The death of the long-standing Lord Mayor of Stuttgart, Manfred Rommel, was received with sadness and dismay at the University of Stuttgart. The senate had awarded Manfred Rommel the honorary fellowship in 2004 for his various services to the community and international understanding as well as for his promotion of tolerance and liberty. Manfred Rommel advocated a close and fruitful relationship between the city and university for decades.
Prof. Wolfram Ressel, Rector of the University of Stuttgart, paid tribute to Manfred Rommel’s work in an obituary:
“We mourn an honorary citizen, who gave long-lasting impulses to the academic life of our
university with his liberal humanity. He was instrumental in maintaining close links between the
city and the university by setting up the series “University in the Town Hall” as a forum for the
citizens of Stuttgart. He made a decisive contribution towards Stuttgart being known today as a
city of science both nationally and internationally.
In his universal way of thinking, it was always of utmost importance to him that the
university maintained an interdisciplinary research approach. In this respect he promoted setting
up a centre for cultural sciences and cultural theory that was extended to become an international
centre of cultural and technical research. We mourn an honorary citizen who was held in high esteem
in the academic world thanks to his openness, tolerance and integrity.”
Further information:
Dr. Hans-Herwig Geyer, University of Stuttgart, Head University Communication and Press
Spokesperson,
Tel. 0711/685-82555, Email: hans-herwig.geyer (at) hkom.uni-stuttgart.de