With this annual report we would like to inform you about the most important events and figures of the 2012 financial year. It provides information about important operational developments and economic framework data and also shows which challenges the Studentenwerk Oberfranken will have to face in the near future.

The 2012 financial year was primarily shaped by the effect of the double Abitur year at the universities in Bavaria. The Studentenwerk was just as well prepared for this event as the universities it supervises, so that the increased demand for the services of the Studentenwerk in the canteens, in the hostels and also for childcare could be well met. I would like to express my special thanks to all the staff of the Studentenwerk Oberfranken, without whose tireless commitment this challenge could not have been mastered.

The issue of increasing student numbers will continue to accompany the Studentenwerk in the years to come. In order to cope with this situation, it is essential for the Studentenwerk to continue to grow along with the number of students. Accordingly, the planning and completion of a total of four hostels and the construction of two additional crèches are being expedited. The targeted establishment of a social counselling service and the further expansion of the psychological counselling capacity is also new to the Studentenwerk.

Through its work, the Studentenwerk continually secures and expands the social infrastructure at the universities it supervises, thus making it an indispensable and important factor for students to successfully complete their studies. The Studentenwerk will do everything in its power to ensure that the motto "Damit Studieren gelingt" (So that studying is successful), under which all German Studentenwerke work, also becomes reality for students in Upper Franconia.

Overall, the 2012 financial year can be considered a very good and economically successful one. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to this result, especially the staff of the Studentenwerk, but also those responsible at the Bayerische Staatsministerium für Bildung und Kultus, Wissenschaft und Kunst (Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Culture, Science and Art), who have once again accompanied the Studentenwerk with a sense of what is appropriate.