23 million euros distributed to over 4,000 students at the region's five state universities
To mark its 20th anniversary, the Studienfonds OWL Foundation invited sponsors, supporters and companions to the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum to honour the commitment of the stakeholders involved from business, politics, universities and society. Over 300 guests, including the Minister of Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ina Brandes MdL, accepted the invitation and reviewed the successes and milestones.
What began in 2006 as an ambitious idea of the founding members, specifically the rector at the time and the rectors and presidents of the five state universities in Ostwestfalen-Lippe, has proven to be a real model for success over the following 20 years: Supporting students via scholarships through the combined financial and idealistic commitment of universities, companies, organisations and private individuals is a concept that has proven its worth.
Culture and Science Minister Ina Brandes MdL: "Every talented student should have the chance to study. 20 years of the Studienfonds OWL Foundation are impressive proof that young people can choose and pursue their desired career path regardless of their social background or financial means. They are given access to networks, mentoring and individual support. My heartfelt thanks to all sponsors and supporters, because promoting talent is a joint task. In this way, North Rhine-Westphalia remains attractive for the brightest minds who will help shape innovation and progress in our state in the future. After all, training young people to become qualified specialists is THE crucial task if we are to maintain and increase our prosperity and social security."
Increase from ten scholarships per year to 510 scholarships and 1.7 million euros per year
Starting with ten scholarships at the turn of the year 2006/07, the study fund now awards over 500 scholarships annually. This means an annual funding volume of more than 1.7 million euros. Since its start-ups and entrepreneurship, more than 23 million euros in scholarship funds have been distributed.
The larger of the two funding lines, which support students at Paderborn University, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, OWL University of Applied Sciences and Detmold University of Music, is the Deutschlandstipendium. This is a nationwide programme supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), in which half of the scholarship funds come from the federal government and the other half from private funds - the latter raised for the OWL region by the study fund. The Deutschlandstipendium programme has its origins in the OWL Study Fund, as it was recognised by the then North Rhine-Westphalian state government back in 2009: The Studienfonds OWL concept has the potential to become something big.
Deutschlandstipendium: idea from OWL via NRW as a nationwide success model
Initially, the funding model was incorporated into a state-wide scholarship programme. This became the "Deutschlandstipendium" in 2011 and has since been available at hundreds of universities throughout Germany. Today, around 35,000 students across Germany benefit from the public-private partnership model, although the support is not limited to financial assistance: The Studienfonds OWL Foundation alone organises over 140 non-material events every year in cooperation with the donors: from company tours, workshops and discussion rounds to soft skills training and cultural events, there is a variety of topics and formats in which the sponsored students can participate - even after the sponsorship period as alumni.
Social scholarship for students in need
In addition to the Deutschlandstipendium, the OWL Study Fund has its own funding line, which is financed 100 per cent by donations from regional donors: the social scholarship. This helps students who find themselves in a precarious financial and/or personal emergency situation that could jeopardise the continuation or completion of their studies. Here too, the idealistic funding programme, which underpins both lines, is an important component of the support. In addition to looking beyond their own horizons, students are able to establish contacts with potential employers at an early stage and set the initial course for their professional future.
At the ceremony, Professor Dr. Ingeborg Schramm-Wölk, President of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Chairwoman of the Foundation, paid tribute to the pioneering work of those who took the then unconventional step of cross-university cooperation in 2006. It was a real treasure that the universities and all the players involved had unearthed in the region with the Studienfonds OWL Foundation and which should be preserved. Following her welcoming address, all members of the Foundation's Board of Directors and Board of Trustees also gave statements to the audience - each with their own focus, but united in one thing: the Studienfonds OWL Foundation and its scholarship programme have a future.
Ceremony with a varied programme
The festive programme, moderated by Managing Director Katja Urhahne, was full of variety. In addition to entertaining panel discussions with relevant players from the last two decades and music by two violin students from the Detmold University of Music, the unconventional format included a karaoke show that can probably only be conceived in a university context: Three courageous scholarship holders were given topics and PowerPoint slides and a short preparation time before they then presented highly complex academic topics that were completely foreign to them to the audience in an entertaining way and with a great deal of improvisation. Anne Catherine Neuhaus, Chairwoman of the Carina Foundation in Herford, also received a special round of applause. Together with her team, she designed a programme item and shed light on the work of her foundation and the close cooperation with the Study Fund. The Carina Foundation has been a sponsor from the very beginning and has since supported the Studienfonds OWL Foundation with 1.8 million euros in funding - making it the leader by far.
More sponsors wanted for scholarship funding
For the future, the Studienfonds OWL Foundation would like to continue to find ambitious supporters for its scholarship programmes and the students it supports. In its anniversary year, the foundation has initiated a campaign to this end. One of the slogans is: "We take the educational path. Go with us!" Anyone who would like to join the Studienfonds network as a donor - whether a company, association or private individual - is welcome to contact the office at info@studienfonds-owl.de or find out more in advance on the Studienfonds website.
This text was translated automatically.
