On April 1, 1963, the lecture activity, time when lectures are held or are being held, officially started at the State School of Engineering in Aalen with 32 students. Over the past 60 years, the training center for the next generation of engineers has developed into a research-strong talent factory with five faculties, around 70 degree programmes and over 5,000 students. Aalen University of Applied Sciences is celebrating its anniversary this year under the motto "60 years - connected to the future". The first event (general) will be an Open Day (Open Day and Study Experience Day) on May 6. One week later, on May 12, the 60th anniversary of the institution of higher education will be celebrated in an official ceremony with invited guests from politics, economy, business and scholarshop (allgem.).
Those were turbulent times. The Beatles had their musical breakthrough, US President John. F. Kennedy visited Berlin - and an engineering school was founded in Aalen in 1963. A lot has happened in the past 60 years. The initial 32 students have now grown to over 5,000, who are enrolled on around 70 Bachelor's or Master's degree courses. As an employer, the institution of higher education employs around 600 staff and 160 Professors / Professors. The entire East Württemberg region benefits from the qualified professionals trained at Aalen University of Applied Sciences, its research and the associated knowledge transfer.
Exciting times
In the 1950s, the founding fathers campaigned for many years against stiff resistance for the institution of a state engineering school. In 1963, the time had finally come: the first 32 students were able to begin their Studies on April 1 in barrack-like temporary accommodation on the Galgenberg in Aalen. "Those were exciting times, a real pioneering feeling. In summer it was annoyingly hot and in winter the windows were covered in ice flowers," says former Mechanical Engineering student Rolf Honold, recalling the early days. In 1968, the company moved to its current building in Beethovenstraße. It was designed by architect Günter Behnisch and is now a listed building. One person who was involved in the move is Klaus Hanemann, a former Precision Engineering (now Mechatronics) student: "We didn't even have laboratory labs in the 'barracks' on Galgenberg, but the new building had everything our hearts desired." And he remembers those days: "The student movement was very influential - panel discussions were often heated."
Rapid development
In the years that followed, the institution of higher education developed into the largest educational institution in the Ostalbkreis district. In 1971, the engineering school became a University of Applied Sciences, in 1997 it became Aalen University - School of Engineering und Wirtschaft, and in 2010 it became the University of Applied Sciences. The steady increase in the number of students brought the Behnisch building to the edge of its capacity. And so, in 2006, the new buildings for the Faculties of Electronics & Computer Science and Optics & Mechatronics were opened on the Burren, together with the new library and student residences. The cafeteria, the optometry/audiology building and, in 2015, the INNO-Z innovation center were later added to the architectural ensemble. And the excavators rolled in again around Beethovenstraße, this time for the new Great Hall and lecture hall building. The explorhino hands-on museum was opened opposite the Cafeteria in 2018, followed by the research buildings in 2020. And the institution of higher education is currently in another historic development phase. The Waldcampus, the new home for Management and Business Science and the International Center, is currently under construction and will connect Beethovenstrasse and Burren to form a joint Campus from this autumn.
In exchange with the economy, business and society
As an important catalyst for innovation, the institution of higher education provides crucial impetus for the future viability of the region. The synergies between the institution of higher education and its regional environment hold enormous potential for innovation. This is also demonstrated by the SmartPro cooperation network, with which the institution of higher education is working with more than 50 partners from the economy, business and scholarshop (including Zeiss, Bosch, Varta and Trumpf) to develop materials and technologies that are particularly energy-efficient. New programmes offered - such as Digital Health Management, Information Design, Sustainability Technologies and Robotics - also respond to current demands from economy, business and society. And, according to University Rector Harald Riegel, "eight endowed professorships are currently impressive proof of the trust that companies and municipal partners place in the institution of higher education".
Whether research, teaching, the extensive programmes offered - also for professionals with the Graduate Campus -, the promotion of junior researchers in the STEM field (of), the development into an international university with over 130 collaborations worldwide or the start-up campus with an active start-up scene - Aalen University of Applied Sciences is an educational institution, true to its anniversary motto: "60 years - connected to the future".
