Dundorf

[TheNick]

Vögelberg University Becomes One of Dundorf's Top Educational Institutions
June 5709

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The main building of the University of Vögelberg.

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Vögelberg, Dunlake - The University of Vögelberg, for a long time considered just a minor local University, made headlines today at the yearly Nationales Hochschulgremium (National Board of Higher Education) meeting because of its slow but strong rise in educational rankings, driven mainly by the growth of its social sciences department. The Chancellor of the University, Dr. Jörg Dreher, said that the rise in the rankings is a 'direct result' of the state of Dunlake's investments in higher education, which allowed the University to expand its budget to hire qualified faculty, build newer structures, and raise the wages of the researchers working on campus. The University had an intuition five years ago, when Dr. Dreher's mandate as Chancellor started: boost its social sciences department (while guaranteeing funds to all other departments) in order to increase its standing in the academic community, taking advantage of an increase in young people's interest in social sciences. That effort, following today's meeting of the National Board, seems to have paid off, and the University will earn a ranking of top three nationally, overtaking Lutzenkamp  and gaining four positions compared to last year. Just five years ago, it ranked eleventh in the whole country.

Other top academic institutions include the University of Nordenhaus, the University of Lutzenkamp and the State University of Dunburg, all dating older than Vögelberg, and with a more established history. Each University has roughly the same educational and academic offer, but they all have a top department distinguishing them from the rest of Universities: the University of Nordenhaus prides itself for its Natural Sciences Department, with some of Dundorf's top scientists working there. The Polytechnic of Fuchstal has a strong vocation on Engineering, The University of Lutzenkamp is known for its Humanities department and the University of Dunburg has a top-notch Law department. These top four Universities are now joined by Vögelberg, and the new ranking of Dundorfian Universities, according to the National Board, is the following:

1) Dunburg Universität (University of Dunburg)
2) Polytechnikum Fuchstal (Polytechnic of Fuchstal)
3) Vögelberg Universität (University of Vögelberg)
4) Julstochische Staatliche Universität - Lutzenkamp (Julstoch State University - Lutzenkamp)
5) Nordenhaus Universität (University of Nordenhaus)

Vögelberg's ambition doesn't stop here: the department of Sociology is planning to launch a regular survey to research Dundorfians' attitudes and opinions on a set of questions regarding politics, leisure, family, work, and so on. The project will be called DUSW (Dundorfs Umfrage zu sozialen Werten), the Dundorf's Survey on Social Values, and its scope will be to aid the Sociology researchers (and other) to understand better how our country thinks and how our society behaves. Chancellor Dreher stated that the results of the first wave of the DUSW will be made publicly available in 5712.

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In other news...

• Bundestag passes bill to make DOSB a permanent agency of the Federal Government, separating it from control of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
  
• Lutzenkamp chose as host for the next FOMAT, to be held in June 5711.