Chancellor

Bernd Schwarz, a seasoned lawyer, serves as the Chancellor of the Kunstakademie Karlsruhe. In accordance with the Higher Education Act, his domain encompasses business and personnel administration. He oversees personnel matters, finance and accounting, as well as student services. As per the Staff Representation Act, he carries out the responsibilities of the head of the department. Furthermore, he is an integral part of the rectorate, holds a voting position in the senate, and serves as an advisory member of the university council. He also assumes the role of the budget officer in accordance with § 9 of the State Budget Code (LHO). Additionally, he represents the academy in the representative assembly of the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe.

The Chancellor's primary responsibilities include the organization of day-to-day operations, financial and economic management, as well as overseeing controlling processes. He also coordinates construction projects in building maintenance and leads the university's digitization initiatives. Data protection and campus safety, encompassing occupational safety and fire protection, also fall under his purview. Within the rector's office, he is the go-to person for legal matters and provides administrative support for teaching and study operations.

In addition to the staff units of Controlling and Legal Assistance, he also responsible for the administrative units of Academic Affairs/Bodies, Human Resources, Finance, Facility Management, and Student Services. This includes the Scholarship Office and the International Office.

Some of the focal points of his work in close cooperation with the governing bodies and committees as well as the employees and students of the Academy so far have been:

• Development of the structural and development plan 2022 - 2026 including climate protection chapter.
• Systematic and cooperative personnel development
• Administrative reform
• Initiation of the Code Of Conduct
• Establishment of quarterly meetings with the staff council
• Digitization in the student and personnel areas
• Establishment of fire protection and occupational safety structures
• Development and updating of bylaws, guidelines and regulations
• Management of the impact of the corona crisis and the energy crisis on university operations

Vita
Bernd Schwarz,born in 1966, is a fully qualified lawyer with a deep-rooted expertise in administration. Prior to pursuing his law degree at Saarland University, he attended the University of Applied Sciences for Administration in Mayen. Later, he embarked on part-time studies in business administration at the Academy of Administration and Economics in Kaiserslautern. Bernd Schwarz's professional career commenced in the finance department of the municipal administration in his hometown of Pirmasens. Subsequently, he transitioned to the legal department and eventually joined the Saarland University of Applied Sciences (htw saar) as legal counsel. On October 1, 2020, he assumed the role of chancellor at the academy. Bernd Schwarz is an amateur musician and active in local politics as a city councilor in Pirmasens.