The Stifterverband and the Klaus Tschira Foundation, in cooperation with the ZEIT publishing house, annually announce a competition for the program "One university - one book". The idea: The doctoral student talks to the first-year, the administrative staff member to the head of the clinic, the historian to the mechanical engineer, the Muslim to the Christian, the refugee to the campus residents, the Saxon woman to the Franconian, the professor to the secretary and the IT specialist to the library staff and the head of the international office. In short: As many members of a university as possible exchange ideas with the civil society about a common topic or concern. This idea of a positive campus culture should become reality: in the campaign "One university - one book".

The formats in which the book is explored are determined by the university itself. You can organize reading circles or debating clubs, slams or moderated discussion groups, you can invite people to a lecture series, to a discussion with the author, you can integrate the book into seminars, you can put on a play, make a film or build something together. There can be face-to-face and online formats as well as hybrid forms of exchange. Basically, the following applies: the more original the formats and the more extensive the participation of as many different people and groups as possible inside and outside the university, the better.

One university - one book at the University Magdeburg

The project should start at the University of Magdeburg in the course of 2023 and be finished by mid-2024 at the latest. In the summer of 2022 all university members were called to participate in a project group. The project group has the task of designing the selection process for the book, defining the formats for dealing with the book and supporting their implementation. Nine people from different areas of the University have come together to accept this challenge.

Project group:

• Marlene Adam: Staff member at the Faculty of Human Sciences
• Martina Beyrau: Press and public relations officer at the Institute for Molecular and Clinical Immunology
• Sina Frankmölle: Third mission in Marketing at the University
• Silke Rühmland: Head of Sustainability Office
• Natalia Waal: University library employee
• Friederike Wiemann: Student marketing of the University
• Barbara Witter: Coordinator of the Otto von Guericke Graduate Academy
• Leon Zimdahl: trainee at the event management 
• Dana Zöllner: Staff member of the Otto von Guericke Graduate Academy

Selection process

In January, university members voted which book should become "The Book" of the University 2023. There were 10 books of different genres to choose from. The winner was "A Brief History of Everyday Things" by Bill Bryson. Bryson concentrates on all those things that everyone encounters in everyday life and opens up cultural-historical perspectives on these inconspicuous objects, which, as the author explains in detail, provide information about past and present culture of use. The book encourages one to take a look at the everyday things that are closely connected to home and sensitizes the readership to the historical, scientific and cultural aspects in the immediate vicinity. There are also many exciting objects at the OVGU which, similar to what is described in the book, provide information about university events - in the past and today.

The application was submitted to the Stifterverband at the end of January. By the end of April, a jury consisting of representatives from the fields of culture, science and civil society will decide which applications win. When a decision has been made, the book will be discussed, read, staged and much more in various smaller and larger formats. You can look forward to an exciting, creative, inspiring project that aims to connect, make you think and invite you to participate!