HNEE and the City of Eberswalde extend cooperation agreement

An extension of the cooperation agreement concluded in June 2007 between Eberswalde City Council and the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) was signed today by Mayor Friedhelm Boginski and President Prof. Dr Wilhelm-Günther Vahrson. The aim of the agreement is to intensify co-operation between the city administration and the university in numerous areas and, above all, to specifically promote sustainable development in the various facets of the city of Eberswalde and the region.

The Eberswalde city council and HNEE have been working closely together and in partnership for many years. "The partnership between the city administration and HNEE is important for both sides. By amending the cooperation agreement, we are continuing our excellent collaboration. Both benefit from the always exciting discussions, the exchange and the input that we give each other. I am therefore delighted that the extension has been signed," said Mayor Friedhelm Boginski.

HNEE fulfils a number of important functions in the city of Eberswalde and the region: it is an employer, training centre and, above all, a provider, developer and disseminator of knowledge. With its sustainable profile, HNEE offers important points of contact for both existing and future economic, social, cultural and ecological potential in the city of Eberswalde and the region. Furthermore, HNEE offers excellent conditions for meaningful cooperation to complement and deepen existing expertise. The cooperation agreement defines fundamental fields of action for this cooperation, its implementation and necessary measures.

President Prof. Dr Wilhelm Günther Vahrson emphasises: "I am very pleased that we are setting new standards with the new cooperation agreement and will continue to intensify our cooperation with the Eberwalde city administration in the coming years and thus accompany many areas in their development. With our current portfolio of 20 degree programmes and our three research focus areas, we offer a large field of activity, the potential of which our students and graduates, employees and lecturers at HNEE are happy to share with the city of Eberswalde in the interests of long-term sustainable development."

Service learning, for example, which is currently gaining recognition and popularity at many German universities, aims to embed social learning and social engagement in studying and teaching. This learning through social engagement has been enriching teaching at HNEE for around 1.5 years and offers many opportunities for regions and universities to benefit from each other. Students are encouraged to get involved in urban or regional organisations. They learn about local social challenges that shape their university education on the one hand, and on the other, they transfer the knowledge they have acquired to the organisations.

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