German politician
Annette Schavan
(
pronounced
[a?n?t?
?a?vaːn]
ⓘ
; born 10 June 1955) is a German politician of the
Christian Democratic Union
(CDU). She was the
Federal Minister of Education and Research
in the government of
Chancellor
Angela Merkel
from 2005 to 2013, when she resigned following the revocation of her doctorate due to plagiarism. From 2014 until 2018 she served as the German Ambassador to the
Holy See
. From April 2018, she also briefly served as first German Ambassador to the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
.
[1]
Throughout her political career, Schavan was widely known to be a friend and a confidante of Merkel's.
[2]
[3]
Early life
[
edit
]
Schavan was born in
Juchen
on 10 June 1955.
[4]
Political career
[
edit
]
Career in state politics
[
edit
]
From 1995 until 2005, Schavan served as State Minister of Cultural Affairs, Youth, and Sports for the German state of
Baden-Wurttemberg
in the governments of successive minister-president
Erwin Teufel
and
Gunther Oettinger
. During this time, she oversaw school education in Baden-Wurttemberg. One controversy that erupted during this time was when a Muslim teacher was banned from wearing a
head scarf
in school, as that was interpreted as a religious symbol, while at the same time allowing Catholic nuns to wear their traditional habits. The argument was that the habits of nuns and monks have an official function, while a Muslim headscarf is optional.
Schavan was regarded as a possible Christian Democratic candidate for
Germany's presidency
in 2004, but
Horst Kohler
was nominated and elected instead. In 2005, she attempted to succeed Erwin Teufel as Minister-President of Baden-Wurttemberg, but she was defeated by her rival Gunther Oettinger in the internal elections of the CDU. Oettinger's referendum win ? with 60.6 percent of the vote versus 39.4 percent for Schavan ? was widely seen at the time as a defeat for Teufel, who had promoted Schavan as his preferred successor.
Under the leadership of party chairwoman
Angela Merkel
, Schavan was re-elected vice-chairwoman of the
CDU
in November 2006, this time alongside minister-presidents
Roland Koch
,
Jurgen Ruttgers
and
Christian Wulff
.
[5]
Schavan in 2004
Minister of Education and Research, 2005?2013
[
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]
Schavan served as Federal Minister of Education and Research from 2005 to February 2013. Following the
2009 federal elections
, she was part of the
CDU/CSU
team in the negotiations with the
FDP
on a coalition agreement. She led her party's delegation in the working group on education and research policy; her co-chair of the FDP was
Andreas Pinkwart
.
In an effort to increase the share of female university lecturers and tenured professors, Schavan introduced a €150 million equal-opportunities program under which the federal government paid the salary of between one and three additional posts for highly qualified female academics that proved a commitment to redressing the gender imbalance.
[6]
In 2010, Schavan led efforts to enlist
imams
educated at German universities to improve the integration of young Muslims. Under a plan devised by the
German Council of Science and Humanities
, imams were to be trained at two or three German universities, in accordance with the German
curriculum
. In addition to theology, the new preachers would also study education and
community organizing
. In a competition, the universities of
Tubingen
,
Munster
and
Osnabruck
were selected for the program.
[7]
On the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the
diplomatic relations
between Germany and
India
, Schavan participated in the first joint cabinet meeting of the two countries' governments in
Delhi
in May 2011.
[8]
In 2012, Schavan chaired the Joint Science Conference (GWK), a body which deals with all questions of research funding, science and research policy strategies and the science system that jointly affect the federal government and the 16 federal states.
Following her resignation, Schavan was succeeded by
Johanna Wanka
.
[9]
Life after politics
[
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]
Ahead of the Christian Democrats'
leadership election
in 2018, Schavan publicly endorsed
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
to succeed Angela Merkel as the party's chair.
[10]
[11]
[12]
In April 2023, Schavan was one of the 22 personal guests at the ceremony in which Angela Merkel was decorated with the
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
for special achievement by
President
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
at
Schloss Bellevue
in Berlin.
[13]
Plagiarism
[
edit
]
Amid the
plagiarism scandal
that led to the resignation of
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg
as
Minister of Defence of Germany
on 1 March 2011, Schavan was quoted in
Der Spiegel
as saying that "intellectual theft is not a small thing".
[14]
In 2012, a
blogger
with the
pseudonym
Robert Schmidt who is a member of the research-network
VroniPlag Wiki
alleged he had found plagiarism in Schavan's PhD thesis,
[15]
entitled "Character and conscience ? Studies on the conditions, necessities, and demands on the development of conscience in the present day."
[16]
[17]
The
University of Dusseldorf
conducted an investigation into the plagiarism charge. Investigators found paraphrasing of secondary literature without naming the source in over 60 cases in the dissertation and thereby on 5 February 2013 revoked her doctorate degree because of "systematic and premeditated" deception.
[18]
[19]
On 9 February 2013, it was reported that chancellor
Angela Merkel
had accepted Annette Schavan's resignation. Schavan continued to deny any wrongdoing and pursued a court appeal against the process by which
the university
had revoked her doctorate.
[20]
[21]
On 20 March 2014
a Dusseldorf court
[
de
]
rejected her appeal, however.
[22]
Other activities (selection)
[
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]
- Hertie Foundation, Chair of the Board (since 2024),
[23]
previously Member of the Board of Trustees
[24]
- Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future
(EVZ), chairwoman of the Board of Trustees (since 2019)
[25]
- European Foundation for the Aachen Cathedral
, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees (since 2018)
[26]
- Munich School of Philosophy
, Member of the Board of Trustees
[27]
- German Cancer Research Center
(DKFZ), Member of the Advisory Council
[28]
- Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
, Member of the Honorary Senate
[29]
- Academy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart
, Member of the Board of Trustees
[30]
- German Coordinating-Council for Christian-Jewish Cooperation Organizations
, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Hermann Kunst Foundation for the Promotion of New Testament Textual Research, Member of the Board of Trustees
[31]
- ZDF
, Member of the Television Board (2010-2011)
- Max Planck Society
(MPG), Member of the Senate (2005-2013)
- Volkswagen Foundation
, Member of the Board of Trustees (2005-2013)
- Central Committee of German Catholics
, Member (1991-2005)
Political positions
[
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]
Following the death of
Pope
John Paul II
, Schavan ? then serving as deputy chairperson of the
Central Committee of German Catholics
, the church's lay organisation ? demanded that the "we need more lively local churches, and therefore also more autonomy [from Rome] for local parishes".
[32]
For the
2021 national elections
, Schaven endorsed
Armin Laschet
as the Christian Democrats' joint candidate to succeed
Chancellor
Angela Merkel
.
[33]
Recognition
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"First german Ambassador presents her credentials to the Lieutenant of the Grand Master"
.
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
. 27 April 2018. Archived from
the original
on 2 January 2021
. Retrieved
27 June
2018
.
- ^
Nicholas Kulish and Chris Cottrell (9 February 2013),
German Fascination With Degrees Claims Latest Victim: Education Minister
The New York Times
.
- ^
Ralf Neukirch (11 October 2005),
Germany's New Chancellor: Merkel's Surprising Rise to the Top
Spiegel Online
.
- ^
"Alle Infos & News zu Annette Schavan"
.
rtl.de
(in German)
. Retrieved
15 August
2019
.
- ^
CDU-Stellvertreter: Merkels bunte Truppe
n-tv
, 27 November 2006.
- ^
Universities Rewarded for Hiring Women Professors
Spiegel Online
, 4 September 2008.
- ^
Andrea Brandt and Maximilian Popp (16 September 2010),
Imams Made in Germany: Will Efforts to Train Homegrown Muslim Leaders Fail?
Spiegel Online
.
- ^
Gunther Bannas (30 May 2011),
Hoffnung auf ?Eurofighter“-Geschaft: Erste deutsch-indische Regierungskonsultationen
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
.
- ^
"Merkel Loses Minister: Schavan Steps Down amid Plagiarism Scandal"
.
Der Spiegel
. 9 February 2013
. Retrieved
9 February
2013
.
- ^
Christian Rothenberg (5 December 2018),
So groß sind die Lager der Unterstutzer fur Merz, Spahn und Kramp-Karrenbauer
Handelsblatt
.
- ^
Christopher Ziedler (4 December 2018),
Umfragen fur AKK, Wahlaufrufe fur Merz
Stuttgarter Zeitung
.
- ^
Maria Stohr (6 December 2018),
Kampf um die Merkel-Nachfolge: Wer wahlt wen?
Der Spiegel
.
- ^
Kati Degenhardt (17 April 2023),
Merkels emotionaler Dank: "Er hatte Vieles auszuhalten"
T-Online
.
- ^
Charles Hawley (1 March 2011),
The Downfall of Defense Minister Guttenberg
Spiegel Online
.
- ^
"Schavanplag"
. Schavanplag
. Retrieved
9 February
2013
.
- ^
Vogel, Gretchen (May 2012).
"German Research Minister Faces Plagiarism Allegations"
. ScienceInsider
. Retrieved
9 February
2013
.
- ^
Christoph Titz:
Anonymous Schavan-accuser: ?I don't want this evidence to be suppressed“
.
In:
Spiegel Online
.
5. Mai 2012. (ger.)
- ^
"Education minister loses doctorate for plagiarism"
.
The Local
. 5 February 2013
. Retrieved
9 February
2013
.
- ^
Jorg Diehl & Oliver Trenkamp (6 February 2013).
"Plagiarism Accusations: Merkel's Education Minister Has PhD Title Revoked"
.
Spiegel Online
. Retrieved
9 February
2013
.
- ^
"German education minister quits over PhD plagiarism"
.
the Guardian
. 9 February 2013
. Retrieved
13 October
2022
.
- ^
"Plagiatsaffare - Alle Falle von A-Z | Business And Science"
(in German)
. Retrieved
6 August
2019
.
- ^
"VG Dusseldorf · Urteil vom 20. Marz 2014 · Az. 15 K 2271/13"
. 20 March 2014
. Retrieved
21 December
2017
.
- ^
Wechsel in der Fuhrung der Hertie-Stiftung
Hertie Foundation, press release of 23 February 2024.
- ^
Board of Trustees
Hertie Foundation.
- ^
Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future
(EVZ).
- ^
Von Rom nach Aachen: Annette Schavan neue Vorsitzende im Aachener Dom-Kuratorium
Domradio
, 16 February 2018.
- ^
Board of Trustees
Munich School of Philosophy
.
- ^
Advisory Council
Archived
27 October 2016 at the
Wayback Machine
German Cancer Research Center
(DKFZ).
- ^
Honorary Senate
Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
.
- ^
[Board of Trustees]
Academy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart
.
- ^
Board of Trustees
Hermann Kunst Foundation for the Promotion of New Testament Textual Research.
- ^
Hugh Williamson (7 April 2005),
German Catholics seek a more liberal successor
Financial Times
.
- ^
Nikolaus Harbusch, Ralf Schuler and Julius Bohm (April 17, 2021),
Merkel-Vertraute Schavan attackiert CSU-Chef: ?Soder hat den verabredeten gemeinsamen Weg verlassen“
Bild
.
- ^
Ehrendoktorwurde fur Annette Schavan
University of Lubeck
, press release of 11 April 2014
External links
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]
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