President Dr. Alexandra Bormann with the new ambassador for elite sports, HFU alumnus and Olympic champion Dr. Georg Hettich, and Thorsten Schelling, representative for elite sports at Furtwangen University. Image: HFU
Supporting Furtwangen University's commitment to combining study and competitive sport
Furtwangen University (HFU) is further expanding its commitment to combining degree study and competitive sports − President Dr. Alexandra Bormann has appointed Olympic champion Dr. Georg Hettich as the official ambassador for HFU's elite sports programme.
With this programme, the university enables athletes to successfully combine top athletic performance with a demanding course of study. Flexible study plans through specific regulations in the examination regulations and close cooperation with the Freiburg-Black Forest Olympic Training Center ensure that athletes can pursue both an athletic career and an academic education.
“Top-level sport has a home at Germany's highest university. Furtwangen University offers competitive athletes attractive, flexible study conditions that are anchored in the examination regulations, as well as specific advice and comprehensive support during their studies,” emphasises President Dr. Alexandra Bormann. “Dr. Georg Hettich studied here himself. With him, we are gaining an outstanding top athlete and supporter who embodies the values of our university in a particularly appealing way and sends a strong signal about the compatibility of sports and studies. I watched his Olympic run live on television back then. That creates a bond, and I am extremely excited about working together!”
“When I was a student, it was unusual in winter sports to combine competitive sports with a degree outside of government organisations. I benefited greatly from the support of the university,” said Hettich during the ceremony marking his appointment. As the 2006 Olympic champion in Nordic combined, winner of a total of four Olympic medals and numerous national and international titles and championships, the Black Forest native wants to use his role as ambassador to “encourage young athletes to pursue both paths with passion and determination and to benefit from the structurally anchored support at the university.”
After graduating from the former “Medical Engineering” degree programme at HFU and ending his competitive sports career, Hettich earned his doctorate at the University of Freiburg. Hettich has now been working for ten years as a development engineer at the medical technology company Aesculap in Tuttlingen and is currently pursuing his post-doctorate.
With the appointment of Dr. Georg Hettich, Furtwangen University is underlining its long-term strategy of opening up the best prospects for athletes – both in the lecture hall and in top-class sport.