Tanja Köhler honored in the "Professor of the Year" competition

With the "Professor of the Year" award, the jury, chaired by the former Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Professor Ulrich Radtke, recognizes special achievements by professors who go above and beyond the call of duty to make it easier for their students to start their careers. The prizewinners provide their students with a solid foundation, practical skills and sought-after key qualifications. In this year's competition, the foundation received more than 5,000 nominations from students, alumni, university members and employers. Tanja Köhler came out on top in her category against over 150 other professors.

Focus of work is the digital transformation of the media landscape

Tanja Köhler is the first professor at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences to receive this award. Before moving to H-BRS in summer 2021, she worked for public broadcasters for over 20 years, the last ten years for Deutschlandfunk, where she was deputy head of news, among other things. One focus of her work is the digital transformation of the media landscape.

Köhler: I am very pleased about the award

"I am delighted to receive the award because it not only recognizes my work and commitment, but also shows how important practical teaching and the promotion of entry-level skills are," says Tanja Köhler. "I am convinced that a high-quality education for future journalists and communicators cannot do without practical relevance. Practical relevance does not mean that academic standards are neglected. I am also very pleased that my work is so appreciated by my students. With their vote, they made a major contribution to my nomination for this award. I would like to express my sincere thanks for this."

Winzker: Recognition of the didactic activities of the H-BRS

Professor Marco Winzker, Vice President Studies, Teaching and Continuing Education, congratulates the award: "I am delighted that a professor from our university has achieved an outstanding position in this prestigious competition," he says. "The award recognizes professors who build a bridge between study and practice and prepare students for their career entry in the best possible way. These criteria also correspond to the aspirations and goals of our university. I therefore also see the award as recognition of the didactic activities of H-BRS."

Köhler is head of the new Master's degree program

Tanja Köhler is the course director of the new Master's degree course in Digital Communication and Media Innovation at H-BRS, which she helped to set up. Among other things, she launched the digital magazine "Werksgelände", in which outstanding student media work is presented to the public. She has also initiated a cooperation network in which media companies and organizations, including Deutsche Telekom and the Bauer Media Group, provide students with places for the internship semester. In her current lecture series "Die Medienmacher:innen", she also invites media professionals to present their respective fields of work and describe the challenges of digitalization.