The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is mourning its President, Professor Dr Stefan Hormuth who died on 21st February after a long, difficult illness in his home town of Heidelberg at the age of 60.

Professor Hormuth had been President of the DAAD since January 2008. At the beginning of his term of office he had laid down ambitious aims for the work of the DAAD and the continued internationalisation of German institutions of higher education. During his presidency, public funding in internationalisation grew substantially. The number of German students abroad increased to 90,000. A flexible and mobility friendly implementation of the Bologna Process, which lay close to Professor Hormuth’s heart, was supported by new, generous funding programmes.

Stefan Hormuth first came into contact with the DAAD after his studies in psychology in Heidelberg in 1975 when he received a postgraduate scholarship to the University of Texas in Austin (US). He was awarded his doctorate from the University of Austin in 1979. After a period as a post-doc at the Northwestern University he returned to the University of Heidelberg in 1981, qualified as a university lecturer (Habilitation) and became Professor for Social and Ecological Psychology in 1987. In 1990 he went to teach at the University of Giessen. From 1993 to 1997 he taught at the Technical University Dresden. He returned to Giessen in 1997 and became President of the University of Giessen, a position he held for twelve years until December 2009. During this time from 2001 to 2007 he was Vice-President for International Affairs of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK).

After giving up his position in Giessen following two successful re-elections, Professor Hormuth wanted to be even more strongly engaged with the DAAD.  His whole life was witness and dedication to international openness and cooperation. After his early death the DAAD feels committed to his legacy.

Until a successor is chosen, Vice President, Professor Max Huber, previous Rector of Bonn University, will carry out the duties of DAAD President.

ACA staff pay their respect to relatives, friends and colleagues who will miss Professor Hormuth.