Rector ranking: President Pauli among the top 10

This time, 65 academics from the University of Würzburg took part in the "Rector of the Year" poll organised by the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (Deutscher Hochschulverband, in short DHV). Around 78 per cent of them stated that they thought Paul Pauli was an ideal or very good choice to head the University of Würzburg.

The respondents rated the candidates from 1 (ideal appointment) to 6 (worst possible appointment). With an average rating of 2.1, Paul Pauli made it to 9th place out of a total of 48 rectors - and thus into the top 10 for the third time in a row.

Paul Pauli sees the good result as an honour for the entire University Board: "This positive feedback is an encouragement and incentive for the work of the President and the University Board. We will continue to work hard and in dialogue with the members of the university to optimally position our university for the future."

The election for "Rector of the Year"

The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV) represents the interests of academics working at universities. From November to December 2025, it called on its 34,000 members to vote for the best rectors (the term "rector" is synonymous with "president") for the 18th time.

Only universities with rectors or presidents who had been in office for at least 100 days at the start of the vote and for whom at least 30 assessments were submitted were included in the assessment. The Centre for Evaluation and Methods at the University of Bonn was responsible for the scientific management and implementation of the ranking, which ultimately included 48 universities.

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DHVpress release on the election of the "Rector of the Year" (in German)