NÜRTINGEN (hfwu). Hospital, teacher training college, Nazi training center, Protestant educational establishment, engineering school and finally university of applied sciences. Today’s Nürtingen-Geislingen University (NGU) has a rich history shaped by a series of predecessor institutions. The story of NGU began 75 years ago with the founding of the Höhere Landbauschule (Higher College of Agriculture) in Nürtingen. This milestone marked the start of the history of today's NGU. The anniversary celebrated in style at the Nürtingen town hall where 600 guests gathered for the event. Among them were many celebrities, first and foremost Minister President Winfried Kretschmann. A panel discussion focused on the future of universities.

"In its 75-year history, NGU has established itself as an excellent and globally networked educational institution that offers a first-class study and research environment," said the Minister President in his speech. The university is a strong driving force for economic development, securing a skilled workforce and ecological sustainability in the region. "Our wealth are the minds of young people - this is once again perfectly demonstrated here". Dr. Hariolf Teufel, Chairman of the University Council of the HfWU, and the Mayor of Nürtingen and Chairman of the University Association, Dr. Johannes Fridrich, had previously welcomed the guests.

NGU is part of a long tradition of educational institutions in Nürtingen dating back to the late Middle Ages. However, this was not a solid foundation on which to build. "The first 50 years until the Geislingen site was preserved were characterized by existential struggles; in the last 25 years, the focus has been on the expansion and further development of degree courses, further education programmes, branding and profiling, the assumption and integration of additional functions and tasks as well as the improvement of the spatial situation," said Prof. Dr. Andreas Frey, Rector of the university.

Founded in 1949, the College of Agriculture became the State College of Agricultural Engineering in 1965. A few years later, the range of courses on offer was expanded to include land management and business administration, Frey reported in his review of the university's history. In 1972, the institution became the "Nürtingen University of Applied Sciences", including the courses in business administration, landscape conservation and agriculture.

However, the question of its continued existence was by no means settled. In the same year, the state government made plans to transfer the university to the University of Hohenheim. For several years, the university's fate hung in the balance. Much depended on a new building in the Braike district of Nürtingen, which had been planned since the early 1960s. Without this expansion, the university’s move to Hohenheim would have been unavoidable, and the Nürtingen University of Applied Sciences might have ceased to exist.

The expansion took things a big step further. As part of the state government’s push for regionalization in education, a new department was established in Geislingen. In March 1988, the Business Administration course started there with 45 students. As in Nürtingen, the future in Geislingen was initially built on clay feet rather than a firm foundation - although the location was developing very well. It was not until 1996 that the Science Council gave the green light and the Geislingen site was saved.

Another milestone in the university's history was the integration of the Nürtingen University of Art Therapy (HKT) with its art and drama therapy courses in 2016. For the first time, all three pillars of sustainability - economic, ecological and now also social - were united under the umbrella of the "University of Applied Sciences for Business and Environment". "Since then, the NGU has rightly been described as a model university for sustainable development," emphasized Andreas Frey. Today, with 5,200 students, NGU is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Germany.

The speeches were followed by a panel discussion on the "Future of universities and their students". The rector of NGU discussed future "skills, opportunities and challenges" with Prof. Dr. Jörg Bagdahn, Vice President of the German Rectors' Conference, Michael Kaiser, Managing Director of Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart (the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation), Christian Mohr, Managing Director of UnternehmerTUM Projekt GmbH and Nadine Speidel, Managing Director of Global Flow GmbH. The ceremony in the packed Nürtingen town hall was accompanied by a lively performance from the university choir, conducted by Thimo Härter. The final piece was greeted with long and enthusiastic applause for the brilliant performances.