On Friday 28 August 2026, the Faculty of Social Work at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences held a formal ceremony to mark the successful graduation of its students. In the packed auditorium on the Salzdahlumer Straße campus, a total of 124 graduates celebrated this milestone together with their families, lecturers and guests. The event marked a first: For the first time, the 96 graduates of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Social Work, the 20 graduates of the Master’s degree programme in ‘Preventive Social Work’ and the 8 graduates of the postgraduate Master’s programme in ‘Social Management’ were honoured together in a single ceremony. Géza Gál, director of the TU Braunschweig Big Band, provided a lively musical welcome in his usual style.
In her opening address, Dean Prof. Dr Sandra Verena Müller paid tribute to the graduates’ perseverance and achievements, whilst also placing the ceremony in the context of current social events. In light of recent upheavals and attacks, she emphasised that social work is an indispensable human rights profession that demands a firm stance. In the face of attempts to divide society and discrimination, she said, the response must never be to retreat, but rather to build a society that actively and visibly defends diversity. She called on the future professionals to view their sound specialist knowledge as a social mandate, to network with one another and, despite all the challenges they may face in practice, to retain their joy in bringing about successful change.
The keynote address from the field was delivered by Marcus Eckhoff, Managing Director of Neuerkeröder Wohnen und Betreuen gGmbH. As an alumnus who himself had graduated from the university 33 years ago, he looked back on his own career. From his early days in general social services and family support right through to leading a large social enterprise. Eckhoff emphasised that behind every file and every figure there is always a person, and he took a firm stand against social policy driven purely by budgetary considerations: “For me, social work is not a repair shop for our society. Rather, it should be an important system of prevention.” He noted that it is paradoxical that the value of social work is often only recognised once problems have escalated – comparable to a fire brigade that people are only willing to fund once houses are already on fire. He encouraged the graduates to be self-assured ambassadors for their profession, to get involved in socio-political issues, and to view responsibility in management and leadership roles as a ‘service to people’.
Following a rousing percussion piece by Géza Gál, which had the entire hall clapping along, came the highlight of the ceremony: the formal presentation of graduation certificates and roses. Prof. Dr Georg Kortendieck first called the graduates of the Master’s in Social Management onto the stage, before Prof. Dr Jürgen Boeckh (Chair of the Examination Board), together with Dean Prof. Dr Sandra Verena Müller and Hannah Brosch from the Examinations Office, took over the honours ceremony for the numerous graduates of the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in Social Work.
Students from the ‘Music in Social Work’ project, led by Adela Wiktoria Walter (sound engineering: Mr Trunk), brought the official programme to a resounding close, delighting the audience with songs such as ‘Ein Hoch aufs Leben’ and ‘Ich geh mit mir’. After the traditional group photograph, the ceremony continued with a champagne reception in the foyer, where graduates, lecturers and guests toasted their success, captured the moment in the photo booth and brought the day to a close in a festive atmosphere.
The Faculty of Social Work warmly congratulates all graduates on successfully completing their studies and wishes them all the best for their future professional and personal lives.
