The Christoph Mendel von Steinfels Medal is awarded to outstanding members of the academic community who have dedicated their lives to academic service and through this commitment have made outstanding contributions to the Bavarian academic system over many years or decades. Prof. Dr Sabine Doering-Manteuffel headed Universität Bayern e.V. for ten years beginning in 2013 and is to date the longest-serving head in the association’s history.

“The awarding of the medal to the first elected rector of a Bavarian university reminds us that universities in Bavaria have been part of a democratic tradition of autonomy and self-administration, achievement, and the assumption of responsibility for over 550 years,” said Prof. Dr Udo Hebel in his laudation. He described Doering-Manteuffel’s career path as one of “achievement and responsibility,” which as the head of Universität Bayern e.V. she consistently implemented. In his laudation, Hebel mentioned numerous milestones during her time as head of Universität Bayern e.V. including the introduction of the new Bavarian Higher Education Act, the Bavarian Hightech Agenda, and the constructive interaction and exchange between Bavarian universities during the corona pandemic.

“I am delighted about the acknowledgment of my many years of work in higher education policy in Bavaria. The event has once again shown how closely connected we are and what we can achieve as a community. But I would also like to thank the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts for its far-reaching support in all matters relating to university operations,” said Doering-Manteuffel.

Doering-Manteuffel has held the Chair of European Ethnology at the University of Augsburg since 1995. Her research focuses on new religions and spiritual movements in Europe and the United States. She was first appointed president of the University of Augsburg on the 1st of October 2011. She was thus the first woman to head a Bavarian state university. She was elected for a fourth term as president of the University of Augsburg on the 24th of May 2023. She was also awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit in March 2022.