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The faculty for Applied Natural Sciences is the youngest one at the University of Bayreuth
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Pioneer Spirit on the Prairie
As we all know America was "discovered" more than once. And it took more than just one try for the world of knowledge to establish itself in the Upper Franconian city of Bayreuth. The first scientific endeavor in the 18th century, the Friedrich Academy proved unsustainable. It would be another two centuries before an ambitious Bavarian politician would turn his eyes to Upper Franconia to plot uncharted university territory there.
Stone by Stone
Members of the work release program at the city jail and American soldiers erected the University of Bayreuth's first building in the fields outside the city. Pioneer spirit like in the Old West was needed when the university's "settlers", 625 students and 32 professors, moved into town in the Winter Semester of 1975-76.
Today, the numbers have gone up considerably. With about 7,000 students, Bayreuth is still considered a small German academic institution.
Sports, African Studies and Macromolecules
Two major educational and research principles dominate it: in Bayreuth even traditionally unconnected departments work together. And that means professors, who would otherwise jealously guard their individual ambitious projects, cooperate on new endeavors. As a result, a degree program in "Geo-ecology" was offered for the first time in Bayreuth. And at this university, budding lawyers also receive additional training in business studies. Just as innovative was the cooperation between Bayreuth's sports and economics departments. It led to the creation of a degree program for future sports managers: Sports Economics. The university aims to give its students a solid basis of qualified education. At the same time it tries to be at the forefront of academic research and seeks to find new niches or "market segments" in academia. That's why some of the University of Bayreuth's main areas of research may sound fairly exotic: Experimental Ecology, African Studies, Macromolecular Chemistry and Theatrical Music Research. The latest gem in the university's crown is its sixth department: "Applied Natural Sciences." True to Bayreuth tradition, the department is blazing new trails with completely new degree programs such as "Ecological Environmental Technology" and "Material Sciences."
Helicopter Landing Pad
The campuses of American universities were the inspiration for the architects and designers at Bayreuth. The buildings are grouped around a circle-shaped hub, almost like a native American village. The founders of the university wanted this place to be the center of student life on campus. Most of the time, however, this square is so deserted that students have dubbed it "the helicopter landing pad."
When lectures are over and on the weekends, the campus is almost empty and doesn't offer much more to the eye than a view of the great wide open. As soon as they've put down their books, students tend to flock to the more attractive city center with its narrow cobbled streets. Perhaps this is just because today's students have different interests than those of the 1970s. Better cafeteria food and well-equipped sports facilities seem to be more important to budding academics today than a sense of belonging or social activism. And partying and having a good time has become an integral part of their way of life.
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Eva Lieber from Hungary studies German. She really likes Bayreuth University. (German)
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