OF MIND AND MONEY

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANNHEIM IS ALL ABOUT RECONCILING DIFFERENCES. BUSINESS AND CULTURAL STUDIES ARE COMBINED IN PROGRAMS THAT ARE UNIQUE IN GERMANY.

Looking deeply into a newspaper archive uncovers an article entitled “The Miracle of Mannheim.” A few days later at the entrance to the university, one gazes over a row of lavender meeting with a row of red roses and followed by the gold-painted tops of the cast-iron fence. A vast square lies behind, encircled by Europe’s second largest baroque palace after Versailles. A bottle of Asti Spumante lies on the pavement, while an empty bottle of Grau - burgunder stands next to the statue of Karl Ludwig, the electoral prince of the Palatinate who commissioned the building. Two days earlier, 13,000 visitors had been celebrating the summer and the university palace.

Continuing into the foyer of the East Wing with its pillars, glass surfaces and lavish staircases, one encounters two screens on the high walls displaying current lecture information, continuously interrupted by a book recommendation: “Geist und Geld” (Of Mind and Money), from the “Focus on Business and Culture” series, published by a Mannheim professor of history.

The university is a success story that reconciles the much invoked opposites. Mind and money, business and culture, even the walls tell the same story. The rectorate hall, named after the Mannheim entrepreneur and patron of the arts Heinrich Vetter, is an area used for alternating art exhibitions, while works by A.R. Penck hang in the senate hall, a loan by the businessman Reinhold Würth. The library accommodated under the roof is named after Hasso Platter, the founder of SAP and a major benefactor. There is hardly a hall or lecture room in the so-called “Studenten-Schloss” (student palace) that is not named after a sponsor. The University of Mannheim fosters and values its close relationship with the business world from which it has attracted generous financial and ideational support.

ONE TOP RANKING AFTER ANOTHER
The university belongs to an elite circle. The Business School, for example, is in a position to select its 700 entrants a year from almost 4,000 applicants and has occupied the top spot in national rankings for many years. Together with the affiliated Mannheim Business School, which focuses on executive MBA programs, it is one of the leading institutions of its kind in Europe. The School of Humanities, however, can also point to superior achievements, as evidenced by the latest rankings of the German Center for University Performance (CHE), which carries out the most comprehensive comparison of German universities.

In one of the university buildings, just a stone’s throw away from the palace, sits Dr. Jürgen M. Schneider, a slim, tanned man, aged 64. The newly appointed Dean of the Business School clearly has fond memories of his own student days in Mannheim, where he studied business administration and went on to obtain a doctorate. After more than 30 years in industry, most recently as Chief Financial Officer of Bilfinger Berger AG, Schneider has now returned to his alma mater. “The university has taken huge steps forward. Not only in terms of appearance, but in its courses, international outlook and generally with regard to the standards it has set for itself,” is Jürgen Schneider’s assessment. His school comprises thirty chairs and around 250 academic staff whose interests he now represents, especially in regard to partner universities that are both competitors and networking partners.

The fact that the Business School has appointed a manager for this role is unique in Germany and just one of many examples of how Mannheim perceives itself as a business university. There was a fierce debate about the university’s profile several years ago. The comparatively small School of Humanities feared for its survival in light of the predominance of the Business School and fought tooth and nail to ensure its continued existence. The reputable University of Mannheim experienced its first student revolt and half of the city joined in. The chairman of the University Council at the time mediated in the pitched battle between the Business School and School of Humanities. He introduced a reform that resulted in the School of Humanities adopting a highly innovative, practical approach, interlinking it extensively with business and social sciences—a solution all parties were satisfied with.

INTERDISCIPLINARY VIEW
The university’s Business School and School of Humanities actually share a common vision, which Jürgen Schneider, Dean of the Business School, sums up succinctly: “The emphasis is on business at Mannheim, but the relationship with associated disciplines is a key factor in ensuring this focus does not result in narrow- mindedness.”

The newly created Chair of Business Ethics at the School of Humanities is an example of the opening-up of the disciplines. The professor holding the chair, humanist Bernward Gesang, researches rationing in healthcare services as well as examines the limitations of growth, alternatives to the capitalist economy and business ethics by companies in the age of climate change. His lectures are mandatory for traditional business students, while conversely, the humanists have to engage in basic business and economics studies.

PLEASANT STRESS IN THE PALACE
The bachelor degree course in “Culture and Business” is a prime example of the reestablished partnership between the disciplines and combines core humanities subjects—like languages or history—with business studies or economics. Students obtain a joint qualification that opens up excellent career opportunities in areas such as cultural management, marketing or publishing.

There is great interest in “Culture and Busi - ness” with nine applicants for every place. Sixtina Wünstel has made it into the course. After passing her final secondary school ex - aminations with an outstanding grade of 1.4, she worked with street children in Peru and undertook an internship with a corporate consultant. She says that she is “one of those people who likes to achieve.” It is little wonder then that all of her six applications to German universities were accepted—and that she chose Mannheim. “I see myself as a humanist, but I think ‘Culture and Business’ also opens up opportunities in business,” says the 21-year-old. She is now in the third term of her studies, majoring in French and Spanish. She is also working part-time at the School of Humanities and is still committed to development work. Isn’t that stressful? “Pleasantly stress ful! Attending courses in a palace in rooms with parquet flooring and high ceilings certainly makes studying all more enjoyable,” she replies.

Prof. Dr. Markus Schmid, 35, is now standing in one such lecture theater. With his left hand in his trouser pocket and a laser pointer in his right, he stands in front of his students who are quietly tapping away on their laptops. The giant casements are open and the street noise drifts in. He is holding his lecture on hedge fund strategies and their specific risks in English, which is now commonplace at the Business School in Mannheim. He was named endowed professor of Business Administra - tion and Corporate Governance in the winter semester 2010. The chair will be jointly funded for a five-year period by four Mannheimbased companies, including Bilfinger Berger. “Not least in light of the financial crisis, the topic of corporate governance is extremely relevant from a practical as well as an academic perspective,” explains Schmid, who previously lectured at the University of St. Gallen. The native of Switzerland freely admits that he initially thought that Mannheim was in another part of Germany. But he was naturally well aware of the palace university’s reputation: “I also had an offer from a private university with a significantly higher salary, but Mannheim is the leading university in my field,” he adds.

By the time Markus Schmid leaves the palace after his lecture, it is already dark and Mannheim is aglow with lights. He lives nearby, between the railway station and the palace building. Schmid will work long into the night on tomorrow’s lecture. “Just-in-time production,” says the economics professor, making his way home.

Text: Stefan Scheytt, Photos: Eric Vazzoler
Bilfinger Berger Magazine 1/2011