Nearly 370 WHU Students Graduate at Festive Ceremonies

September 20, 2024, will remain a special day that 367 graduates of WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management will never forget. Dressed in ceremonial caps and gowns, the 182 undergraduates and 185 master’s students sat before faculty members and families at Vallendar’s civic center, proud of all they had achieved over the past few years.

“You have worked incredibly hard to reach this milestone. Congratulations,” said Professor Christian Andres, Dean of WHU. “At WHU, you have learned much more than economic or business theory. You have learned how to work across international borders, what it means to be part of a team, and how to lead responsibly and with conviction.” In his speech, Andres also emphasized that their studies at WHU started and ended at special times. Many students had begun their studies under the difficult conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and were now graduating as the school’s celebrated its 40^th anniversary.

WHU alumna Verena Hubertz, deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, was also in attendance at the BSc graduation ceremony. She spoke of the path she followed in life, how it had not always been a straight line, and how she had tried out different things before she ultimately founded the successful Kitchen Stories and became active at the Bundestag. She offered her audience words of encouragement: “You have many opportunities ahead of you and have been very well educated at WHU. Use your skills. Go out and explore the world,” said Hubertz, urging the graduates to carve out their own path. And with that, the students took to the stage to receive their degrees from Professor Christian Hagist, Heike Hülpüsch, and Steffen Löv.

During the festivities, the WHU alumni network In Praxi presented its annual Outstanding Thesis Award, endowed with 1,000€. Christian Schilling, Vice Chairman of In Praxi and WHU alumnus himself, honored Vicky Weber, who received the award for her thesis on corporate ESG strategies. Most of the graduates will join In Praxi and become part of a powerful lifelong and international network.

At the MSc graduation, held later in the afternoon, Professor Carl Marcus Wallenburg, Associate Dean Graduate Programs, also congratulated the school’s latest group of alumni. And Dean Andres made special note that, though graduation marks the end of their studies, it is not a permanent goodbye: “Thanks to the close friendships and deep connections that you have forged during your time on campus, you will always be a part of our community and a part of our WHU family.” Dr. Annika von Mutius, co-founder and -CEO of the HR start-up Empion, also gave offered words of wisdom to the alumni, preparing them for the challenges that lie ahead. This year's In Praxi Outstanding Thesis Award for the Master's graduates went to Niklas Sievernich (MSc 2024).

Chun-Zhi Zhong (BSc 2026) and Julius Krippahl (BSc 2025), on piano and guitar respectively, provided musical entertainment for the Bachelor ceremony. The latter was joined by Johannes Danielmeyer (MSc 2024) for the master’s ceremony.