The university invited all graduates of the graduation dates April and September 2020 and March 2021, their families and friends, as well as all university members
cordially invited to a Zoom webinar to join the sponsors in presenting awards for outstanding theses and achievements and to congratulate everyone on their successful graduation.
The sponsors Liechtenstein Association of Engineers and Architects (LIA), Foundation "Förderung of young technical talent" of Hilti AG and the Liechtenstein Bankers Association (LBV) have made it a point, despite or even because of the difficult conditions, to award Bachelor and Master's graduates with prizes for their outstanding achievements.
As Prof. Dr. Stefan Seidel, Prorector for Academic Development, emphasized following the welcoming address by Rector Markus Jäger, "wonderful things have happened and great things have been achieved" under very difficult conditions. Awards ceremonies are important dates in the academic year, Seidel explained, and was pleased that more than 140 participants had gathered in the Webinar to celebrate the award winners.
Prof. Urs Meister, Vice Chairman of the Senate, together with the sponsors, presented the award winners:
Awards in the field of economics
The Liechtenstein Bankers Association (LBV), represented by Hans Werner Gassner, honored the best average of all modules from the bachelor's degree program in Business Administration with specialization in International Financial Services as well as from the Master's program in Finance and awarded prizes for the best bachelor's and master's theses. The prize winner with the best average of all modules in the bachelor's degree program in Business Administration with a specialization in Financial Services (IFS) is Christina Winder with a grade point average of 5.7 and in the Master's program in Finance Nadja is Christina Löchle with a grade point average of 5.9.
In addition, the banking association honors bachelor's and master's theses with outstanding academic and practical achievements from the bachelor's degree program in Business Administration with a specialization in financial services (IFS) and the Finance master's degree program. Award winner for the bachelor thesis "Long/Short Momentum-. Strategy in the Cryptocurrency Market," which received a thesis grade of 6.0, is Timothy Rist. Awarded for his master's thesis, "Momentum Meets Uncertainty," which received a thesis grade of 6.0, was Dominik Kaiser.
The Foundation of Hilti AG "Promotion of Young Technical Talents" , represented by Stefan Ebbing, awarded the most innovative diploma theses from the bachelor's and master's degree programs in economics, as in previous years. Alexander Gut received the award for the most innovative thesis in the bachelor's program in Business Administration for his thesis: "Influence possibilities of words related to hope in verbal communication between leader and follower on the attribution of charisma of the leader", which was evaluated with a thesis grade of 6.0.
The award for the most innovative thesis in the master's program in Entrepreneurship and Management was received by Artur Burd for his thesis "The Challenge of Opportunity Recognition", which was evaluated with a thesis grade of 6.0.
Awards in the field of architecture
LIA, the Liechtenstein Association of Engineers and Architects, represented by Barbara Dillenkofer-Keppler, traditionally awards the best graduates of the Bachelor's and Master's degree programs in architecture. In the bachelor's program, Katharina Maria Bitschnau was awarded for a grade point average of 5.5, while in the master's program the prize went to Anina Frei, who achieved a grade point average of 5.6.
All sponsors agreed that the graduates "faced greater challenges than usual" due to the Corona pandemic and warmly congratulated everyone on their diplomas. The event was musically framed by recorded performances of the Uni Choir as well as by a live performance from the studio of Pirmin Schädler and Mirjam Dey. In his closing remarks, Prof. Seidel thanked families, friends and sponsors and hoped that future celebrations and also events can take place again "in real life" at the university starting in the fall.