State Councillor Achleitner: Generational change at three of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria.'s schools

Three of the four Schools of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria have undergone a leadership change since the beginning of March. In Hagenberg, Steyr, and Linz, the dean’s office has been handed over to a new generation. In Hagenberg, Stefan Wagner succeeds Berthold Kerschbaumer; in Linz, Daniela Wetzelhütter follows Christian Stark; and in Steyr, Andreas Auinger takes over from Heimo Losbichler. “The new deans will actively shape the strategic realignment of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, which ranks among the nation’s leading universities in applied sciences in both teaching and research,” emphasizes Markus Achleitner, State Minister for Economy and Research. At the Wels campus, the transition had already taken place two years ago, when Dean Roman Froschauer took office in fall 2024.

“The University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria is a flagship institution for applied sciences in our state – internationally connected while strongly rooted in the region. The new dean in Linz and the new deans in Hagenberg and Steyr are taking on responsibility at this important interface, ensuring excellent education and innovative solutions for business and society,” says Minister Achleitner. “By bundling their thematic expertise, they further strengthen the university’s practical orientation and innovative capabilities, making a key contribution to sustainably enhancing Upper Austria’s competitiveness.”

“The appointment of the new deans marks a successful generational shift and underscores the strategic further development of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. With these leaders—who combine practical relevance, academic excellence, fresh ideas, and a collaborative leadership culture—we have gained highly committed executives. They will play a decisive role in further expanding our top position in practice-oriented teaching and applied research,” says University President FH-Prof. Michael Rabl.

Hagenberg: Strengthening International Visibility
"The School of Informatics, Communications, and Media in Hagenberg has been driving innovation in the Upper Austrian economy for years through digitalization, information technology, and digital media", says newly appointed Dean FH-Prof. Stefan Wagner. Wagner himself is strongly rooted in research and has been leading a Josef Ressel Center—one of the highest research formats within the Austrian university of applied sciences sector. The computer scientist, who holds a PhD and has been part of the institution since 2005, emphasizes that the continued development of the FH Upper Austria’s IT hub within the Softwarepark Hagenberg is very close to his heart. “We will strengthen the Hagenberg community and expand the international visibility of the school and its strategic priorities—such as the application of AI—through targeted initiatives in research and teaching,” says Wagner, a married father of two daughters.

Linz: Actively Shaping Societal Change
Her career path—from freight forwarding agent to PhD sociologist, program director of the Social Work education program, and now dean of the School of Medical Engineering & Applied Social Sciences—forms “the foundation of my work as dean,” says FH-Prof. Daniela Wetzelhütter. Her goal is to empower students to actively shape societal change. “Seeing how our graduates make an impact in their communities is a huge motivation for me. In research, we need an innovation framework in which technological and social science approaches interlock while strongly connecting research and teaching,” she explains. In further developing the School, she aligns with the FH Upper Austria Strategy 2040 and aims to create “a vibrant campus as an inspiring place.”

Steyr: New Impulses for the Management Campus by the River
“We stand for the close coordination of teaching, research, and practice. This becomes visible in practice-oriented, research-led teaching, applied research projects, and the involvement of industry experts,” says FH-Prof. Andreas Auinger, dean of the School of Business and Management. In teaching, he focuses on flexibility and internationalization and sees the Steyr campus as a pilot site for the ‘Total Learning Architecture’—a concept that combines top-level academic quality with the possibilities of digitalization. As a habilitated business informatics scholar who has led numerous research projects, Auinger aims to enhance project and publication output, support early-career researchers, and strengthen both the regional and international impact of the campus. In daily operations, he values “a collaborative culture and a feel-good atmosphere on the Steyr campus.”

(AI-generated translation)