With this annual report, the 41st since the foundation of the Studentenwerk Oberfranken, we would like to inform our partners at the universities, the state institutions supervising the Studentenwerk and all interested persons and institutions about the most important events and figures of the 2019 financial year.

The annual report provides information on all important developments and economic data of the past year and shows which problems will have to be dealt with by the Studentenwerk Oberfranken in the near future.

A key factor in the success of the 2019 financial year was the unchanged number of students at the universities in the supervised area. With its investments in the infrastructure and targeted personnel development, the Studentenwerk Oberfranken has laid the foundations to be able to cope with the still high demand for dormitory places, catering and advisory services. I would like to express my special thanks to all the employees of the Studentenwerk, without whose tireless commitment the challenges would not have been able to be mastered.

The further development of the universities as well as the good student numbers will also be decisive factors for the economic development of the Studentenwerk in the next few years. It is therefore important to ensure optimal study conditions through the targeted expansion of the existing offers at all locations.

The prerequisite for this, however, is that the Studentenwerk will continue to have sufficient financial resources available in the future. It was possible to achieve another good result in the 2019 financial year. The external framework conditions, however, reveal considerable uncertainties for the following years. The effects of the Corona crisis, high collective bargaining agreements and insecure donations from the Free State of Bavaria to the Studentenwerk could certainly have a significant negative impact on the economic development of the Studentenwerk.

With its work, the Studentenwerk Oberfranken is an indispensable and important factor for students to successfully complete their studies. The Studentenwerk will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that the motto “To make studying succeed”, under which all German student unions work, remains a reality for the students in Upper Franconia.

Josef Tost, managing director