Christina Leib-Keßler Will Be the New Head of Administration at the University of Freiburg

Christina Leib-Keßler will be the new head of administration (Kanzlerin/Kanzler) at the University of Freiburg. The 56 year old received a clear majority of the votes from the Senate and the University Council in a joint session on July 15, 2021. Leib-Keßler, who is currently the vice head of administration of the University of Constance, will take office on April 1, 2022. The term of office is six years. “I want to sincerely thank the electors for the trust they have put in me,” she says, adding: “The University of Freiburg is one of the best universities in Germany, with its high reputation in research and its outstanding quality in academics. As Head of Administration, I want to support these two pillars in the best possible way with comprehensive administrative services. I value transparent communication and teamwork. Success depends on the dedication of the entire University community.” As Rector Prof. Dr. Kerstin Krieglstein says in praise of the new head of administration’s expertise, “With more than 30 years of experience in higher education administration and academic management, Christina Leib-Keßler is an acknowledged expert in resource management, academic administration, and the development of university administration and organization. She has extensive management experience, detailed insight into all areas of a university, and an outstanding sense for the needs of research, academics, service, administration, and technical issues.”

“In a group of 19 strong candidates, Ms. Leib-Keßler convinced the selection committee, which consists of members from both electoral bodies, that she was the best possible candidate,” says Prof. Dr. Andreas Barner, head of the University Council and the selection committee, adding: “I am pleased that the electors from the Senate and University Council voted for Ms. Leib-Keßler with such an overwhelming majority.”

Christina Leib-Keßler was born in Constance in 1965 and has a degree in public and business administration. She has over thirty years of experience in a variety of positions in financial, external funding, and research administration at the University of Constance. She became the University of Constance’s head of the department for budget, research and technology transfer, procurement, and internal revisions in 2015 and the vice head of administration of the University of Constance in 2020. She is also a member of its Excellence Strategy Coordination Team, which was established by the University’s senior administrators in the Rectorate to assist with the Excellence Initiative competition. At the University of Freiburg, she will be the head of the Administrative Departments of Organizational Development, Finances, Human Resources, Construction Planning, Infrastructure, and Legal Affairs. Not only would Leib-Keßler like to see these different departments work more closely together; she also plans to intensify the communication between the senior administrators in the Rectorate and the various faculties, while ensuring that the University’s main administration, in its role of reliable service provider, continues to support the University of Freiburg’s strategic goals and development.

Christina Leib-Keßler will succeed the jurist Dr. Matthias Schenek, who has served as Head of Administration of the University of Freiburg since 2008, in April 2022.

		Christina Leib-Keßler. Photo: Sandra Meyndt
		Andreas Barner und Kerstin Krieglstein congratulate Christina Leib-Keßler. Photo: Patrick Seeger