2023-09-19 10:02:00
There will be an academic ceremony this evening (Tuesday) in the ballroom of Linz’s Kepler University (JKU): Meinhard Lukas, who has been at the head of the JKU since 2015, will officially say goodbye as rector. His position will end at the end of September and the office will be handed over to the new rector Stefan Koch on October 3rd. Excerpts from Friedrich Schiller’s treatise “On the Aesthetic Education of Man”, read by Burg actress Dörte Lyssewski, will be heard, Lukas revealed in his last press conference as rector. This is regarding demands that “have been a concern over the eight years,” said Lukas: regarding education that “applies to all the senses” and not just education.
In a “quick run” the outgoing rector took stock of the past eight years. During his term of office from 2015 to 2023, one of the main focuses was the development of the medical faculty, including the new medical campus in the city center, which now has 21 chairs. The Linz Institute of Technology (LIT) was established in 2015 and now has six chairs. Lukas said he was “particularly proud” of the fact that the number of students in MINT subjects (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, technology) in Linz had increased significantly “ once morest the general trend in Austria”. He mentioned the collaboration with Ars Electronica and the start of an artificial intelligence course, which now has 1,500 students. In the AI sector, numerous attempts had to be fended off, there was a “scary anger” surrounding the professors, not just Sepp Hochreiter, who heads the Linz AI Institute and, as is well known, was able to be retained. “I think the structure was successful,” says Lukas. During his time as rector, the number of chairs increased by 70 percent from 126 to 215, the number of students increased by a quarter from 19,400 to 24,300, and the three-year global budget more than doubled from 312 to 640 million euros.
Artificial intelligence and the rule of law
And what’s next personally? Lukas can return to his JKU chair for civil law. In addition, as agreed with the new rector Stefan Koch, he has the “privilege” of being able to devote himself to four research semesters “not only at home, but also abroad”. Artificial intelligence in the light of the rule of law will be a topic.
At the Linz Digital University, which is scheduled to start in autumn, Lukas’ application as founding rector was not accepted. Graz TU professor Stefanie Lindstaedt will be the founding rector. Lukas avoids commenting on this topic: it is not appropriate for someone “who applied and whose concept did not succeed to now give reviews from the sidelines”. He just said that he “wishes the very best” to the digital university.
Author
Heinz Steinbock
Internal politics editor
Heinz Steinbock
1695120610
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