The Lüneburg University Society

Forging a strong alliance with the city

The University Society of Lüneburg brings the science of Leuphana and civil society in the city and region into a lively dialogue. Through innovative forms of encounter, it offers opportunities for exchange and understanding between members of the university, citizens, public institutions, companies, politics and administration.

Tuesday-lectures with the University Society

The lecture format of the ‘University Society Tuesdays’ brings university life in Lüneburg closer to citizens interested in science and research. Twice each semester, the University Society organises a series of four weekly consecutive lectures in which Leuphana scholars present their research and projects.
The free lectures take place in the Museum Lüneburg and are also streamed live. In the subsequent discussion round, which is part of the event format, committed citizens can ask questions on a wide range of topics that concern them. Members of the society receive personal invitations to upcoming lectures in good time.

Germany Scholarship for dedicated and talented students

The University Society has been supporting the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship programme at Leuphana since 2020. The scholarship holders it is supporting, are characterised by their special commitment to connecting the university and civil society and are in regular contact with the University Society.

Honorary Senator Westermann Prize awarded to Lüneburg graduates

Another important goal of the University Society is to publicise the relevance and timeliness of university research and excellent academic achievements and to make visible their benefits for the region. It fulfils this aim by awarding the ‘Honorary Senator Westermann Prize’, which honours outstanding final theses by students. Wilhelm Westermann (1926 - 2012), founder of the Lüneburg men's fashion textile company Roy Robson and honorary senator of the University of Lüneburg, was a co-founder of the University Society and donated the prize named after him in 1996. Saskia Möller, Ismail Hüseyin and Charlotte Wiesner were the most recent recipients of the award in the summer of 2020 for their outstanding bachelor theses, which combine high scientific quality with above-average practical relevance. The next Westermann Prize award ceremony is planned for 2024, november.

Children's university quenches the curiosity of young researchers

The ‘Leuphana Children's University’ takes place regularly on campus with the generous support of the University Society. Dedicated scientists and scholars prepare exciting seminars and questions from their field in a child-friendly way, giving many children their first insight into the world of university-level learning and research. Most recently, in 2019, young citizens conducted research at Leuphana under the motto: ‘How do we make the world fit our needs so that we like it? Together for the future!’ The Children's University is a project particularly close to the University Society's heart, as it promotes young scientific talent. As board chairwoman Heike Düselder says, ’Those who are encouraged to use their own minds at an early stage will also be able to find their way around an increasingly complex world.’

The tradition of the Leuphana Children's University, which had to be interrupted in 2020 due to the coronavirus, is to be resumed in spring 2024 and will be held under the umbrella theme ‘Health – Research – Society’. On four Saturdays, the young researchers will conduct their own experiments and investigations under supervision. The concept of learning through research will help them to better understand the development and forms of diseases, how to avoid them and their effects on our lives. They will also gain the experience that methodical work, precise observation, questioning phenomena, making assumptions about cause-and-effect relationships and testing them through experiments not only creates useful knowledge but is also fun. All children aged 8-12 from the city and region of Lüneburg are invited to participate. They are invited to send their most interesting questions on the topic ‘Health – Research – Society’ in advance to kinderuni@leuphana.de.