University Council
Members of the »Hochschulrat«
Dr. Hans Jochen Waitz is a lawyer, art collector and patron of the arts. Among other things, he is on the supervisory board of Kampnagel Internationale Kulturfabrik GmbH, on the board of Neue Kunst in Hamburg e.V. and the F. und W. Stiftung für zeitgenössische Kunst in der Hamburger Kunsthalle, and has long been a member of the Freundeskreis der HFBK Hamburg e.V.. Since 2011, he has served as Vice Chairman of the University Council; in 2021, he took over the chairmanship of the body from Konstantin Kleffel, who passed away on September 10, 2021, after ten years in office as Chairman of the University Council.
Birgit Kochen-Schmidt-Eych succeeded Dr. Ortrud Westheider on the University Council in November 2017 and has been Vice Chair of the body since December 2021. She is managing partner of the Hamburg-based foreign trade company Alfred Kochen GmbH & Co. KG. In addition to her work at the company, she is also a board member of the Gabriele Fink Foundation in Hamburg. She has been a member of the Friends of the HFBK Hamburg e.V. since 2018.
Eva Hubert was committed to film funding in Hamburg for almost 25 years. From 1997 to 2015, she was managing director of the Filmfund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and in this capacity, among other things, concluded the cooperation agreement with the HFBK Hamburg, which provides significant funding for graduation films. She is a member of the European Film Academy, the ARTE G.E.I.E. Advisory Board, and the Board of Trustees and Foundation Board of the Hamburg Cultural Foundation, as well as an expert reviewer at the Film Rating Board. Since 2015, she has been a member of the University Council of the HFBK Hamburg.
Birgit Schäfer succeeded Heike Catherina Mertens on the HFBK Hamburg University Council in September 2019. A lawyer by training, she is the managing director of the Hans Weisser Foundation, whose activities focus on science and youth education. Previously, she served as a full-time volunteer member of the board of BürgerStiftung Hamburg from 2010 to 2018, and as its chairwoman since July 2015. She is also active in the Association of German Foundations.
Philipp Schmitz-Morkramer was elected by the University Council of the HFBK Hamburg in December 2021 as the fifth member to succeed the late University Council member Konstantin Kleffel. Philipp Schmitz-Morkramer is a member of the board of Quantum Immobilien AG, which he founded in 1999 together with Frank Gerhard Schmidt. He is active as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hamburg Cultural Foundation and is a member of the Friends of the HFBK Hamburg.
The Hochschulrat has the following responsibilities:
- Deciding on plans for structure and development in accordance with the University Senate
- Deciding on the basic principles for equipping the University and distributing its resources
- Authorising fundamental rules and the statutes for the quality assessment process
- Authorising budget plans
- Acknowledgement of the selection and de-selection of the President
- Selection and de-selection of the Chancellor
- Acceptance of the Executive Committee's annual report
- Discussion of the annual report
- Making recommendations on the profile development of the University
- Making recommendations on where to place emphasis in research and teaching
- Making recommendations on the further development of the range of studies on offer
Individuals from scientific, cultural, economic and political life who are familiar with the nature of higher education can be appointed as members of the University council. Their posts are honorary, and their time in office is four years in length.