Professor Dr. Angelika Epple – the first woman at the helm of the Rectorate

On 1 October 2023, Professor Dr. Angelika Epple becomes the new Rector of Bielefeld University. The University Electoral Committee elected the history professor to a six-year term on February 8th. Epple succeeds Professor Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, who led Bielefeld University since 2009. She is the first woman to head the Rectorate in the 54-year history of Bielefeld University.

Prof’in Dr. Silke Schwandt (l.) und Dr. Annet-te Fugmann-Heesing (r.) und gratulieren der neuen Rektorin Prof‘in Dr. Angelika Epple.

Prof. Dr. Silke Schwandt (left) und Dr. Annette Fugmann-Heesing (right) congratulate Prof. Dr. Angelika Epple, the new rector of Bielefeld University.
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Source: Bielefeld University

‘Today, the university election committee decided to choose Angelika Epple from among two excellent candidates,’ says Dr. Annette Fugmann-Heesing, who chairs the University Council at Bielefeld University. ‘As rector, she will chart the future course of this university with visionary drive and decisive strategy.’

‘Angelika Epple presented the University Election Committee with a clear and promising blueprint for the future of our university,‘ says Professor Dr. Silke Schwandt, who chairs the University Senate of Bielefeld University. ‘It was also very clear today just how close Bielefeld University is to her heart. She knows the institution well and has used this knowledge to develop a compelling programme for furthering the university’s strong and distinctive research profile and global prominence.‘

Amtseinführung neue Rektorin Prof'in Dr. Angelika Eppple.

In her inaugural speech on 18 October 2023, Prof Dr. Angelika Epple discusses the key points of her plans as rector, including interdisciplinary research projects, expanding structural support for talent development, the cultural change spurred by digitalization, and the role of the university in strengthening democracy.
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Source: Bielefeld University/Stefan Sättele

Dr. Angelika Epple is a professor of nineteenth and twentieth-century history in the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology. Her research focuses on the theory of history, the history of globalization since the early modern period, and global microhistory. She served as dean and assistant dean of her faculty for more than four years. From October 2021 to September 2023, she was vice-rector for research and international affairs at Bielefeld University and also served as deputy to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, who was rector at that time. Before that, she was vice-rector for international affairs and diversity for six years.