Dear members of Freie Universität Berlin,

Let me begin by wishing all of you a great start to the 2024 summer semester! I would like to extend a special welcome to those of you who are new to our university. We are very excited to have you join our vibrant community.

Freie Universität Berlin has been attracting students, researchers, and staff to Dahlem for over seventy-five years. Today, around 40,000 people work and study here - talented, unique individuals dedicated to science and scholarship. Together we work to shape our university as a place where teaching and studying go hand in hand with social responsibility, where freedom of expression, academic freedom, and the autonomy of universities guide us, and where we reap the benefits of wide-ranging research partnerships and international dialogue.

Over the last months, Freie Universität has felt the effects of the global conflicts taking place in numerous regions of the world. During these times, it is crucial that academic debates about these issues continue to have their place at our university. Indeed, Freie Universität is known for its robust culture of debate, which strengthens our ability to learn with and from one another, to solve problems together, and to promote the advancement of science and society. This lively exchange is what sustains us as a university - we live and breathe it in seminars and lectures, in presentations and discussions, and in one-on-one conversations. These recent debates and controversies will inevitably be a part of the upcoming semester, and that is a good thing. Let us discuss them intensively, while keeping in mind that there are boundaries we must respect and certain things that do not belong to a free and democratic exchange of ideas. For example, antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, discrimination, and calls for violence will not be tolerated at Freie Universität, and those who breach these rules of conduct will face disciplinary measures. We made our stance on this issue clear in an email from the Executive Board on December 5, 2023:       

www.fu-berlin.de/einrichtungen/praesidium/aktuelles/20231208-Mailing-Praesidium.pdf 

How can we make sure that everyone at our university feels safe on campus? One important way to do this is to come together as a community. And we can make our community even stronger by increasing our efforts to listen and speak to one another, to care for one another. We are a community defined by multifaceted dimensions with a variety of offers and opportunities available to us, as well as spaces for dialogue and support. You can find a selection of these resources with a focus on the impact of the ongoing Middle East conflict here:    

www.fu-berlin.de/en/themen/menschlichkeit-respekt-toleranz/index.html    

This summer we want to highlight another topic that has far-reaching implications for our university community and beyond: biodiversity. Species of all kinds are decreasing in number at alarming rates, which makes it all the more important and necessary to examine the topic of biodiversity as a global problem from a scientific point of view. That is why 2024 has been named the "Year of Biodiversity" at Freie Universität Berlin. This year we will be celebrating May 22, the International Day for Biodiversity, at the Botanic Garden with an opening event. You will receive an invitation with more details soon.

Looking ahead to what will surely be an enriching and successful summer semester, we must all work together to ensure that the debates we conduct about pressing social and political topics are productive, respectful, and peaceful. Let us strive to maintain academic and scientific standards in our interactions, to provide relevant context in our conversations, and to keep in mind the complexity of these things. Studying, teaching, and research at this university depend on us coming together as a community.

With that in mind, and on behalf of the entire Executive Board, we extend the warmest of welcomes to all of you who are joining us this 2024 summer semester. We are glad you are here with us to make our community a place where knowledge and debate thrive!

Sincerely,           

Professor Günter M. Ziegler      
President of Freie Universität Berlin