Customer focus and service quality for students, support services, affordable housing and much more. With these goals in mind, business graduate Edith Hein took over the management of Studierendenwerk (StuWe) Tübingen-Hohenheim from her predecessor Oliver Schill on 1 December 2023. “I am relying above all on my future employees,” explains the new Managing Director. “In view of the changed reality of students’ lives and economic challenges such as rising building costs and inflation, such plans can be realised above all if we see ourselves as a team.” At the beginning of her term of office, she plans to visit all StuWe facilities to exchange ideas with employees.
“The work of the Studierendenwerk is a very important factor in providing our students with a good environment and enabling them to study successfully,” emphasises Prof. Dr Peter Grathwohl, Chairman of the StuWe Administrative Board. The Rector of the University of Tübingen, Prof. Dr Karla Pollmann, emphasises: “The services provided by the Studierendenwerk, from running the halls of residence and canteens to childcare and advice in crisis situations, are essential for the success of the universities. We are therefore very much looking forward to the important collaboration with Ms Hein as the new Managing Director and wish her a good start.”
“Ms Hein’s many ideas reflect her claim that she wants to enrich student life in the university region and provide new impetus,” adds Prof Dr Stephan Dabbert, Rector of the University of Hohenheim. “We look forward to a close and fruitful collaboration and are convinced that it will master the challenges of our time.”
The Administrative Board of the Studierendenwerk also thanks the outgoing manager Oliver Schill. He initially took over the management of the Hohenheim Student Union in 2005 and was then appointed Managing Director of the Tübingen and Hohenheim Student Unions, which merged on 1 January 2007.
New manager builds on experience with students and social issues
After studying Business Administration at the University of Trier, which she completed in 1999 with a degree in Business Administration, Edith Hein began her professional career at a provider of health and care facilities and at the Diocesan Caritas Association in Trier. After working for the Diocese of Aachen for many years, she gained three years of experience as Deputy Managing Director at the Trier Student Services Organisation.
She also has industrial experience – from December 2021 until her current appointment, she was responsible for the companies Robert Aebi Landtechnik GmbH (agricultural machinery) and werwie GmbH (road construction machinery) as commercial manager and authorised signatory.
“Studierendenwerk must respond to changing realities of life”
“Our task is not only to offer students services, but also to create an environment in which they can study happily and successfully,” emphasises Edith Hein. “A key aspect of this is affordable housing. This is a top priority, especially for our international students.” It is also important to improve and – if possible – expand support services such as daycare places, BAföG counselling and advisory support in difficult life situations.
“We also need to adapt to the fact that the reality of students’ lives has changed, for example due to digitalisation and more flexible study habits. For us, this could mean, for example, making our catering services more flexible in order to respond to changing needs.”
“We will utilise room for manoeuvre for the benefit of students”
At the same time, the overall economic situation poses new challenges for the Studierendenwerke in particular: “The good years for property developers are over. Construction financing and inflation are becoming a major issue. For us, this means a balancing act: we have to find ways to achieve our goals without overburdening students with student union fees.”
With this in mind, Ms Hein would like to express her special thanks to her predecessor: “Mr Schill led the Studierendenwerk with a great deal of expertise and leaves behind a house that is in very good financial shape. This opens up a certain amount of room for manoeuvre for us, which we must use for the benefit of the students.”
“The value of each individual in our team is the key to success”
However, Edith Hein sees the creativity and enthusiasm of her employees as crucial to the success of her goals. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know all the great teams at our locations and facilities in person and engaging in direct dialogue,” says Edith Hein. “With our work, we all provide an important service to society and a young, hopeful generation. A strong sense of community and recognising the value of each individual in our team are the keys to success.”
The press release as PDF for download.