She was the first female Rector of a university of applied sciences in Austria. Over 350 contemporaries and colleagues attended a farewell ceremony held in her honour at IMC Krems to reflect on her outstanding career. Representing the governor of Lower Austria Johanna Mikl-Leitner, provincial councillor for Lower Austria Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister said in her speech: “What Eva Werner has done for the town of Krems and for tertiary education in Austria is amazing.”
Distinguished career in the higher education sector
The hosts for the evening, IMC Krems Executive Management team Ulrike Prommer and Dr. Karl Ennsfellner, began by thanking Eva Werner for everything she has achieved at IMC Krems:
“Eva Werner has been a driving force at this university since day one and has helped to shape it, especially in her time as Rector,” Ulrike Prommer said.
This was followed by warm words from students, graduates, student union representatives and university staff, as well as representatives of the Austrian Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and the OeAD, Austria’s agency for international mobility and cooperation in education, science and research. All of them emphasised the importance of Eva Werner’s work, and the role she has played in developing the university of applied sciences sector and the lasting impact she has had.
“Eva Werner’s main focuses were quality in teaching and promoting internationality at the university. So involvement in activities that transcended national boundaries was very important for her,” commented Karl Ennsfellner.
“Eva Werner was the embodiment of internationality,” added Gerhard Volz, head of the Erasmus and University Education department at the OeAD, highlighting the great contribution Eva Werner had made to internationalisation and international exchange.
There from the start – a treasured university rector
IMC Krems celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and Eva Werner was on the university’s staff almost from the very beginning. She started as a French teacher in 1994, before becoming the Head of the International Department in 1999. In 2010 she became the first female Rector of an Austrian university of applied sciences, after serving as Vice Rector for four years. Eva Werner contributed greatly to the university’s rapid development and continual expansion all the way through her career at IMC Krems, especially in the areas of internationalisation, degree programme development and teaching. “The lecture theatre was my stage,” she said, emphasising how passionate she still is about teaching.
Dedicated to international exchange
In addition to her wide-ranging responsibilities at IMC Krems, Eva Werner has also served on numerous committees and boards at a national and international level. She is currently a member of the board of the Austrian Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (FHK), the chair of the FHK’s International Affairs Committee, a member of the ERASMUS Policy Group and an assessor for international university accreditation and audit processes.
As one of Austria’s first Bologna experts, and the first in the country’s university of applied sciences sector, she was involved in implementing the Bologna Process in both Austria and at European level. In recognition of her international work, she was awarded an honorary professorship by the Moscow International Business School (MIRBIS) and inducted into its Club of Honorary Professors in 2007. In 2015 she received the Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria
