Extended Senate selects incumbent for a second term starting January 2027
Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff, professor of cell biology at Goethe University Frankfurt and its President since 2021, was elected by the Extended Senate on Wednesday for another term as President. The term of office is six years and will begin following his appointment by the University Council on January 1, 2027.
For the first time since the re-election of Prof. Rudolf Steinberg in 2006, Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff has been chosen to lead a second term of office as president of Goethe University Frankfurt. The professor of molecular cell biology of plants and former vice president of the university secured the required absolute majority of 18 votes in the second round of voting. Eligible voters included 34 members of the Extended Senate, which consists of regular Senate members and their deputies. The second candidate, physics education specialist Prof. Dr. Roger Erb, received 16 votes.
“I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me by the Extended Senate and very pleased about the outcome of the election,“ Schleiff said, adding that, „In recent weeks, I have held numerous conversations, listened carefully to encouragement and criticism alike, and engaged in an open exchange with members of our university community during the public hearing alongside Roger Erb. Building on six years of experience as Vice President and my first term as President, I intend to continue implementing the concepts we have developed together, consolidate what we have begun, and integrate the insights I have gained from these conversations into the next phase of our work.“
“My first term coincided with years of considerable challenge for the university, requiring us to respond swiftly to both institutional and broader societal developments,” Schleiff continued. “This led to a period of intense transformation and rapid decision-making. Such a pace cannot be sustained indefinitely without placing strain on the institution and its members. At the same time, what we have achieved is not yet fully secured and in some areas is even at risk, given increasingly difficult financial and political conditions. The years ahead must therefore be guided by consolidation and reliability. On the basis of our University Development Plan, we will create stability and predictability for our colleagues and our students. I invite all Goethe University members to work with me, the Executive Board, the Senate, the University Council and our committees to shape teaching and research and to strengthen our dialogue with society. Our immediate priority will be the forthcoming review of our joint Excellence Strategy proposal within the Rhine-Main Universities alliance with TU Darmstadt and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.”
Silke Lautenschläger, who chairs the University Council, congratulated Schleiff on the election: “We had two outstanding individuals on the ballot, and I would like to thank Prof. Erb for his commitment. The University Council will continue to support the outgoing and incoming president with advice and assistance. Prof. Schleiff has set a very promising course for Goethe University, particularly through the successes in the Excellence Strategy, the joint proposal of the Rhine-Main Universities, and many other strategic decisions. The University Council is very much looking forward to continuing this collaboration.”
