On 12 September, the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa of Voronezh State University was awarded to Professor Ursula Hirschfeld, PhD in Philology and Director of the Institute of Phonetics and Speech Studies of Martin Luther University (Halle, Germany), during an official ceremony held in the auditorium of the VSU main building.
Welcoming the guests, colleagues, and all members of the audience, Rector Dmitry Endovitsky talked about Ursula Hirschfeld's achievements.
Researchers in arts and humanities strengthen the relationships between countries, enhancing collaboration in culture, linguistic, and social sphere. Professor Ursula Hirschfeld has been invited to give lectures and trainings at the leading universities of 70 countries of the world, and is also a visiting professor at Vienna University. She has been to VSU 12 times, giving lectures for students and faculty members.
Dmitry Endovitsky awarded Ursula Hirschfeld with the title of the Honorary Doctor of VSU to honour her contribution to strengthening the collaboration between VSU and Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. VSU Rector mentioned the many years of Professor’s fruitful activities in the field of contrastive phonology, the methodology of teaching the German language and intercultural communication, advanced training for lecturers of Voronezh and the Voronezh Region, developing Germanic studies over the period between 2006 and 2016 as part of the DAAD academic programs implemented in collaboration with VSU, as well as her contribution to training young specialists as part of the Vladimir Admoni program in 2017–2019.
– It is such an exciting moment for me. I am very happy and grateful to be awarded a title of the Honorary Doctor of such a well-known and respected university. This title shows appreciation of the effective collaboration between our universities. VSU is very open and versatile in its activities aimed at strengthening its international contacts. We hope that collaboration between VSU and Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg will continue for many years, said Honorary Doctor of VSU Ursula Hirschfeld.
After the ceremony, Ursula Hirschfeld gave an open lecture on Speech Studies and Phonetics at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg.
