Iris Litty unanimously elected as the new Chancellor of the University of Siegen
The University of Siegen has appointed a new head of administration - with Iris Litty as the new Chancellor. The University Election Assembly, half of which is made up of members of the Senate and half of the University Council, elected Iris Litty unanimously in the first ballot. The University has thus successfully completed the procedure for filling the position of Chancellor after Chancellor Ulf Richter moved to the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) on January 1, 2025. His successor will be Iris Litty, previously Chancellor of the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Rhineland-Westphalia-Lippe. Her term of office is eight years.
As required when filling this position, Iris Litty still has to be appointed by the Ministry of Culture and Science (MKW). The process was prepared by a search committee. It had submitted an election proposal to the university election meeting and unanimously nominated Iris Litty for election on a single list.
"I am totally overwhelmed and immensely pleased about the trust expressed in the election result and the respectful treatment throughout the entire application process. I have experienced a strong sense of unity at the University of Siegen, a very high level of motivation and solidarity with this university. I see this as great motivation and I look forward to everything that is to come and what we can achieve together," said Iris Litty after the election result was announced.
"Today shows once again that the University of Siegen is on the right track. The convincing election result sets an example and shows that we are united in Siegen. We are determined to shape a positive future together: With trust, appreciation and the willingness to make target-oriented decisions together," explains Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Risch, spokesperson of the search committee and Chairman of the University Council.
"I am very pleased about the outstanding election result for Ms. Litty. I look forward to our collaboration at the top of the university with great anticipation. There is a lot to do and we will tackle and master the many tasks together with the entire Rectorate. The successful election was an important step for the further development of our university," said Prof. Dr. Stefanie Reese, Rector of the University of Siegen.
Until Iris Litty takes office, Andreas Düngen will continue to hold the office of Chancellor on an interim basis and manage the business.
Prior to the election, Iris Litty gave a 30-minute presentation followed by a question and answer session at the University Election Assembly. She saw strengths in the regional anchoring with an international focus, research strength and diversity of subjects, among other things. She identified mobility, especially accessibility by public transport, and the financial framework conditions as challenges. Iris Litty sees great opportunities in the lighthouse project "Siegen. Knowledge connects" and is also looking forward to working with the city in this context.
The Chancellor is responsible for economic and personnel administration and, as budget officer, is responsible for managing the university budget.
Personal details
Iris Litty was born in Bielefeld and is a very experienced, broad-based university manager. She studied law at Bielefeld University and passed her first state law examination in 1999. After her legal clerkship at Bielefeld District Court, she passed the second state law examination. She also obtained an additional qualification as a business lawyer (IDB). After holding positions at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Bielefeld University, she established the newly founded Research Funding Department at Bochum University of Applied Sciences. She then took over the management of the legal department at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, one of the largest universities in North Rhine-Westphalia. Iris Litty has been Chancellor of the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Rhineland-Westphalia-Lippe in Bochum since 2020. In her more than twenty years working at universities of applied sciences and universities, one of her main concerns has been to shape agile university development in the administrative sector as well. Digitalization is an important tool for this. Iris Litty is 50 years old, married and the mother of a grown-up son.
Steps taken so far in the process
The election was prepared by a search committee consisting of three members of the Senate and three members of the University Council. The members of the search committee for the Senate are Prof. Dr. Britta Thörle, Dr. Ute Wagner and Thomas Wienkamp. The members of the University Council are Dagmar Schulze-Lange, Prof. Dr. Friederike Welter and Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Risch. The spokesperson for the selection committee is Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Risch, the deputy is Dr. Ute Wagner.
More than 20 candidates applied for the position. As is usual in such procedures for filling high-ranking management positions, the University engaged a recruitment agency to accompany the process. Following the public advertisement, the search committee, with the support of the recruitment agency, reviewed the applications received, held interviews with potential candidates and finally submitted the election proposal to the University Election Assembly.
The University Election Assembly is made up of all members of the Senate and the University Council of the University of Siegen. Prof. Dr. Peter Krebs is the Chairman of the University Election Assembly.
