Ressort Presse

• von Ulrike Bohnsack
• 20.08.2021

In the center of New York City, it was an important anchor for German intellectuals in exile: the New School for Social Research. Prof. Dr. Till van Treeck, socio-economist at the University of UDE, will teach and research there for the next 10 months – as Theodor Heuss Professor.

The academic year in the USA begins at the end of August, and with it Prof. Till van Treeck will also start his stay at the prestigious New School for Social Research (NSSR). There he will be working on socio-economic issues. Among other things, he will be looking at the effects of inequality and status comparisons, for example on the economic stability of a country and on people's working time preferences.

"University in Exile”

For the UDE researcher, the visiting professorship is a great recognition. The New School is one of the most renowned social science universities in the U.S. and has a long tradition of German-American academic cooperation. Founded in 1919, it became especially important for social scientists and humanities scholars who fled the Nazi regime in the 1930s and joined the "University in Exile”. Renowned intellectuals such as Hannah Arendt, Erich Fromm, Hans Jonas and Leo Strauss taught there.

In recognition of these achievements of the New School, a visiting professorship named after the first German president, Theodor Heuss, has been awarded annually since the 1960s. The award is made jointly by the New School and the German Research Foundation (DFG).

At 40, Till van Treeck is one of the youngest Theodor Heuss Professors to be appointed to date.  Since 2016, he has played a key role in establishing the Institute for Socio-Economics at UDE as its founding director. It is considered an important location in Germany for economic research and teaching at the interface of social sciences and economics.

Climate change and growing inequality

As a researcher, van Treeck stands for open exchange between the social science disciplines and a strong application focus. This makes van Treeck an ideal fit for the New School's profile and the tradition of Theodor Heuss professorships.

"I am very much looking forward to the academic environment there. There are great overlaps with our research program at UDE and with our approach to teaching," says van Treeck. "We put emphasis on controversies in our subject and show what this implies for major societal challenges such as climate change or growing inequality. I see great potential for valuable exchanges for both campuses." After all, that's also what the professorship is about: expanding international scientific collaborations.

Further information:
Julian Bank, Managing Director of the Institute for Socio-Economics, Tel. +49/203/37 9-1582, julian.bank@uni-due.de