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After ten years at the helm of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as its Secretary General, Dr. Dorothea Rüland will be retiring at the end of this month, following a culminating career of over four decades in international higher education. Prior to being selected for this top position in 2010, Dr Rüland was no stranger to the world’s largest scholarship organisation; she served as one of DAAD’s Deputy Secretary Generals between 2004 and 2008, after other important postings in the organisation’s headquarters in Bonn and in its branch office in Jakarta.
During her dedicated tenure as Secretary General, DAAD's budget grew from around EUR 390 to over EUR 600 million, the number of scholarship holders increased from almost 100 000 to around 150 000 worldwide, while DAAD’s international network expanded to over 80 countries around the world. On the occasion of her farewell event, DAAD’s President Prof. Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee warmly thanked Dr. Rüland for her great achievements and for her never-ending commitment to the internationalisation of the German higher education system and Germany's reputation as an excellent location for studying and research in the world.
Likewise, the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) warmly extends its gratitude to Dr. Rüland for her continued support and long-standing collaboration, DAAD being one of ACA’s founding members in 1993, and wishes her all the best into retirement.
Her successor, Dr. Kai Sicks, previously Head of the International Office at the University of Bonn, will take office as DAAD’s new Secretary General on 1 April 2021.