Sponsors believe in the future of Neustadt as a university location
On Wednesday, May 13, the Student council of the Wine Campus Neustadt honored the support of its long-standing and loyal scholarship donors and sponsors. The WEINCAMPUS CONNECT event entertained with moderated panel discussions on the future of the wine industry, crisis solutions and development opportunities. The afternoon was all about networking. Numerous representatives from the wine industry, the city of Neustadt and the business world sought to exchange ideas with the students.
The core of the event was the scholarship award ceremony. The Neustadt-based Meininger Verlag has been supporting students at the Wine Campus since it was founded in 2009, providing financial support for student stays abroad, excursions, students in emergency situations or young parents. In addition, part of the money goes towards the financial support of two students with the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship of €3,600 each. Meininger Verlag has always been committed to supporting Wine Campus students, the future generation of young talent. Christian Wolf explained that the publishing house employs many women and is aware of the challenges of balancing family and career. The Karl-Josef-Wagner-Foundation ofSektkellerei Schloss Wachenheim also supports three students with a Deutschlandstipendium. A Germany Scholarship runs for one year and generally consists of 50% funding from private companies and 50% funding from the federal government. In addition, the Soroptimisten Club Frankenthal provides a scholarship that exclusively supports female students and doctoral candidates. Student Magnus Hexamer asked Kerstin Sauer why the club is specifically committed to promoting women. "I am convinced that teams are only successful if they are diverse. Wine Campus graduate Ria Eitel is one of our scholarship holders. She is the new District Managing Director of the Rhineland-Palatinate South Farmers' and Winegrowers' Association. We are very proud of her and look forward to welcoming future scholarship holders!"Josephine Maino is this year's scholarship holder and received €1000 for her outstanding academic achievements. Maino is in the 6th semester of the dual Bachelor's degree course in Viticulture and Enology.
The students discussed the future of the wine industry with Reinhold Hörner, President of the Palatinate Winegrowers' Association and Vice President of the Rhineland-Palatinate Chamber of Agriculture, and Dirk Gerling, Managing Director of the Rhineland-Palatinate South Farmers' and Winegrowers' Association. The association and chamber are united behind the dual study model of the Wine Campus and see it as a decisive lever for the quality offensive in future viticulture. Student Mathis Ruth asked Dirk Gerling about the necessary future development steps for the Wine Campus. "In the association, we are looking for well-trained junior staff. I think the Master's degree programs at the Wine Campus are a sensible further development to generate more know-how, innovative strength and research for the future of Rhineland-Palatinate viticulture," said Gerling. President Hörner added that "there will still be enough prospects in viticulture in the future ifgood work is done." Both protagonists motivated the students to stand up for their profession and get involved in social policy.
Representatives of the City of Neustadt, the Neustadt Economic Development Corporation, the Neustadt Housing Association, the Willkomm Community, the Neustadt Community Foundation and the university chaplaincy discussed with the students the importance of the Wine Campus and its young people for the city of Neustadt, studying in rural areas, student housing concepts and the public commitment of students. There was agreement that the Wine Campus students can expect support in many respects. Katrin Henneke, Managing Director of WEG, stated with great conviction that "despite the current problems in the economy, the students of the Wine Campus should focus on the opportunities that arise in every crisis. The city of Neustadt promotes start-ups and supports solutions for business succession." It became clear that the students of the Wine Campus Neustadt are not only welcome, but also have professional opportunities and prospects.
