The jury referred to the University of Bonn's great success in the Excellence Strategy. The decision reads: "The outstanding current success is largely based on interdisciplinary profiling in research. In a renewal process, that started in 2016, six transdisciplinary research areas have been jointly identified with professors from the university, addressing central research questions of the future. The jury regards Professor Hoch's course as successful and emphasises that he has succeeded in bringing the University of Bonn together by overcoming faculty boundaries and through interdisciplinary cooperation. "Michael Hoch spreads a positive, contagious 'spirit' with quiet authority," says Ulrich Müller, Head of Political Analysis at the CHE and member of the jury: "Central research questions of the future do not adhere to disciplinary boundaries, which is why it is important to him to motivate the University of Bonn to emphasize interdisciplinary cooperation. In a relatively short period of time, Hoch succeeded in getting many people at the university enthusiastic about it."
The "University Manager of the Year" award has been presented jointly by the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT and the CHE Centre for Higher Education Development since 2013. The nominated finalists for the award were selected in three stages: After a pre-selection based on performance indicators of the universities, surveys of the university management on leadership understanding and activities as well as on the management environment in the university were carried out. A jury then selected six persons for the final on the basis of the results. Professor Hoch was finally chosen this year.
The Chairman of the University Council of the University of Bonn, Prof. Dr. Dieter Engels, congratulated Prof. Hoch on his award: "The fact that the University of Bonn can now call itself 'University of Excellence' is due first and foremost to Michael Hoch. He is the architect and the motor of this success! He has managed to mobilize a team spirit throughout the university and across all the groups that is captivating for everyone. This is an achievement that cannot be overestimated."
The Provost of the University, Holger Gottschalk, also confirms this perception: "We, the Rectorate, experience Michael Hoch as a gifted team player who knows how to align the most diverse characters with common goals. This special leadership style of the Rector is evident everywhere: whether in his daily work at the Rectorate, at committee meetings or in discussions with our partners outside the university. That's something we all value very much about him".
In spite of so much praise, the honoured man remains modest: "I am delighted with the great recognition that has been bestowed on me, and above all on the people with whom I have been able to advance our university in recent years. Our success in the Excellence Strategy is at the same time an obligation and our approved proposal is a promise that we can now pursue with a lot of tailwind," says Rector Hoch.