On January 15, 2026, the Department of Economics held a ceremony to honor three long-serving professors as they retired: Prof. Dr. Agnes Sputek, Prof. Dr. Stephanie Swartz, and Prof. Dr. Volrad Wollny.
At a dignified ceremony, Prof. Dr. Hans-Christoph Reiss, dean of the department, thanked the three professors for their decades of dedication to teaching, research, and academic self-governance. The dean and faculty emphasized how profoundly all three have shaped the department—“academically, structurally, and personally.”
Prof. Dr. Agnes Sputek served as a professor of economics since the 1999–2000 winter semester and was actively involved in key university committees and roles for many years. Since 1998, Prof. Dr. Stephanie Swartz has played a key role in expanding the field of business and technical languages and has been instrumental in advancing the university’s internationalization. Since 2001, Prof. Dr. Volrad Wollny has provided important impetus in the areas of logistics, business management, and, in particular, sustainability management.
The Department of Economics extends its heartfelt thanks to all three for their outstanding contributions, their reliability, and their long-standing commitment to the university, and wishes them health, happiness, and many new opportunities as they embark on this new chapter in their lives.
