News
Prof. Drechsler interviewed by TUT magazine
The March issue of TUT magazine Mente et Manu features an interview with Wolfgang Drechsler, RNS Professor and Chair of Governance and Vice Dean of International Relations at Faculty of Social Sciences, in which he discusses a variety of topics including his recent decline to become the Dean of the new Graduate School of Public Policy in Astana, the Estonian higher education reform, the great work environment at RNS and the departmental closed screen policy. The full interview (in Estonian) is available here.
The interview is dedicated to the Honorary Doctorate he received on 22 February from the Corvinus University of Budapest. “It was a great honor for me to receive it, especially before my 50th birthday, and also because it came totally unexpected. Usually, such an honor is awarded to older scholars who have already completed their work or who are about to retire. I have to admit that the most touching part of the ceremony was to hear the Estonian anthem performed in my honor,” he recalls the ceremony at Corvinus’ impressive neo-renaissance building right at Budapest’s Szabadság bridge on the Danube river shore.
Professor Drechsler also talks about his current roles at the university by emphasizing that at the moment, he sees himself more as a scholar-teacher rather than as an administrator or manager, even though he does very much enjoy being the latter as well. When asked about what makes RNS special compared to other universities that have tried to hire him, he replies the following: “Why have I decided to stay? One reason is that it is extremely difficult to find such amazing, talented and incredibly supportive and friendly colleagues like we have at the Ragnar Nurkse School of Innovation and Governance. I am indeed happy each and every morning when meeting all of them, from the Secretary and Financial Manager to the Director and the Dean.”
