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Stuttgart Incentives

Timeline 1869 - 1978: How "Beauty" came to Stuttgart

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Timeline
United Secondary and Vocational School Vocational School Polytechnical School Polytechnic Royal College of Technology College of Technology Universität Stuttgart

1839 - 1883 Hermann Fehling
Senior teacher of Chemistry and Technology – Professor from 1867 onwards
1869 - 1877 Friedrich Theodor Vischer
Professor of German Literature and Aesthetics
1870 Expansion of the Polytechnical School
A Mathematics and Sciences School and a General School are added to the specialist schools
1876 Name changed to Polytechnic
Moves closer to university status by abolishing the two mathematics pre-school classes and introducing a new entrance qualification (secondary school leaving examination is required)
1878 - 1922 Carl Julius (von) Bach
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
1879 50th Anniversary
Six-day celebration, inauguration of a new building
1882 Electrical Engineering Section established
1882 First large-scale acquisition of third-party funding
Establishment of the Materials Testing Institute with the help of a donation of 10,000 marks from the surplus from the State Trade Exhibition
1884 - 1899 Expansion of general subjects
In the wake of the recession, a two-year course for candidates from the higher ranks of the railway, post and telegraph services is founded to fill lecture theatres; introduction of courses in Economics and Law
1885 Post-Doctoral Examination Regulations Enacted
1890 Renamed Stuttgart Royal College of Technology
1895 - 1914 Expansion and new sites
Economic upturn allows new buildings to be built for the Chemistry and Electrical Engineering institutes; new buildings for the Materials Testing Institute and the Engineering Laboratory are built in Stuttgart-Berg due to a lack of space on the original site
1900 Right to confer Dr.-Ing. doctorates
Right to confer Dr.-Ing. doctorates is awarded to colleges of technology after year-long disputes between universities, colleges of technology and state governments
1905 Women first allowed to enter higher education
Women are admitted to study at Stuttgart
1906 Seat in the Württemberg parliament
The Vice-Chancellor of the college is given a seat in the First Chamber, the parliament of Württemberg, thus placing the college on a par with the University of Tübingen
1909 Debate on the humanities, part 1
Debate in the state parliament on the future of the humanities at the College of Technology; decision is taken to maintain the humanities to guarantee study opportunities in the Stuttgart area
1911 Founding of a Chair for Airship Aviation, Aeronautic Engineering and Automotive Engineering
1912 Golden Chain of Office
Golden Chain of Office and title of "Magnificence" is awarded to the Vice-Chancellor of the college, thus placing it on a par with the University of Tübingen
1918 Renamed Stuttgart College of Technology
1921 Stuttgart Student Support Association
Merger of various support organisations into "Stuttgart Student Support Association", the predecessor of the Students' Association
1921 Democratisation of the college
Foundation of the General Student Board (AStA); new college constitution, including election of Vice-Chancellor by Full Professors, election of section heads by professors
1922 General Section receives right to confer PhD
General Section (Humanities) is also awarded the right to confer doctorates, thus placing the college on a par with the University of Tübingen
1923 Foundation of the Association of Friends of the College of Technology
The aim of the association is "... to support Stuttgart College of Technology in training its students and in its academic research work, and to provide funding to that aim, as well as to provide teaching aids and equipment in natura that cannot be provided by the state."
First chairman: Robert Bosch
1924 Foundation of the German University Ring
Exclusion of all students of "non-German origin" from the Ring leads to a consolidation of racist thinking
1925 Introduction of compulsory physical exercise
Intermediate Diplomas are only awarded to those who have taken part in physical exercise courses for two semesters
1926 - 1931 Debate on future location of college
The aim is to create a central university complex at a new site; locations considered are the Rosenstein Park, Hohenheim, Weißenhof, Degerloch and Ludwigsburg.
The global economic crisis puts an end to the relocation and expansion plans.
1929 100th anniversary
Association of Friends of the College donates 670,000 Reichsmarks on the occasion of the anniversary; a donation of 100,000 Reichsmarks is made by an anonymous "other party" for guest lectures by external academics
1931 Introduction of one-year compulsory work duty
Compulsory work duty is introduced in view of the global economic crisis, mass unemployment and a "surplus of academics"
1933 Honorary doctorate for Hitler
Stuttgart College of Technology awards Hitler an honorary doctorate; however, Hitler refuses to accept the title
1933 Expulsion of university members of Jewish origin
The "Law on the Restoration of the Civil Service" provides the legal basis for the expulsion
1933 Introduction of the "Führer Principle"
The Vice-Chancellor is the head of the college and is appointed by the Württemberg Minister of Culture (from 1935 by the German minister for Education); he in turn nominates the Deans
1934 Introduction of lectures on National Socialism
Lectures cover Germans abroad, racial hygiene, military science and other subjects
1934 "Constitution of the German Student Body" comes into force
"The German Student Body represents all students ... Its main objective is to educate the students to be honourable and true German men and to serve the people and state with commitment and selflessness through compulsory SA service, work duty, and political training."
1935 Guideline on the Standardisation of the College Administration
Central control of all higher education institutions from Berlin by the German Ministry for Science and Education
1936 - 1968 Adolf Leonhard
Professor of Electrical Engineering (suspended between 1946 and 1952)
1941 Minor Reform
The five Sections are reorganised into three Faculties (Natural Sciences, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering) in preparation for the foundation of a Württemberg Central University (a merger of Hohenheim, Stuttgart and Tübingen) planned by the National Socialists
1941 - 1947 Evacuation of institutes
Relocation of individual institutes to locations such as Neckarhausen, Tailfingen and Schwäbisch Gmünd
1944 Air raids on Stuttgart
Most of the college buildings and facilities are destroyed
1945 Refectory and food for students
A student refectory is built from private contributions; the city of Stuttgart sponsors 10 free tables a week (2.75 RM) and provides trucks for the delivery of food; lunches made available in companies and private homes; Hoover food programme financed by American donations
1946 Stuttgart College of Technology reopens
after a 10-month break in teaching
1946 - 1947 Reconstruction duty
Prospective students are required to perform 6 - 8 months of reconstruction duty before studying at the college
1946 - 1948 Denazification process
Measures are taken to rid the college of supporters of National Socialism
1947 Students' Association is refounded
1949 - 1978 Max Bense
Professor of Philosophy and Theory of Science
1950 General Studies programme is launched
1950 College Advisory Committee is created
Consists of representatives of the college, state government, the city and the business community; its objective is to strengthen links between the college and the public
1954 The "Stuttgart Miracle"
Reconstruction of destroyed and damaged institutes from state funding, and grants by the city, the refounded Association of Friends of the College of Technology, the German Donors' Association for the Promotion of the Sciences and the Humanities, and the German Research Foundation (DFG); construction of a student hall of residence from an endowment by the US-German Max Kade; construction of a new student refectory
1955 - 1957 New sciences site at Pfaffenwald
A lack of space at the college leads to a new site debate; in 1956 the state government decides on the Pfaffenwald site; building of the first institute starts in 1957
1957 - 1977 Käte Hamburger
Professor of Literature and Aesthetics
1961 K I building opened
Inauguration of the K I (Kollegiengebäude 1) building and the university library in the city centre
1963 Expansion plan / teaching qualification courses
The Senate approves an expansion plan to allow teaching qualification courses to be held and to offer students of the music and arts academies the opportunity to study a subsidiary subject as part of a teaching qualification
1964 K II building opened
Inauguration of the K II building in the city centre
1964 - 1990 Frei Otto
Founder and head of the Institute for Light Two-Dimensional Structures (IL)
1967 Renamed Universität Stuttgart
1968 Higher Education Law
  • The differentiation within the university between the groups of professors, non-professorial staff and students is removed
  • Non-professorial staff and students are given decision-making rights
  • 3 Faculties transformed into 19 Sections
1969 "Higher Education Plan I"
Expansion of the university (in terms of student capacity), especially in the so-called "humanities mass subjects"
1972 "Higher Education Plan II"
Proposed reorganisation of the Universität Stuttgart and subjects into three "university sectors" within Stuttgart (subdivided into subject areas). This plan was not put into effect.
1972 - 1993 Karl-Wolfgang Mundry
Professor of Botany
1973 Amendment of the Higher Education Law
Reduction of university autonomy
1976 - 1977 "Structural Plan"
  • shift from university expansion plans towards a cost-cutting policy
  • humanities are almost abolished (especially teaching qualification courses)
  • after fierce protests the continued existence of the humanities is ensured and only moderate cuts are made

 

To chapter
Friedrich Theodor Vischer ... in Tübingen
... in Stuttgart
... and aesthetics
Käte Hamburger: ... Epic preterite
... Aesthetic truth
Max Bense: ... Programming beauty
... Aesthetics and technology
The legacy of aesthetics
Biography: Friedrich Theodor Vischer
Biography: Käte Hamburger
Biography: Max Bense
Incentive timeline