Greeting by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kersten

Dear President and dear colleague Mr. Strothotte,

Congratulations to you and the whole team at Kühne Logistics University (KLU) on your 10th anniversary! It is a great pleasure for me to observe how quickly and successfully KLU has developed over the last 10 years. Because 10 years is a short time span by university standards.

This is what makes KLU so special for me: this young and creative desire to think and move forward, which quickly opens up current research fields and paves the way for modern teaching methods – and does so on a solid academic basis, without neglecting practical applicability. The results are innovative study programs and extensive gains in scientific knowledge. In a short time KLU has not only achieved an excellent standing in the rankings that are so important for today’s academic world, but also a sterling reputation in practice.

However, as important as a university’s academic reputation may be, it’s far from being everything. A university’s image is always particularly shaped by the people who belong to it. On the one hand, this naturally includes the academic staff, which is made up of respected professors and promising doctoral candidates. On the other, there is a team in the administration that actively implements the idea of an efficient and service-oriented private university, from the reception desk to the Chancellor, from Program Management to the President.

But what would a university be without its students? For years I have gotten to know students in KLU’s Master and Executive Programs. I’ve been consistently impressed by their performance, but also by their team spirit and cohesion. It is obvious that they see KLU as an academic home where they can develop not only professionally but also personally.

Of course, KLU is also particularly influenced by its generous sponsor, Mr. Klaus-Michael Kühne. As far back as 2003 he had the foresight to push for academic qualification and thus the future viability of the booming but increasingly complex logistics industry. His personal commitment and the generous support of the Kühne Foundation are further essential ingredients of Kühne Logistics University.

When a young university develops so successfully in just 10 years, it naturally inspires certain hopes and expectations for the future: numerous future-oriented and highly qualified graduates, substantial scientific advances, and active participation in the social discourse on the future of logistics in Hamburg and far beyond. There is no doubt that KLU will continue to meet these high expectations in the future and will enrich Hamburg’s university landscape for the benefit of the economy and society alike.

In this spirit I send you, the whole team and all KLU students my very best wishes for the next 10 years, and look forward to many fruitful collaborations!

Sincerely,
Your Wolfgang Kersten

Director of the Institute of Business Logistics and General Management, Hamburg
University of Technology (TUHH), and Founding President of the Hamburg/Kühne
School of Logistics