Festive farewell at HNEE: Around 460 graduates bid farewell - ceremony with award ceremonies, improv theatre and a strong sense of community
When the doors of Haus Schwärzetal opened last Friday and the first guests arrived, it was immediately clear that this evening was going to be a special one. Around 460 graduates earned their degrees at HNEE between November 2024 and November 2025. On behalf of them, those who accepted the invitation to the graduation ceremony were honoured at the ceremony.
Der gut gefüllte Veranstaltungssaal im Haus Schwärzetal während der Abschlussfeier.
Hochschulpräsident Prof. Dr. Matthias Barth begrüßt die Absolvent*innen auf der Abschlussfeier 2025
Mit viel Charme führten Sander Claes, ehemaliger studentischer Vizepräsident der HNEE, und Melanie Adam, Alumni-Managerin der HNEE, durch die Abschlussfeier.
Das Improvisationstheater der Eberswalder „Backsteindorsche“ sorgte für Stimmung.
The evening began with words of welcome from President Prof. Dr Matthias Barth and an impressive speech by student Vice President Silas Gronbach, who paid tribute to the shared university journey as well as the new beginnings that lie ahead for the graduates.
Prof Dr Britta Gossel and Prof Dr Alexander Conrad then took over the ceremonial handover of the wooden boars to the graduates of the Undergraduate and Graduate School. A small memento of their time studying in Eberswalde and a faithful companion for their next big steps and journeys.
A creative highlight immediately followed: an improvisation performance by the Eberswalde "Backsteindorsche" organised by the AStA and the departmental councils - as a "gift" to the graduates - brought a palpable warmth and lightness to the packed hall. The keynote speech by a former graduate, Daniel Simon, took the audience on a journey to happiness. The cultural programme was rounded off with an energetic live performance by "Mr Scrooge", who later accompanied guests enjoying the party to the AStA after-show party in the StudiClub as a "musical walking taxi".
The diversity of the university was also reflected in the other items on the programme: two "Mal-O-Mats" were on hand to create spontaneous 3-minute portraits - such was the demand for personal mementos. Meanwhile, the Kochkommode provided culinary refreshments with a seasonal soup bar, and although travelling by train on this day was not entirely straightforward, the strong sense of community at HNEE was evident: the hall was full, the atmosphere was relaxed, and numerous graduates, families and teaching staff enjoyed the evening well into the late hours.
Prof. Dr. Alexander Conrad beglückwünschte die Absolvent*innen der Undergraduate School
Die Absolvent*innen der Graduate School, denen die Leiterin der Graduate School, Prof.in Dr. Britta Gossel (links im Bild), persönlich gratulierte.
Eine ganz besondere Erinnerung – ein Foto aus dem Mal-O-Mat.
As every year, the university honoured outstanding theses that make a special contribution to sustainable development. The Gunther Wolff Prize, the Johannes Schubert Prizes and the Sparkassen Prize 2025 were awarded.
The Gunther Wolff Prize was awarded to Noel Huhn (International Forest Ecosystem Management) for his study on the mortality of young trees in the context of functional diversity in the IDENT network in Québec (supervision: Dr Benoît Gendreau-Berthiaume, Prof. Dr Peter Spathelf). An Honourable Mention was awarded to Nadin Edinger (Regional Development & Nature Conservation) for her work on the locations and resting places of two telemetered wolves in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg (Supervision: Prof. Dr Uta Steinhardt, Dr Norman Stier).
The Johannes Schubert Prizes 2025 went to Susanne Rönnefarth (Forestry) for her analysis of temperature and moisture dynamics in fire-damaged pine forests (supervision: Prof. Dr Pierre L. Ibisch, Dr Florent Jouy) and to Marle Rode (International Forest Ecosystem Management) for her study of community-based mangrove restoration in the Indian Sundarbans (supervision: Prof. Dr Peter Spathelf, Prof. Dr Martin Welp). Honourable mentions went to Marina Hager (Sustainable Regional Development) for the development of a teaching video series on peatland ecology (supervision: Prof. Dr Vera Luthardt, Mirella Zeidler) and Parker Myers (Global Change Management) for the analysis of transregional water dependencies in the Berlin-Brandenburg precipitation area (supervision: Prof. Dr Luis Miranda, Dr Evelyn Wallor).
Die Ausgezeichneten des Gunther-Wolff-Preises 2025: Noel Huhn und Nadin Edinger.
Die Preisträgerinnen des Sparkassenpreises 2025, ausgezeichnet von André Worlitzer, stellvertretendem Vorstandsmitglied und Nachhaltigkeitsbeauftragtem der Sparkasse Barnim.
Ein hölzerner Eber als persönliches Erinnerungsstück: Ein kleines Geschenk für alle Absolvent*innen
Four further outstanding theses were honoured with the Sparkassen Prize 2025:
Sarah Diering (Landscape Management and Nature Conservation) for her study on the effectiveness of participation in nature conservation; Tessina Ott (Sustainable Regional Development) for her work on the importance of democratic processes for a successful climate transition; Nadin Edinger (Regional Development & Nature Conservation) for her wolf study; and Tobias Jebara (Organic Agriculture and Food Systems) for his analysis of regional value-added chains of grain legumes (supervision: Prof Dr Anna Maria Häring, Isabella Krause).
The 2025 graduation ceremony once again showed how diverse and committed the HNEE community is - and how much academic success, creative impetus and collaborative moments characterise the university.
Look here for more information on our Alumni Management and our Network for Alumni of HNEE (NAH).