25 Years of Full Steam Ahead for Students

In 2000, Hochschule Offenburg sought out professionals from the business world to serve on the then-newly established Advisory Board of the Graduate School. Their role was to advise the university on all matters pertaining to the international master’s programs. Jürgen Joseph’s boss at the time at Badische Stahlwerke in Kehl, Prof. Dr. Horst Weitzmann, decided: “Jürgen Joseph could do that.” That’s how Jürgen Joseph—energy manager at Badische Stahlwerke and managing director of ECG Energie Consulting GmbH—came into contact with Hochschule Offenburg. And his membership on the Advisory Board quickly led to more.

The industrial engineer, whose dream job had originally been to become a teacher, became a lecturer in the international master's program in Energy Conversion & Management, which is now called Renewable Energy and Data Engineering (RED). Since then, he has been the constant presence guiding the program from start to finish—a figure to whom even the Deans of Studies, who have changed over the years, have turned—and continue to turn—for advice. Joseph played a key role in introducing the dual-degree program, even traveling twice to Chile to the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Valparaíso; he is committed to the continuous development of the curriculum, facilitates internships for students, thesis projects, and sometimes even jobs at ECG; he fills in when positions are vacant, recruits new adjunct instructors, and delivers his lectures reliably and on time every semester. For this outstanding volunteer commitment, Jürgen Joseph was awarded an honorary professorship in 2006. “But what I enjoy most is seeing the students’ puzzled faces at the beginning and hearing their applause at the end,” says Joseph, who always brings an ECG staff member to his lectures because it’s even more fun with two people and that person can step in if he’s ever unable to attend. With so much dedication, it’s no surprise that, once again, no one failed his most recent final exam. And because his topic—“How can I secure energy for my business in an affordable way?”—will remain relevant in the coming years, Jürgen Joseph has no intention of stopping anytime soon.  

“It’s important that adjunct professors like Jürgen Joseph have real-world experience; the students appreciate that,” emphasized the current RED Dean of Studies, Prof. Dr. Jörg Bausch, during a small ceremony. “And in addition to his involvement on the Advisory Board and as a lecturer, Jürgen Joseph has also taken on the chairmanship of the RIZ Energie Donors’ Circle, which supported the development of the Research and Innovation Center of Energy Technology from 2016 to 2025,” added Prof. Dr. Jens Pfafferott, who is primarily responsible for RIZ Energie on behalf of the University. Currently, Jürgen Joseph serves as chair of the board of trustees for the pepperMINT Foundation—the Hochschule Offenburg initiative that promotes young talent in STEM fields. He is also a member of the board of trustees. As a small token of appreciation for his wide-ranging commitment, Chancellor Dr. Bülent Tarkan then presented Jürgen Joseph with a certificate recognizing his 25 years as a lecturer and a gift basket on behalf of Hochschule Offenburg.