Transfer at the top of HAW Hessen

There will be a regular transfer at the top of the universities of applied sciences in Hesse (UAS Hessen) on 1 July 2026: Prof Dr Karim Khakzar, President of Fulda University of Applied Sciences, will hand over the spokesperson role to his deputy Prof Dr Arnd Steinmetz, President of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (h_da), after two years. The election took place yesterday at the meeting of HAW Hessen at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Hesse in Darmstadt. Prof. Dr Matthias Willems, president of the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, was chosen as the new deputy.

Term of office characterised by negotiations on the Higher Education Pact
As spokesperson, Karim Khakzar has bundled the interests of the seven universities of applied research in Hesse over the past two years and represented them in dealings with politicians and ministries. He also coordinated inter-university collaboration. His term of office was characterised above all by the difficult and protracted negotiations on the Hessian Higher Education Pact (HHSP) 2026-2031 with the Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts (HMWK) and the subsequent target agreements that each university concludes individually with the ministry. 

"The negotiations on a six-year higher education pact took place in a tense budgetary situation in Hessen. With slightly declining budgets, the universities have to cope with additional expenditure due to high wage settlements, inflation and high energy costs," says Khakzar in retrospect, emphasising however: "Especially in a phase of major financial and structural challenges, it was important to bundle and reliably represent the positions of the Hessian universities of applied research. Close coordination with the Hessian universities and universities of music and art, which are also part of the Higher Education Pact, was also important," emphasises Khakzar, adding: "Despite challenging framework conditions and significant cost increases, the Higher Education Pact 2026-2031 now offers the universities financial planning security for the next six years while at the same time giving them greater autonomy with regard to their own decisions."

"System-integrated engineering" doctoral research centre
Another milestone of the past term of office is the strengthening of scientific qualification programmes at the Hessian HAWs through the inter-university "System-integrated engineering" doctoral research centre, which was established on 1 October 2025. On the occasion of the launch, Khakzar emphasised: "In Germany, the majority of engineering graduates have studied at a UAS. With the right to award doctoral degrees in this field, we are now creating significantly better conditions for applied research at our HAWs in Hessen."

The designated spokesperson for HAW Hessen, Prof. Dr Arnd Steinmetz, outlines the next steps: "I would like to build on what has been achieved and use the upcoming spokesperson role for HAW Hessen to develop the Hessian universities well through the challenging current higher education pact period in close cooperation with the spokespersons of the universities and art colleges."

The members of HAW Hessen thanked Prof Dr Karim Khakzar for his commitment as spokesperson and wished Prof Dr Arnd Steinmetz a successful start to his two-year term of office.