Freie Universität Berlin Observes Seventy-Fifth Anniversary
Freie Universität Berlin will be celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary year under the motto “Seventy-five years of free thinking. Building responsibility. Inspiring change.” Many special events will be taking place throughout the year, with the public warmly invited to take part. Some of the highlights of this anniversary year will include events with prominent guests, an official ceremony for the year of celebrations followed by a party, the Long Night of the Sciences, and the Summer Fest and Campus Run. Be sure to check the event calendar on a regular basis, as new events are being added and updated frequently. The latest news and information on the anniversary year can be found on the website https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/sites/75jahre/index.html in both German and English.
“When Freie Universität Berlin was founded seventy-five years ago, freedom was one of its key values and its overarching goal. To this day, we stand for freedom not only in name, but also in action; it is one of our leading principles. Our university is tasked with educating ‘citizens of the world’ – as called for by then US president John F. Kennedy in his speech at Freie Universität sixty years ago. We will be celebrating this anniversary year in an interactive and informative way, with exciting events that will be open to the public, as well as our employees, researchers, students, and instructors. And you can expect one or two surprises along the way! This anniversary year, Freie Universität will be particularly visible within the city of Berlin, while also acknowledging the larger context of the world around us – a world filled with crises and tensions and in which freedom has yet to be achieved to the extent that we, as a ‘free university,’ stand for. This is why we continuously need to reevaluate our position within this world and participate in ongoing discussions of how to shape the university’s image to reflect our values. Part of this includes this year’s fundraising event in aid of the international medical relief organization Médecins Sans Frontières,” says president of Freie Universität Berlin, Professor Günter M. Ziegler.
A Selection of Our Upcoming Anniversary Events in 2023
June 1, 2023, from 4:00 p.m., official ceremony for the seventy-five-year anniversary of Freie Universität Berlin and party: Expect a wide range of guests from across politics, culture, and academia. The ceremony will be followed by a party on campus, complete with DJ, food, and cocktails. Location: in and in front of the Henry Ford Building,Garystraße 35, 14195 Berlin
June 7, 2023, from 5:00 p.m., concert on campus with surprise guest (an up-and-coming German pop singer) and various student bands as opening acts. Location: Square in front of the Holzlaube building, Fabeckstraße 23/25, 14195 Berlin
June 17, 2023, 5:00 p.m.‒12:00 a.m., Long Night of the Sciences on Freie Universität’s campus in Dahlem with spectacular experiments, exciting presentations, tours, and scientific showcases from different fields of research. Location: multiple locations across Dahlem campus, https://www.fu-berlin.de/langenacht
June 29, 2023, from 4:00 p.m., Summer Fest and Campus Run: Freie Universität Berlin’s Executive Board warmly invites all employees and students to this year’s Summer Fest. A big stage with live bands, food, and refreshments awaits, as does an exciting program of events filled with surprises. The annual Campus Run will also take place that day from 4:00 p.m. Registration is already open, and participants can sign up for a distance that best suits their fitness and energy levels (5 kilometers, 7.5 kilometers, or 10 kilometers). The Campus Run is also open to children, who have the opportunity to run their own one-kilometer race before the main event.
December 1, 2023, Ernst Reuter Day, conclusion to the end of the anniversary year with a celebratory speech, exhibition launch, award of the Ernst Reuter Prizes for early-career researchers, and announcement of the total amount raised for Médecins Sans Frontières over the course of the anniversary year.
Freie Universität’s 2023 Fundraising Campaign
Due to its unique history and why it was founded, Freie Universität Berlin is very conscious of its responsibility to society. For this reason, it not only wishes to take this anniversary year as an opportunity to celebrate, but also to focus on the crises currently happening around the world. University members and friends of Freie Universität are therefore encouraged to take part in this year’s special fundraising campaign: “Seventy-Five Years of Free Thinking: Celebrate and Donate” in support of the international medical relief organization, Médecins Sans Frontières