Senate speaks out in favour of changing the university’s name

Open vote to remove name of Wilhelm II / -Decision has the support of all the status groups and faculties at the University-. Senate Chair Hinnerk Wißmann (l.) and Rector Johannes Wessels shortly before the Senate meeting © WWU - Michael C. Möller Today, April 5, the Senate of the University of Münster (in German: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster) voted that the name of Wilhelm II should be removed from the name of the University, which is in future to be known as the University of Münster. A total of 20 senate members voted in favour of the change of name in an open vote, one person voted against, and two members were not present. This means that the two-thirds majority was attained which was necessary for any change to the University's name to be made. "The decision has the support of all the status groups and faculties at the University," said the Senate's President, Prof. Hinnerk Wißmann. "The reason the decision was so clear, with such a consensus, is that we jointly collected and analysed facts and arguments over a longer period of time." The decision will, however, only become effective after approval by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia's Ministry of Education and Science. The change of name is expected to come into force on October 1.