Digital Book of Condolences for Prof. Dr. Andreas Musil

In deep mourning, the University of Potsdam bids farewell to its Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Andreas Musil. The university has not only lost a highly esteemed and committed university lecturer and lawyer, but also a competent colleague and a formative member of the university administration. The heartfelt sympathy of all university members goes out to his wife and two sons at this difficult time.

In recent years, Prof. Dr. Andreas Musil has significantly shaped teaching and studying at the University of Potsdam with his commitment and vast expertise. As Vice President, he broke new ground and introduced system accreditation in Potsdam. He integrated new concepts and processes and in doing so advanced the development of teaching and studies enormously. As a member of the university administration, he was creative and solution-oriented, while keeping his focus on the university and its employees and students.

In 2007, Dr. Musil was appointed Professor of Public Law, in particular Administrative and Tax Law, at the University of Potsdam, where he initially fought for the continued existence of the Faculty of Law. In 2012, he was elected Vice President for Teaching and Studies. From 2011 to 2020, he was a part-time judge at the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg. After a long and difficult battle against cancer, Andreas Musil has now been taken from this life far too early. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

University President Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D.: “Andreas Musil was not only a great professor of law, an innovative vice president for studies and teaching, and a consistently critical spirit, but first and foremost a politically and socially committed person with heartfelt sincerity. Working with him was always a great enrichment, both professionally and personally. We will miss him - as a colleague and as a friend.”

Prof. Jens Petersen, Dean of the Faculty of Law: “It is solely thanks to Andreas Musil that we were one of the first law faculties to award a bachelor’s degree in addition to the state examination. Ten years ago, he thereby ensured the continued existence of our faculty in difficult times. As an inspiring teacher and one of the nation’s leading tax lawyers, he created a highly successful master’s program in corporate and tax law.”

Dr Manja Schüle, Minister for Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg: “Andreas Musil was a wonderfully humorous, clever and subtle person and scientist. He left his mark on the University of Potsdam as Vice President for Teaching and Studies, as a creative provider of ideas and as a versatile enabler. I will remember his humour and openness, his high level of professional competence, his keen sense of education and science policy, and his ability to quickly see through challenging and complex issues and come up with clever solutions. He has worked with great perseverance for the interests of teachers and students in particular. I am extremely grateful to him for this!”

General Students' Committee (AStA): “The message of Prof. Dr. Musil's much too early death has deeply affected us and many other students and student representatives. As a lecturer and as Vice President for Teaching and Studies, Mr. Musil always had an open ear for us and also represented our interests in the university management. With his openness and humor, he enriched many meetings and sessions in particular and probably contributed like no other to a sense of community among the status groups, even beyond Potsdam. We have the highest respect for Mr. Musil's numerous merits and contributions to a more future-oriented university and university landscape. We will miss him greatly. Our thoughts are with his family and all who were close to him.”

Dr. Thomas Grünewald, President of the Hochschule Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences: “Andreas Musil was an outstanding colleague for me, from the moment of his appointment, and he also soon became a good friend. In 2012, he was my successor to the Presidium of the University of Potsdam. Just a few days before his death, I was able to speak with him, and I marveled at how much of his wit and charm was still there, even though the illness had taken everything from him. His death touched me profoundly. My grief for him is deep, and my sympathy goes out to his wife and sons. He gave everything for the University of Potsdam, right to the end. That is admirable. May Andreas Musil not be forgotten.”

Dr. jur. Henning Koewius, specialist for tax law, Hauptverband der Deutschen Bauindustrie e.V.: “It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Prof. Musil, who was my doctoral advisor. In addition to the loss of an outstanding lawyer, his humane nature will always remain a vivid memory for me. I will be eternally grateful to him for his interest in my doctoral topic, his help with the formal questions of the doctorate, and for his exceptional patience. The support I received from him as a doctoral supervisor was unique and by no means a matter of course; therefore, I will always have happy memories of this joint journey, which helped shape my professional life. I extend my sincere condolences to his family at this difficult time...”

Dr. Christian Jennerich, Zessko, Head of "Starting Studies for International Students" / Network Coordinator for the ESiSt Program: „I was deeply affected by the untimely death of Prof. Andreas Musil. I got to know Mr. Musil during the development period of the "Successful start to studies for international students in the state of Brandenburg" ("Erfolgreicher Studieneinstieg für internationale Studierende im Bundesland Brandenburg,” or ESiSt). I will greatly miss his ability to quickly think his way into different structural processes, his supportive as well as quality-oriented approach, and especially his humane attitude. On behalf of the “Starting Studies for International Students” team at Zessko, I would like to wish his family in particular a lot of strength for the coming time.“   

Volker Bley, retired chancellor (oft he University of Applied Sciences at Potsdam): “The news of Andreas Musil’s lost battle against cancer saddens me. I experienced Andreas Musil as a wonderful cooperation partner, among other things, in the design of cooperative study programs between the University of Potsdam and the University of Applied Sciences, as well as in the establishment of the Brandenburg Center for Media Studies, and I was also connected with him in university policy frameworks and often in agreement with him. His integrity, his integrating manner and work, and his sense of cooperation ‘for the common good’ have brought the University of Potsdam a long way and have shaped the climate of discussion there in a very positive way. People and their nature play a big role, and especially in higher education. In thoughtful and lingering sadness that resonates, I bow in farewell to Andreas Musil.”

Jessica Ziegler, Franziska Hradilak and Johannes Wolf, (former) students of the Digital Engineering Faculty: “In the LSK and the Accreditation Commission, we got to know Prof. Musil as a very competent, friendly and extremely likeable person. In the University’s administrative landscape, there are few who have pursued their work with as much passion and commitment as he has. His ability to keep meetings on track in terms of both content and time, and to enrich them with unexpected dry humor, was impressive. As a result, he managed to guide us even through long sessions. As student representatives, we are especially grateful for his constant dedication to us as students. It is often difficult to get a real hearing with student views and suggestions – but Prof. Musil always made us feel genuinely valued. The University has lost an important driver of quality in teaching. We remember a professor who not only cared about what was absolutely necessary, but showed real commitment to shaping a positive future.”

Dr. Tilo Köhn, Director of the Center for Information Technology and Media Management (Zentrum für Informationstechnologie und Medienmanagement, or ZIM): “Working with Andreas Musil was always inspiring, pragmatic and results-oriented. His humor helped to overcome obstacles. Especially in the first months of the pandemic, he supported ZIM in making the decisions to establish online teaching overnight. He will be missed. Our sympathies go out to his family at this difficult time.”

Dr. Doris Gebert, Director of the Language Center / Zessko from 1994 to 2019: “The news of Professor Musil’s untimely death has deeply affected and saddened me. During the last seven years of my tenure, Professor Musil was my contact person in the university administration in all matters of teaching and studies. These were difficult years for the Center in many ways. With gratitude I remember that I could always rely on his great professional and humane support. Professor Musil not only had an open ear for the concerns of the Center, but was also prepared to represent them against opposition both inside and outside the university – with competence and commitment, a good dose of composure and his characteristic humor. I admired him for this. My deepest sympathy goes out to his family and all those who were close to him.”

Dr. Sabina Bieber, Division of Student Affairs: “Dear Mr. Musil - this is how countless emails began over the last few years, to which we always received clear and intelligent answers, quickly and reliably. Now there are no more answers. We are deeply saddened by your much too early death. You were always present, even when you were not. That let us suppress how you were really doing and we hoped with you until the end. Now reality has hit us with full force and we are deeply saddened that this insidious disease has taken away your chance to continue pursuing your goals and ideas. But you have left behind great things. We will wonder for a long time: what would Professor Musil’s decision have been - and act in your spirit. Our thoughts are with your family and we pay our respects to you as a wonderful human being. Your Division of Student Affairs.”

Prof. Dr. Frank Meyer (Assistant Dean), Prof. Dr. Rene Mantje (Assistant Dean), Prof. Dr. Ralf Stohwasser (Assistant Dean), Prof. Dr. Mia Wippert (Substitute Assistant Dean), Dr. Nathalie Dehne (Managing Director), Prof. Dr. Frank Hufert (Chair of the Faculty Council), Faculty of Health Sciences: “In deep mourning we remember Prof. Musil, Vice President for Studies and Teaching at the University of Potsdam. On behalf of the entire faculty, we extend our sincere condolences to his family and relatives. We have come to know and appreciate Prof. Musil as a dedicated and competent colleague. Andreas Musil was always available during the development of the faculty's first degree program as a critical yet constructive and empathetic discussion partner. His personal commitment helped shape the development of the Faculty of Health Sciences. We are deeply saddened.”

Peter Ottenberg, Executive Director of the Council of the Heads of the District Assemblies of Berlin: “As the author of the online practical commentary for local politics and administration on district administrative law (Berlin), I had a personal exchange with Prof. Dr. Andreas Musil and came to appreciate him as a communicative and open-minded person. His publication "Das Recht der Berliner Verwaltung" (with Mr. Sören Kirchner) was authoritative and exercised a decisive influence. I am deeply shaken.”

Peter Heiß, Managing Director Studentenwerk Potsdam: "Working with Prof. Musil was always a pleasure. As Chairman of the Administrative Board of the Student Union (Studentenwerk Potsdam) from 2012 to 2016, but also afterwards, he maintained a courageous commitment to a positive social environment on campus. In doing so, he was an important interface between the University and the Studentenwerk, and he always worked with us in a solution-oriented way that created connection. He will be missed by me and all those who knew him in the Studentenwerk environment."

Prof. Dr. Alexandra Nonnenmacher and Prof. Dr. Thomas Mannel (Rectorate of the University of Siegen): “It was with dismay that the members of the Quality Audit network received the news of Andreas Musil’s death. We have lost an extremely valued colleague and committed comrade-in-arms who has been a driving force of the network since its inception. We mourn him; he will be missed, professionally and personally. He leaves a big gap, and not only in the network. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends.”

Prof. Dr. Andrea  Schmidt, University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam: “Dear Andreas, I was deeply affected by the news of your death. In the last two years we did not have such intensive contact, so I did not know how you were doing. I got to know you during my work as vice president of the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam. As a newcomer in this field, I often asked you questions, because you knew pretty much everything about studying and teaching at universities in Brandenburg. I appreciated you very much as a colleague, because I got to know you as a clever fellow campaigner who could be mischievous, despite all his seriousness, and who sometimes had a proverbial roguish look in his eyes. The latter was particularly evident when the working sessions became more private. This was the case, for example, during the unforgettable vice presidents’ meetings in Steinhövel.
Dear Andreas, I am thinking of you, that you had to go so early, and my sympathy goes to your loved ones.”