Dr. Antje Stephan has been re-appointed as Chancellor of the University of the Arts Bremen

Dr. Antje Stephan has been re-appointed as Chancellor of the University of the Arts (HfK) Bremen for an additional eight-year term. The Academic Senate unanimously confirmed the recommendation of Rector Prof. Dr. Mirjam Boggasch. On November 11th, State Councillor Irene Strebl officially presented the Chancellor with her certificate of appointment.

 "I am grateful to the Academic Senate, the Rector, the Senator and the State Councillor for the trust they have placed in me. We have made significant progress over the past few years and I look forward to continuing our efforts alongside all members of the university to further develop HfK Bremen as a place of creative thinking and interdisciplinary exchange," said Dr. Antje Stephan.

When presenting the appointment certificate, State Councillor for Environment, Climate, and Science, Irene Strebl, emphasised, “Dr. Stephan has led the HfK with exceptional success in recent years, making it possible to expand Speicher XI even amid financial challenges. I am delighted that we can keep her in Bremen and look forward to our continued cooperation.”

Prof. Dr. Mirjam Boggasch is the Rector of the University of the Arts Bremen, leading the Rectorate. Joining her in the Rectorate are Chancellor Dr. Antje Stephan and Prof. Detlef Rahe, Professor of 3D Design. As Vice-Rector for Networking and International Affairs, Prof. Rahe plays a key role in strengthening interdisciplinary cooperation.

Prof. Dr. Mirjam Boggasch, Rector of the University of the Arts Bremen, stated: “I am deeply grateful that Dr. Antje Stephan will continue to bring her expertise to our university. Her integrity and strategic vision are invaluable to our Rectorate and to the entire HfK. Together, we will shape the future of our institution, creating new and exciting perspectives for artistic education and research.”

Dr. Stephan can look back on a varied and successful professional career. After finishing high school in Bad Bentheim, she studied European Studies at the University of Osnabrück, including a period abroad at the University of Hull in the UK, where she earned a Master of Arts in Modern European Cultures and Societies. She then completed a doctorate in European Studies at the University of Osnabrück, receiving her PhD in Economics and Social Sciences.

Her career began at the Forschungsinstitut Betriebliche Bildung gGmbH in Nuremberg, where, as a research assistant, she contributed to initiatives for the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, including the development of the German Qualifications Framework. In 2009, she joined the University of Passau, taking on leadership roles in national and international research funding and academic networks. She then spent three years as Managing Director of the Graduate Centre at Passau before being appointed Chancellor of the HfK Bremen in 2017, a role she was re-elected to in 2024.