Seite 1 von 7 Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg Behörde für Wissenschaft und Forschung DIE SENATORIN Opening Session: European Master in Law & Economics 29 November 2013, 17:00 Uhr, Gästehaus der Universität, Rothenbaumchaussee 34 Es gilt das gesprochene Wort. Prof. Eger, Prof. Frost, Dr. Herrlinger, Prof. Repgen, Prof. Lange, Representatives of the consular corps, Members of the teaching staff and, most of all, dear students,
Seite 2 von 7 I d like to welcome you most cordially to the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. And I am very pleased indeed to be able to extend the best wishes of the Senate to you as well. I hope you had enough time for rest and recuperation during the semester break and to rally plenty of strength. After all, you re going to need it! You have a strenuous year ahead of you. The "European Master in Law & Economics" is a marathon divided up into trimesters. Or, to put it more precisely, it is an academic triathlon. In only two months, you will be sitting your first exams. In only two months, you will have to pack up your things again and move to another city. And then the same thing will happen again in March. Again and again, you will be encountering fascinating people in your field: teachers, students, and those
Seite 3 von 7 working in the fields of law and economics. In science, business, law, politics and administration. And from up to 32 different countries. The impressions and knowledge you will be collecting will need to be processed and stored. Not just for the exams. But also for afterwards. Challenging is the adjective used most often by alumni of the master s programme of the European Master in Law & Economics in their enthusiastic descriptions of the programme. Ladies and Gentlemen, Hamburg is the perfect starting point for a challenging intellectual triathlon like this both figuratively and concretely. Hamburg is an old Hanseatic mercantile city. Very early on, the merchants here developed trade relations in
Seite 4 von 7 extremely remote parts of the world. They needed perseverance and patience to accomplish this. Way back then, you couldn t simply mail a draft of a commercial contract to Peking or La Paz with the simple click of a mouse. You had to wait months, sometimes even years. The perseverance needed for scientific endeavours is also abundant in Hamburg. To begin with, those that prepared the ground for the University demonstrated a great deal of perseverance. For a long time, there was considerable resistance against having a local alma mater. It was only in 1919 that the first freely elected Bürgerschaft our legislative assembly decided to establish a full-scale university, like those that had already existed in other cities in Europe since the Middle Ages.
Seite 5 von 7 Then, however, and up to the present day, a great number of scientists in Hamburg have demonstrated enormous perseverance on a daily basis in pursuing their research objectives achieving impressive results in all disciplines. The same holds true in the fields of law and economics at the University of Hamburg. And naturally also at the other state universities, as well as at the Bucerius Law School and the nonuniversity research institutes, such as the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law. This will certainly demonstrate our intellectual stamina. But you can also train your physical endurance at the University. You are naturally entitled to take advantage of the comprehensive range of university sports that is available.
Seite 6 von 7 As you will see, Hamburg is a great city for endurance sports. You will run into joggers and bike riders on the Alster and the Elbe, in the Stadtpark and in the new park on the former grounds of the International Garden Show in Wilhelmsburg, which has just ended. Swimmers train at the new swimming pool there, in the Alsterschwimmhalle, and in other pools. Every year, the Hamburg Cyclassics, Marathon, and Triathlon take place, plus other smaller races. But good endurance training also has to include relaxation breaks. Take the time to discover the broad range of cultural activities Hamburg has to offer. There are the museums, the theatres, the State Opera, the concerts in the Laeiszhalle, the classical and modern dance productions. Almost all of the cultural facilities offer tickets for students at reduced prices. Ladies and Gentlemen, Fortunately, I know that you are in the best of hands in
Seite 7 von 7 regard to the intellectual triathlon with Prof. Eger and the deans of the associated departments of business and the social sciences, as well as law. They and their staff will do their utmost to support you during your training and will assist and advise you in every way. Prof. Eger, let me take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of everyone involved for the way in which you and your colleagues conduct this exciting and multi-faceted European master s programme at the University of Hamburg with so much commitment and fill the European ideal with life in your area of expertise. And let me address one more word to the students: Should you occasionally lack the motivation for either the intellectual or the physical training you need, just think about it this way: You might get the best ideas while jogging, swimming, cycling or sitting in the opera!