develop new concepts for recruiting early-career faculty, onboarding new instructors, and promoting lifelong learning at the university.
“Even after 14 years at Hof University of Applied Sciences and 11 years as vice president, I look forward every single day to supporting young talent and helping to make our university a little better.”
To mark his 40th anniversary of service, Hof University is honoring Prof. Wolff’s long-standing commitment to future-oriented university teaching, innovative research projects, and the successful further development of the university.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Rauch, 25 Years of Service at Hof University of Applied Sciences
For 25 years, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Rauch has used his professional expertise to provide important impetus for the university’s development. Through his commitment to teaching, research, and internationalization, he has played a key role in shaping the further development of the textile program at the Münchberg campus. Hof University of Applied Sciences extends its warmest congratulations to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Rauch on his 25th anniversary of service and thanks him for his many years of dedication.
During his tenure, he helped oversee the transition from the Diplom to the Bachelor’s degree program and played a decisive role in advancing the internationalization of the Innovative Textiles program. In addition, he was instrumental in establishing the Sustainable Textiles Master’s program, whose development was supported and funded by TEGEWA e.V.
One of the most defining challenges of his career to date has been the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, it was essential to maintain teaching, international collaboration, and academic exchange despite significant restrictions.
Numerous trips to India and Bangladesh exemplify his long-standing commitment to establishing international collaborations and fostering intensive academic exchange, which now enrich the curricula of the textile programs in Münchberg.
Prof. Rauch has served as president of the Association of German Textile Finishing Specialists (VDTF e.V.) since 2022. Prior to that, he was the long-standing head and board member of the association’s Northern Bavaria regional group.
