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Prof. Dr. Alexander Haubrock has taught at Aalen University for 17 years and has been its Vice President since 2010. Now, the native Lower Saxon is drawn back to the north.

Being open, thinking outside the box, daring changes: Prof. Dr. Alexander Haubrock is always open for something new. Now another big change is waiting for the professor and Vice President, who teaches business administration for small and medium sized enterprises at Aalen University – after 17 years on the “rough eastern part of the Swabian Alb” the native Lower Saxon is drawn back to the north. He looks back on an exciting time in Aalen.

Movement plays a big role in the life of Prof. Dr. Alexander Haubrock, in both the literal and the figurative sense. The passionate long-distance runner and endurance athlete likes the constant challenge. To build, develop and customize something – those are the constants in his résumé that also includes extraordinary aspects like “Internship in prison” or “Management consultant for bakery chains”.

Already as a teenager his motto was to change perspective every now and then. When Haubrock got the offer for a student exchange in the USA and had to decide within four days, he didn’t hesitate. Time out from Vlotho, the East Westphalian town in which he grew up - why not?

And that’s how the then 17-year old came to a Californian host family to live the “American Way of Life” for a year. “It was totally overwhelming. A great adventure that changed my later life in many ways”, says Prof. Dr. Alexander Haubrock, who likes to travel and dive into the cultures of other countries. The student exchange of course didn’t allow a fully conscious way to reflect cultures. In his function as Vice Presidentfor International Affairs, it was very important to him to advance the internationalization of the University of Aalen and to enable students to gain experience abroad. “It’s just important to think outside the box.” Also in another respect the year in the USA has marked him. “At High school we had the subject ‘Speech and Debate’ so to speak a rhetoric education. That was great!”, the today 53-year old remembers. “That was very helpful for dealing with public speaking”, says Haubrock who has earned a reputation as a lively and eloquent speaker far beyond university circles.

Exciting and fascinating

Although at that time foundations already were laid for the later university professorship it wasn’t a set goal at first. The primary goal was: psychology. After High School Alexander Haubrock studied psychology at the University of Münster, completed a therapy training and also engaged himself with the topic of personnel development. The first professional experience he gained was at the university counseling center and in the psychological service of the prison system  as a therapist. "That was exciting and fascinating. But doing this job for a lifetime, I could not imagine”, says Haubrock. When he was given the opportunity to get a taste of personnel development, the future career direction was set for him.

After his doctoral graduation in Business Psychology he worked as Management Consultant in the food industry and as HR and Marketing Manager at a large medium-sized bakery chain. But in the back of his mind there still was the idea to go and work at a university.

“It was a big coincidence that I was in Aalen to advise a bakery business back then. Shortly after that the President at the time, Prof. Dr. Dr. Ekbert Hering, suggested the founding of the course of studies ‘Business Administration for small and medium-sized enterprises’(SMEs) – and therefore they were looking for professors”, tells Haubrock, who then took over the professorship “Human Resource Management and Economic Psychology”.

“In the beginning there were only the three of us and we built up the course of studies”, he remembers and adds laughing “that was a real pioneer feeling.” For 17 years he has been teaching at the Aalen University, from 2003 to 2010 he was head of the course of Business Administration for small and medium-sized enterprises studies and has been Vice President since 2010. But with the ending of this summer semester it’s back to pioneer spirit for him – the 53 year old is changing to the University of Bielefeld to lead the Bachelor’s Program “Business Psychology” and to establish a corresponding Master’s Program.

Challenge

Prof. Dr. Alexander Haubrock likes to look back on his time in Aalen. “Aalen University has made a huge development in the recent years”, he emphasizes in terms of the development of student numbers as wells as in terms of research being done. “Ten years strongest research University of Applied Sciences in Baden-Wuerttemberg, that’s a great thing.”

Furthermore the University has become part of the region. “When I came here in 1999, there were strong reservations, today the ties have become much closer”, which Haubrock is very happy about.

He is grateful towards the university: “It has given me the opportunity to do something unbelievable: to develop myself into the role of being a professor. “ Especially the cooperation with the students was a steady, positive challenge. “I like challenge”, Haubrock says casually, “not because the students are difficult but because they give me something: They change which means I have to change myself too. After all you can’t do the same thing all these years.” There they are again – the constant developments and changes in the moving life of Prof. Dr. Alexander Haubrock.