DAMSTADT and FREIBURG, GERMANY - Karl-Ludwig Kley, Chairman of the Executive Board of the pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck, was today named an Honorary Senator of the University of Freiburg, Germany.
The honor came in recognition of his strong commitment to the continuation and development of the ordoliberal tradition in economics (the Freiburg School), as the certificate of award stated. With the establishment of the Wilfried Guth Endowed Chair for Constitutional Political Economy and Competition Policy, Kley and the non-profit association Baden-Baden Entrepreneurs’ Talks (BBUG), of which he is management board chairman, had rendered outstanding and exemplary services in the promotion of research and teaching at the University of Freiburg, it was further noted.
The honorary senatorship is the highest honor which the university can award and is presented on the basis of a recommendation by the university’s rector. It honors individuals who have enabled strategic developments in scholarship and research or have provided support enabling the university to do so.
The University of Freiburg achieves top rankings in all university ranking lists. The university’s research, teaching and continuing education programs have all won awards in national competitions held in Germany. More than 24,000 students from over 100 countries are enrolled in the university’s 188 degree programs.