New Vice-Rector Elected

The State Council of the Canton of Bern has elected Prof. Silvia Schroer as Vice-Rector of the University of Bern, and therefore confirmed the candidate who was originally proposed by the Senate. The election was triggered by the resignation of the current Vice-Rector, Prof. Doris Wastl-Walter, who is stepping down on 31st July 2017. Prof. Silvia Schroer will then replace Prof. Wastl-Walter as Vice-Rector for Quality.

From 1st August 2017, the Executive Board of the University will have the following members: Christian Leumann (Rector), Silvia Schroer (Vice-Rector for Quality), Bruno Moretti (Vice-Rector for Teaching), Daniel Candinas (Vice-Rector for Research), Achim Conzelmann (Vice-Rector for Development), and Administrative Director Daniel Odermatt. The Executive Board of the University is supported by General secretary Christoph Pappa.

A brief biography of Prof. Dr. Silvia Schroer

Silvia Schroer has been Professor for the Old Testament and the Biblical World at the Faculty of Theology in the University of Bern since 1997, and was Dean of the Faculty from 2010-2012.

Silvia Schroer, who is 58 years old, studied Roman Catholic Theology and Classic Philology in Münster, Munich and Freiburg, where she completed her doctorate in 1986 and became the first woman to qualify for and hold a lectureship at the Faculty of Theology in 1989. After gaining several years of experience working in the field of adult education, as an Associate to an SNF Research Project, and as a Guest Professor in Berlin, she joined the then Faculty of Protestant Theology in Bern – which was acknowledged internationally as a particular sign of ecumenical openness.

Her key areas of research are the history of religion and iconography of Palestine/Israel, Biblical anthropology and theology, and theological gender research. Silvia Schroer is also the author of an electronic journal for feminist exegesis. Since completing her studies it goes without saying that she has gained considerable experience in interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

Together with colleagues from different faculties at the University of Bern, Silvia Schroer has helped to establish and develop the Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies (IZFG).

Whether it is in her capacity as a Trustee to the Senior Citizens' University and the Hans-Sigrist Foundation or as personal contact for a project in her faculty with the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH), Silvia Schroer values an exchange of views with other academic disciplines. Since 2011, she has been a Research Associate in Division I of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF). A mother of two grown up sons, Silvia Schroer also has considerable experience in equality issues and the balancing of working and family life.