In Conversation with WU Experts
Our event series ‘WU matters. WU talks.’ was launched in the fall of 2016. In this series, we discuss economically and socially relevant topics and invite the public to join the conversation. The talks have been well received by the public. Since the series was introduced, we have organized 81 events and welcomed a total of approximately 17,200 attendees to Campus WU.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, five events were held as livestreams with a chat option in 2020, and three were held as hybrid events with a maximum of 86 visitors on site and an accompanying livestream. Our audience followed us online. 781 people attended our livestream events with the option to put questions to the experts using the chat function. All livestreams were recorded and remained available on YouTube for later viewing. By the end of December 2020, our videos had been viewed approximately 11,400 times. Based on the success of these events, we plan to continue to offer livestreams of our on-campus ‘WU matters. WU talks.’ events in the future.
WU matters. WU talks.
- Gender-inclusive language – A must-have or a waste of time?
- Seen right through: The glass consumer
- Today’s degree programs, tomorrow’s education
- The price of mobility
- The effects of low-interest policies
- Digital ecosystems
- Token deal or public offering?
- Are we living beyond our means?
- Responsible leadership during the coronavirus crisis
- The Nobel Prize in layperson’s terms
We created a new video format to announce the events.
A Spotlight on Outstanding Management Performance
Many WU alumni are successful managers. We regularly honor graduates with exemplary careers who have achieved outstanding success in their fields.
Max Hollein is the 2020 “WU Manager of the Year.” Max Hollein has had an impressive career in international arts and museum management. After completing degrees in business administration at WU and art history at the University of Vienna, he moved to New York in 1995 to work at the Guggenheim Museum. In 2001, at the age of only 31, he was appointed director of the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt, where he also took over the reins as director of the Städel Museum and the Liebieghaus sculpture collection in 2006. In 2016, Max Hollein was appointed to head the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, two of the most important museums on the US West Coast. In 2018, he crowned his career by becoming director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the biggest art museum in the US and one of the most important museums in the world.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the award presentation was held online. In a conversation with WU Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger, Max Hollein shared memories of his time as a student at WU and talked about the challenges he faces as a result of the closure of his museum due to the pandemic.
Science for Kids
The Children’s University has been a part of many kids’ summer vacation plans for years. Every year, we are delighted by the energy and curiosity that the seven-to-ten-year-olds bring to our classrooms. WU offers classes and workshops to show kids how interesting economics, business, and business law can be.
In 2020, the Children’s University also had to go online. WU faculty were invited to provide videos, podcasts, articles, or posters. An interactive quiz was also created for each contribution. In so-called “family lectures,” participants had the opportunity to attend on-campus events via livestream, get to know our researchers, and ask questions.
17 WU faculty members took part in the initiative and presented current business topics in kid-friendly formats. The most popular events were the family lecture “Tapir Fridolin’s General Store and the Coronavirus Crisis” and the video “What Do Ice Cream and Studying Have in Common?”