Dr. Jobst Wellensiek Supports Universität Heidelberg with Generous Donation
21 October 2010
Honorary senator and alumnus of Heidelberg University, Dr. Jobst Wellensiek, is lending his support to the renovation of the New University with a donation amounting to 250,000 euros. Ruperto Carola’s largest lecture hall building in Heidelberg’s Old Town is being completely renovated and modernized for the 625th anniversary of Germany’s oldest university. The completion of the anniversary project, with construction costs totalling over ten million euros, is possible largely thanks to university friends and sponsors. Rector Prof. Dr. Bernhard Eitel expressed his gratitude to Dr. Wellensiek, citing his “exemplary dedication” in contributing to such a fundamental improvement, benefitting both students and faculty alike.
A renowned jurist, Jobst Wellensiek studied at Heidelberg University, also earning his doctorate here. He knows the New University building from personal experience. He has always maintained contact with his alma mater, and particularly with the Heidelberg Faculty of Law. “My education at Heidelberg shaped my life’s path; I have much to thank the university for”, explained Dr. Wellensiek, whose donation is a way “to give something back to the university”. In 2006 Dr. Wellensiek received the distinction of being named an honorary senator of Heidelberg University.
The refurbishment of the New University is the centrepiece of the “Dem lebendigen Geist” initiative, so named for the inscription above the building’s portal. Friends, sponsors and alumni of Ruperto Carola are engaged in a wide range of activities to raise most of the funding for the construction project. The successful campaign is entirely in the tradition of the fundraising efforts of former U.S. Ambassador Jacob Gould Schurman, who made the initial construction of the New University possible in 1928.
Note to editorial staff:
A digital photo of Dr. Jobst Wellensiek can be obtained from the Press Office.
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