Germany: President of FU Berlin faces challenge in January's presidential election

The serving president of the Freie Universität (FU) in Berlin, Günter M. Ziegler, is facing a challenge from Angela Ittel, president of TU Braunschweig, in elections next January, according to German newspaper Tagesspiegel on 06/11/2025.

Ziegler has been heading the university since 2018. If reappointed, he will be serving his third term. Ittel has been president of TU Braunschweig since 2021 and was previously vice president of the Technical University of Berlin.

The two candidates will present themselves to the university committees in December. The Extended Academic Senate will give its final nomination on 03/12/2025 and will elect the president on 28/01/2026.

Freie Universität is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1948 and currently has around 33,500 students, 4000 doctoral students and 460 professors.