At its meeting of 15 March 2022, the Council of Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts followed the recommendation of its search committee and elected Dr Karin Mairitsch as the new President of the Zurich University of the Arts. She will succeed Prof. Dr Thomas D. Meier, who has held the post since 2009 and will step down at the end of September.
“I am delighted that the Council has appointed Dr Karin Mairitsch as my successor”, says Thomas D. Meier. “It is important that the ZHdK should enjoy continuity in its strategic development. Karin Mairitsch has a wealth of experience in the German-speaking university environment, so by choosing her we can be confident of just such continuity. Its work on a new Major/Minor study model means ZHdK is in the midst of a process of change. It will be able to benefit from Dr Mairitsch’s fresh perspective and the new impetus she will bring”.
Education manager and artist
Karin Mairitsch studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. She completed her doctorate at the University of Arts Linz with a thesis on curriculum development and the key objectives of educational policy. From 2003 to 2018, she held various management positions at universities including the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. She also works as a freelance artist, curator, lecturer and author. Karin Mairitsch is currently the head of “Kultur123”, the cultural centre of the city of Rüsselsheim that encompasses a Department of Culture & Theatre, an Adult Education College, a Music School and a Municipal Library.
“It fills me with gratitude and great pride to be assuming the role of President of the renowned Zurich University of the Arts. Prof. Dr Thomas Meier and the University Board have achieved the unparalleled feat of positioning ZHdK internationally as a pioneering university. I am committed to maintaining this. ZHdK’s ongoing process of change through its conversion to the Major/Minor study model is proof of the university’s innovative strength, and is a task to which I am looking forward”, says Karin Mairitsch.
The Zurich University of the Arts
With some 2,100 Bachelor and Master students, the Zurich University of the Arts is one of the leading universities of the arts in Europe. Its study and research programmes cover art education, design, film, fine arts, music, dance, theatre and transdisciplinarity. The ZHdK is currently converting its study programmes to a Major/Minor model. From autumn 2023/24, the ZHdK will be the first arts university in Europe to enable its students to combine courses from different disciplines in their degree programmes.