Impulses for research topics, theses and teaching come from the network of our guest lecturers, from over 750 alumni of the Leipzig PR education and from initiatives such as the Academic Society for Corporate Management & Communication and the Center for Research in Financial Communication.
Information on current partners can be found in the annual reports of the teaching area.
The foundation is committed to research and teaching in the field of communication management at the Institute for Communication and Media Studies at the University of Leipzig as well as to promoting young academics. To this end, various projects are supported - ranging from the Günter Thiele Prize for the best final theses at the Institute to exchanges with international universities and joint initiatives with companies to the promotion of historical research.
The foundation is named after Dr. h. c. Günter F. Thiele, born in 1934, who studied German language and literature, psychology and philosophy at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. He began his professional career as a journalist at the Leipzig station of GDR radio. After moving to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1959, he first worked as a "works journalist" in internal communications at Henkel in Düsseldorf and, from the 1970s onwards, built up the agency ABC Presse-Information into what was then the largest and market-leading communications consultancy in Germany with 170 employees.
Together with its predecessor institution, the Foundation has supported research and teaching in the discipline at the Institute to the tune of over one and a half million euros to date. More information at WWW.GUENTER-THIELE-STIFTUNG.DE/EN/
The Academic Society for Corporate Management & Communication is a joint initiative of business and academia to further develop and professionalise corporate communication through studies and exchange of experience. It was founded in 2010 and is now supported by four universities (Leipzig, Münster, Duisburg-Essen, Vienna) as well as the communications directors of around 40 leading companies. These include Airbus, ARAG, BASF, B. Braun, Bosch, BMW, Bayer, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Post DHL, Fresenius, Hapag Lloyd, Otto, Pfizer, Roche, Siemens and Union Investment. Current studies focus, for example, on agility in communication, diversity communication, digital nudging and virtual stakeholder dialogues in the sustainability sector. You can find information and publications at
WWW.AKADEMISCHE-GESELLSCHAFT.COM/EN/.
The Center for Research in Financial Communication (CRiFC) started its activities at the University of Leipzig in 2016. Its work focuses on initiating, bundling and conducting national and international research projects in the field of financial communication and investor relations. Furthermore, the CRiFC supports close networking between academia and practice and strengthens teaching and the promotion of young researchers in this field. The competence centre contributes to anchoring financial communication in university research and teaching and to making it more visible. The CRiFC is supported by top-class practice partners such as BASF SE, Deutsche Börse AG and Finsbury Glover Hering. More information as well as many studies and publications for download can be found at
WWW.FINANCIALCOMMUNICATION.ORG/EN/.
While studying in Leipzig, there are many opportunities to show initiative, such as at LPRS e.V., the association of Leipzig PR students. True to the motto "Mehr wissen, mehr können, mehr kennen", students there are constantly educating themselves and acquiring new skills. Through events with renowned practitioners of communication management, ranging from classic lectures to exciting workshops and excursions to fireside chats in a small circle, the LPRS supplements the university curriculum with important practical and interdisciplinary content.
In addition, the exchange between students from different universities, alumni and numerous industry representatives from the field of communication is promoted, whereby students can sustainably expand their network. In addition, all active members have the chance to make a difference themselves through the work of the association: Through their involvement in the various departments, they can gain diverse experience in areas such as event and project management, press relations, social media planning and budgeting.
You can find more information about LPRS e.V. at www.lprs.de.
