On 1 March 2026, Prof. Julia Schnitzer, Professor of Digital Media, took up the position of Vice-President for Teaching and International Relations (VP) at Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (THB). The Senate had already elected her by a large majority in December. Julia Schnitzer succeeds Prof. Dr. Vera Meister, who had held the position since September 2022 and during that time provided major impetus for digital teaching and international cooperation.
"Under her leadership, innovative teaching methods were further developed and international projects such as Inter³DNA and ELI Incubator were promoted. She shaped the strategic direction and strengthened the university's international network," the new VP says about her predecessor.
Julia Schnitzer herself is an experienced university manager who served as rector of a private university around ten years ago, where she gained extensive experience in university development, accreditation and internationalisation. "The position of Vice-President offers many opportunities to actively develop teaching and research. That is very appealing to me," she says of her new role.
The focus of her three-year term of office is the implementation of the THB's structural and development plan until 2030. Together with representatives of all university groups, strategic guidelines for the coming years were defined in this plan. For the VP department, this means in particular the further development and establishment of new degree programmes or study formats, as well as innovation in teaching and internationalisation.
As a STEM-oriented university, Julia Schnitzer believes that THB has a special responsibility: "We are training the decision-makers of tomorrow. In addition to technical excellence, they need future skills such as critical and systems thinking, data literacy, technological flexibility, a sense of responsibility and ethical judgement." Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in this context – both as teaching content and as a tool in innovative teaching and learning formats.
The Vice-President believes that sustainable university teaching lies in the intelligent combination of face-to-face and online formats. "Digitalisation offers major advantages because content can be accessed anytime, anywhere in the world and is barrier-free. However, laboratory work, for example, cannot simply be carried out virtually. In addition, we want to prepare our students in a practical, hands-on way and, above all, for the regional job market." The growing demand for online degree programmes – particularly in the fields of computer science and media – shows that both formats have their place. "The market needs both face-to-face and online programmes. Our job is to provide high-quality offerings for both types of demand," says Julia Schnitzer.
Another focus of her term in office is the strategic development of international partnerships. Existing collaborations are to be deepened where cooperation has proven successful – for example, with the TecnoCampus Mataró in Spain. Students are to be encouraged to spend more time abroad. Staff mobility and research collaborations are also to be expanded. "International competitiveness comes from active partnerships – through student exchanges, staff exchanges and joint research projects. In addition to professional skills, stays abroad promote resilience, tolerance and intercultural competence."
Julia Schnitzer describes the biggest challenge of her term in office as striking a balance between large-scale strategic projects and day-to-day operations. "I have many ideas with great potential for THB. The key will be to implement them at the right pace." In doing so, she wants to not only take on institutional responsibility, but also maintain a personal balance. "Balancing work and family life is important – and challenging at the same time."