THGA further develops its university structure and reorganises its governance
The TH Georg Agricola University (THGA), Bochum/Germany, is realigning its university structure and, to this end, elected two new academic vice-presidents and the head of the Rese-arch Center of Post-Mining (FZN) at the university’s electoral assembly on 20 May 2026.
Prof. Ludger Rattmann was elected as Vice-President for Studies and Teaching, and Prof. Michael Prange as Vice-President for Research, Development and Transfer. Prof. Christian Melchers was confirmed as head of the FZN.
With this election, THGA is launching a comprehensive organisational development process aimed at restructuring the university’s management structures and decision-making processes. As the only engineering university in the Ruhr region, the THGA combines a long tradition of imparting engineering expertise with a clear focus on major societal challenges such as the energy transition and climate change.
Until now, the university’s academic vice-presidents were also responsible for leading the academic departments. In future, these roles are to be separated organisationally. At the same time, the Executive Board will be streamlined: instead of three, the university will in future work with two academic vice-presidents. The THGA is thus pursuing the aim of more clearly separating strategic management, governance and operational responsibility.
“With these decisions, the THGA is setting an important course for its future development. The University Council expressly welcomes the fact that the university is further developing its structures whilst consistently strengthening its academic profile in the fields of georesources, post-mining and transformation,” explains Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, Chair of the University Council and member of the Executive Board of the RAG-Stiftung.
“I am delighted that we can now jointly launch this important development process for the THGA. I warmly congratulate the elected Vice-Presidents and very much look forward to working with them,” says THGA President Prof. Susanne Lengyel, “At the same time, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Prof. Michael Bendrat, who has held the office of Vice-President for many years with great dedication, for his exceptional commitment to our university. He has made a significant contribution to ensuring that our practice-oriented engineering education enjoys an excellent reputation among companies and partners.”
During a transitional phase, the two newly elected Vice-Presidents will continue to take on the additional responsibility of leading one academic division each. In summer 2026, the first independent head of a research division will be elected. By 2029 at the latest, all research divisions are to be managed independently of the Executive Board. The aim is to strengthen the organisational structure of the academic divisions, to structure decisionmaking processes more clearly and to enable greater participation within the university.
The THGA’s Research Center of Post-Mining is also undergoing a process of change: the facility will be further developed into the Transformation Center for Georesources and Ecology (TGÖ) by 2028. The aim is to strategically expand the THGA’s research activities in the fields of georesources, post-mining, the environment and transformation, and to place the focus on interdisciplinary research.
With these two development processes, the THGA is responding to the growing demands placed on universities in the areas of research transfer and modern university governance. It regards these as key prerequisites for further developing its position as a practice-oriented engineering university in the Ruhr region in the long term. (THGA/MRG)
