The guiding
theme "Generation Y", which comprises the young people born between
1979 and 1998, led through the Graduation Ceremony of accadis Hochschule Bad
Homburg on Friday, October 26, 2018. 123 of 141 Bachelor and Master graduates
received their degree certificates in the Landgraf-Friedrich-Saal in the Kurhaus
Bad Homburg KongressCenter. Some of our international students were also on
stage again this year. Over 700 guests, including representatives from regional
politics and business as well as the proud parents and friends of the graduates
attended the ceremony.
Starting the career path with empathy and courage
The
evening's keynote speaker was Oliver Klink, Chairman of the Board of Taunus
Sparkasse, Bad Homburg. "accadis graduates bring everything they need to
be on the winning side," he praised the Class of 2018: "They studied
innovatively, interdisciplinarily and internationally. In addition, he advised
the graduates to find solutions for the economy and the next generations by
applying empathy, conviction, creativity and courage as junior executives.
The attendance
of the Head Mayor of Bad Homburg, Alexander W. Hetjes, and other political
representatives showed how important the university is for the region. In his
welcoming address, Alexander W. Hetjes emphasized that the accadis holistic
educational path from bilingual kindergarten to internationally oriented university
is unique in Germany. "As accadis graduates, you are excellently trained
personalities. We would be delighted if one or the other of you chose Bad
Homburg as your place of residence and work.
The majority goes into the world of work
Gerda
Meinl-Kexel, Managing Partner of accadis Bildung GmbH, led through the varied
program of the Graduation Ceremony. She presented the Class of 2018 in figures.
"The Bachelor graduates in 2018 are on average 24 years old, the Master
graduates 28 years. 25 percent of Bachelor graduates are taking up graduate
studies directly after graduating with a Bachelor's degree. "It is
particularly pleasing that one fifth of these graduates would like to continue
studying at their alma mater," says Gerda Meinl-Kexel. The quality of an
accadis academic program is in particular shown by the fact that 75 percent of
Bachelor graduates have convinced companies of their worth and are starting
their careers straight away. "In addition, half of the Master's graduates have
improved their careers during their studies or afterwards," says Gerda
Meinl-Kexel. "Five Master's graduates are thinking about doing a doctorate
- four of them are tending toward the idea of doing so at accadis Hochschule.
Special award for student from Spain
The evening
provided a surprise for the Spanish Master's graduate Carlos Rebollo Santano.
He was honored with the DAAD-Prize sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for his outstanding
academic achievements - an average grade of 1.2 - and his social commitment
during the graduate’s studies. "Carlos Rebollo Santano successfully took
part in a research project during his studies, completed an internship in a
student start-up and supported other international students as a 'Study Buddy'
during their studies in Germany," praised Professor Dr. Christoph Kexel and handed over the DAAD Prize worth 1000.00 Euros.
Two times the dream score of 1.0
Afterwards
the last deed of the Class of 2018 was on the agenda: The graduates received
their certificates from the accadis Hochschule Managing Partner of, Prof. Dr.
Christoph Kexel, President Prof. Dr. Florian Pfeffel and Vice President Prof.
Dr. Andrea Hüttmann. In addition to Bachelor's graduate Maria Hademer, Master's
graduate Nadine Leonhartsberger also received the dream grade of 1.0.
Generation Y - demanding, but ready for top performance
Finally,
the Class of 2018 addressed a few words to the guests. The Bachelor class speakers
Julia Kublik, Celina Pfeiffer, Konstantin Wagner and Vincent Schlütter called
Neuhaus reviewed their studies in a humorous manner. With hashtags accompanying
the progress of their studies, they symbolized the passion of Generation Y for
communication via online media. Sina Weiß and Jascha Hensel spoke on behalf of
the Master's graduates. They emphasized how motivated, enthusiastic, and
willing to perform their generation in their endeavor to advance companies into
the digital age if these are prepared to embrace the demands and views of the
new generation of executive managers.
As the finale of the evening, the new graduates
traditionally threw their hats high into the air. At the buffet, the Graduation
Ceremony 2018 ended with good conversations and many congratulations.