Graduation ceremony

On Friday, May 17, 2019, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management bade a fond farewell to 151 new Bachelor of Science graduates in Frankfurt´s Paulskirche. The graduation was the last one in Paulskirche due to restructuring measures.

City council Claus Möbius congratulated the new graduates on behalf of the city of Frankfurt. He emphasised Frankfurt School´s importance for the city as an academic centre.

Professor Dr Nils Stieglitz, President of Frankfurt School, officially welcomed the guests on behalf of the business school. “Today is a proud moment, we are celebrating your success. However, this is not the end of your journey because the world is changing. This is why there is a need for lifelong learning”, emphasised Professor Stieglitz. Moreover, he explained that the graduates have to be responsible and make difficult decisions in work life soon. “Our promise is that what you have learned at Frankfurt School will provide guidance for a successful path”, said Nils Stieglitz.

Jörg Hessenmüller, Chief Operation Officer at Commerzbank, who graduated from Frankfurt School in 1997, emphasised how honoured he was to speak at the graduation. “You will be in responsible positions in the future. However, you enter a changing world due to events like Brexit. We have to find out how to change the environment around us. The question is: What can we contribute to make this continent better?”, said the FS alumnus.

On behalf of the Association of Credit Institutions in Frankfurt (IFK), Dr Bettina Orlopp, Member of the Board of Managing Directors at Commerzbank, presented the awards for academic excellence to the year´s top-scoring graduates. This year´s first prize went to Hagen Tarek Lihl, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Second prize went to Anja Brüggen, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and third prize to Lukas Berndt, Bachelor of Science in International Management.

Dr Jutta Buscha-Hagenmüller, Member of the Board of the Professor Dr. Karl Friedrich Hagenmüller-Stiftung, and Professor Dr Franz-Robert Buscha, Professor of Economics at Westminster University, awarded the Professor Dr. Karl Friedrich Hagenmüller Prize to Susanne Geißler, best graduate of the Bachelor of Arts at Frankfurt School in 2018, and Patrick Paech, best graduate of the Certified Banking Specialist Degree.

Following, Professor Dr Nils Stieglitz, Professor Dr Michael Grote, Vice President Academic Affairs and Professor for Corporate Finance at Frankfurt School, as well as Matthias Catón, Programme Director of the Bachelor of Science, presented the new graduates with their degree certificates.

Bachelor graduate Ena Covic presented the student review: “Through our time at Frankfurt School, we became stronger because of working together – on a personal and professional level. We have learned to negotiate and discuss in the field of business and politics. Moreover, our university connected us with many companies which will help our careers.”

Angelika Werner, Vice President Strategic Relations at Frankfurt School, introduced the FS alumni network. She emphasised the importance of staying connected to the business school after graduating. According to her, this will maintain and offer personal networks.