The graduates of Hof University were officially honored at a festive ceremony held over the weekend in the Grand Hall of the Freiheitshalle in Hof. 440 of the 1,000 graduates of the class of 2025 received their bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann in a festive setting and celebrated their successful graduations together with their families and friends. During the event, eight outstanding achievements were also honored with special awards.
University President Prof. Lehmann welcomed around 1,200 guests, including 50 professors, Hof District Administrator Dr. Oliver Bär, Hof Mayor Eva Döhla, and Member of the Bundestag Heiko Hain. The guests of honor emphasized the university’s importance to the region. In her welcoming remarks, Hof’s Mayor Eva Döhla highlighted the excellent career prospects in the region and encouraged the graduates to consider Hof and its surroundings as a place to live and work.
“Cherish your time in Hof. We are proud of Hof University of Applied Sciences, and you can be proud of your achievements. I would like to ask and advise you to hold on to the curiosity you have shown.”
Eva Döhla, Mayor of Hof
District Administrator Dr. Oliver Bär added:
We are grateful to have this university, which covers nearly all fields of the future and which, quite rightly, enjoys great popularity among its students. We would be grateful if you stayed with us; we would love to combine our path with yours.”
Dr. Oliver Bär, District Administrator
The event, moderated by Franziska Brömel and Anton Sack and translated live into English for the first time by an artificial intelligence system developed specifically by the university, offered entertaining moments in addition to the ceremonial elements. In their highly entertaining graduation speech, Smilla Gradel and Özge Özdemir recalled their shared years of study with plenty of irony and a wink:
“Many of our best experiences didn’t happen in the lecture hall, but somewhere on campus. We are no longer the same people we were at the beginning. We’re a little more tired. But we’re not just taking a degree with us—we’re taking skills for life.”
Smilla Gradel and Özge Özdemir
A special highlight was the recognition of outstanding academic achievements through various award ceremonies.
Awards from the Hans Vießmann Technology Foundation
The foundation, represented by Rainer Schmidt, honored graduate Katharina Reiner from the Computer Science program. She was recognized for her work on the “Development of a reusable application for translating legacy software projects using artificial intelligence.” The laudatory speech for Katharina Reiner, who is also the reigning Speed Puzzle Team World Champion in her private life, was delivered by Prof. Dr. Walter Kern. Florian Rayhrer from the master’s program “Sustainable Water Management and Engineering” also received an honor and prize money. His work examined CO₂ emissions along the entire value chain of a plastics-processing industrial company and developed an evaluation matrix designed to enable more sustainable procurement of materials. “He has combined scientific expertise with practical applicability,” said Prof. Günter Müller-Czygan in his laudatory speech.
Honors from the Alumni Association
The Alumni Association of Hof University of Applied Sciences, represented by Prof. Dr. Oliver Schuster, also awarded two prizes. They went to Steven Solleder and Shivika Gaba. In his master’s program in Computer Science, Solleder had focused on developing a user-centered open-source application for public transportation, which was explained by laudator Prof. Dr. Sven Rill. Shivika Gaba, a student in the “General Management” master’s program, had developed a concept for improving production planning and the order management system for Sandler AG in Schwarzenbach (laudator: Prof. Dr. Willi Darr).
Friends and Sponsors Award
Ahmet Cak from the Society of Friends and Supporters of Hof University (e.V.) then presented two awards to Florian Potzel and Josua Wicklein. Florian Potzel, a graduate of the International Management program, conducted a case study in Brazil to examine which factors are crucial for the successful establishment and management of international joint ventures. Laudator Prof. Dr. Heiko Hegwein praised not only this work but also the awardee’s personality. Josua Wicklein, a student in the Bachelor’s program in Mechanical Engineering, impressed not only Laudator Prof. Dr. Matthias Kilian with his thesis on “Three-Dimensional Measurement and Volume Determination of Molds in Industrial Container Glass Manufacturing.”
International Award from the City of Hof
Mayor Eva Döhla then presented the City of Hof’s “International Award” to Madhuri Pawar from the Software Engineering for Industrial Applications program. Her work focused on closely comparing various tools for API testing (i.e., software interface testing) and, based on this, developing a specially adapted automation framework that helps companies conduct tests more efficiently and reliably, according to laudator Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heym.
Master’s Prize from the European Management Institute emi e.V.
The awards ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Master’s Prize of the European Management Institute emi e.V. to Rosalie Hiller (Master’s program in Logistics). Her award-winning thesis focused on developing a strategy for a company’s transport management. “In doing so, a suitable organizational structure for the department was designed, and she examined where improvements and efficiency gains are possible within the supply chain,” said laudator Prof. Dr. Friedwart Lender, who also represented the European Management Institute emi e.V.
Live music delights
The event was accompanied and gracefully framed by the duo “Theresa & Andy” with their live music.
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