August-Wilhelm Scheer Awarded the Honorary Senator Title of Saarland University
August-Wilhelm Scheer is awarded honorary senatorial status by Saarland University in recognition of his outstanding services to the university and society.
The scientist, entrepreneur, and versatile innovator Professor August-Wilhelm Scheer will be awarded the honorary senator title of Saarland University. This is the highest honor granted by the university. It is reserved for individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the university and society. Media representatives are welcome to attend the awarding of the honorary title on October 17 at 5:00 PM in the university’s auditorium.
In 1975, August-Wilhelm Scheer took over the chair of Business Informatics at Saarland University as its youngest professor at the time and conducted groundbreaking academic work. His research in business process modeling and optimization gained international recognition and had a significant impact on the field of business informatics. A central focus was the development of the ARIS concept, an architecture for integrated information systems. This concept is not only of scientific importance but still forms the basis for many business applications worldwide.
As emphasized by the Senate of Saarland University, Professor August-Wilhelm Scheer has earned outstanding merits for the university and society, demonstrating his close and enduring connection with it in exemplary fashion to this day. University President Ludger Santen described Professor Scheer as a “bridge builder between science, business, and politics,” noting his extraordinary ability to translate academic research results into practical economic applications. Remarkably, he accomplished this not only as a project partner of companies but also—and particularly—through his own enterprises: by founding IDS Scheer AG in the 1980s, Prof. Scheer demonstrated how university research can serve as the foundation for a successful publicly listed company. Today, the Scheer Group is a pioneer in digital transformation, with more than 1,300 employees at over 20 locations worldwide. This success has not only generated economic benefits for the Saarland region but also created numerous jobs for graduates of Saarland University.
Furthermore, August-Wilhelm Scheer has been particularly committed to supporting young researchers. The August-Wilhelm Scheer Foundation for Science and Art, which he founded, supports early-career researchers and promotes innovative research projects. Through scholarships and research funding, the foundation enables young scientists to realize their ideas and explore new directions. He donated the Graduate Centre to the university, where both early-career researchers and teaching staff can hold events in an inspiring atmosphere. In addition to the new conference building, the Graduate Centre in the renovated historic building provides thirty individual workspaces for doctoral students.
Professor Scheer also actively contributed to policy transfer. For example, he served for ten years as Innovation Commissioner of Saarland, was a member of the Innovation Council of Chancellor Kohl, and from 2007 to 2011 served as president of the industry association Bitkom. Recently, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung referred to him as “the father of the Digital Ministry” (FAZ, May 23, 2025).
Through his extensive experience in science, business, and politics, Professor Scheer has provided valuable impulses for the further development of research and teaching. Most recently, this included the establishment of the Scheer School of Digital Sciences at Saarland University and earlier the founding of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). The establishment of innovative companies and the creation of a dynamic start-up ecosystem around the university is also largely thanks to his efforts. Through his foundation, August-Wilhelm Scheer supports not only scientific projects but also cultural initiatives that enrich social life in Saarland. As an enthusiastic jazz musician, he has also initiated and supported numerous cultural events.
Awarding of the Honorary Senator Title on October 17 – Program Schedule
At the ceremonial awarding of the honorary senator title, which will take place with invited guests on October 17 at 5:00 PM in the university auditorium, Interior Minister Reinhold Jost, University President Ludger Santen, and Chair of the University Council Margret Wintermantel will give welcoming remarks. The keynote lecture will be delivered by Henning Kagermann, former SAP Board spokesperson and longtime president of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech). This will be followed by a panel discussion, in which, in addition to the newly appointed honorary senator, Henning Kagermann, and Wolfram Jost (CEO of Scheer IDS), emeritus Professor of Business Informatics Helmut Krcmar from the Technical University of Munich will also participate. The discussion will be moderated by Roland Rolles, Vice President for Administration and Economic Affairs at Saarland University.
This text has been machine translated from the German and has undergone no postediting.