Jörg Dräger

Jörg Dräger (born 1 January 1968 in Darmstadt) is a German physicist, politician and manager who has been the CEO of Kühne Foundation since 2022.^[1][2]

From 2001 to 2008 he was a senator in the Hamburg state government.^[3] From 2008 to 2021 he has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board where he is responsible for the areas of education and integration.^[4][5] Dräger is considered a leading education expert^[6][7] and is the author of numerous books on education policy,^[8][9] including the impacts of digitization.^[10]

Dräger completed his secondary education (Abitur) in 1987 at the Christianeum in Hamburg before doing community service in lieu of military service (Zivildienst).^[11][12] He then attended the University of Hamburg, studying physics with a minor in business.^[2] After receiving his undergraduate degree (Vordiplom) he transferred to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he was awarded a Master of Science in theoretical physics in 1993.^[13] Three years later he received a PhD for his work in the area of mathematical crystallography.^[12] While studying and completing his doctorate he worked as a research assistant.^[13]

In 1996, he joined Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Frankfurt am Main as a corporate consultant.^[14][15] He then returned to Hamburg in 1999 to lead the newly established Northern Institute of Technology as its CEO.^[12][16] The institute is one of the first public-private partnerships in the area of German higher education and is known for its interdisciplinary approach.^{[17][18][19][20]}

In 2001, Dräger was appointed senator of science and research in Hamburg's state government led by Ole von Beust, a position he held as a political independent.^[21][22] He called for the introduction of tuition fees and more competition among higher education institutions to secure the institutions' long-term funding.^[23][24] These recommendations were greeted with criticism, especially by student representatives.^[25]

After early elections in 2004, Dräger was appointed senator of science and health in the second von Beust government.^[12][26] Continuing to advocate for reform, he succeeded in introducing tuition fees.^[27] His goal was a fundamental reform of Hamburg's university system.^[28] He promoted the establishment of new institutions and the consolidation of existing ones as a way of modernizing Hamburg's higher education structures and making them more flexible.^[12] In retrospect these measures have proven controversial:^[29] While supporters praised his expertise and determination, critics opposed cutbacks made in the humanities, among other changes.^[30] In 2008, Dräger placed last in the ranking of ministers published by the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers; one year later he again placed sixth.^[31][32]

In 2006, he turned over his responsibilities in the area of health to Senator Birgit Schnieber-Jastram.^[33] Following elections in 2008 he announced that he would not serve another term.^[34] His announcement was met with regret by a number of public figures, including former Hamburg Mayor Klaus von Dohnanyi, who wrote in a commentary in the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper that the city had lost presumably its "most effective science senator since 1945."^[35] Other members of the media, conversely, were relieved that the "bulldozer in the three-piece suit" (taz) was leaving politics.^[36]

In 2008, Dräger became a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, where he is responsible for the areas of education and integration.^[37][13] In addition, he joined Frank Ziegele as a co-executive director of the nonprofit CHE Centre for Higher Education.^[38][39] In both positions Dräger has advocated for a number of reforms, including more autonomous colleges and universities.^[40] He has called for providing schools in troubled neighborhoods with better equipment and resources, and ensuring that educational systems in rural areas adapt to reflect demographic change.^[41][42] He is in favor of all-day schools and views digital media as a helpful tool for improving education.^[43][44]

Dräger is the deputy chair of the Board of Trustees of the Expert Council of the German Foundations on Integration and Migration.^[45] He has called for increased immigration from non-EU countries to ensure Germany does not lose out in the international competition for skilled workers.^[46][47][48]

Dräger advises young entrepreneurs at the nonprofit Founders Foundation and teaches public management at the Hertie School of Governance.^[49][50]

• Jacobs University Bremen, Member of the Board of Governors (since 2018)^[51]

Dräger is married and has two children.^[52][53]

• Jörg Dräger; Robert H. Silsbee (1997). Simulations for Solid State Physics. An Interactive Resource for Students and Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-59094-5.
• Jörg Dräger (2011). Dichter, Denker, Schulversager: Gute Schulen sind machbar – Wege aus der Bildungskrise (in German). Munich: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. ISBN 978-3-421-04529-4.
• Jörg Dräger; Christina Tillmann; Frank Frick (2014). Wie politische Ideen Wirklichkeit werden – Ein Lehr- und Praxisbuch (in German). Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8487-1613-5.
• Jörg Dräger; Ralph Müller-Eiselt (2015). Die digitale Bildungsrevolution: Der radikale Wandel des Lernens und wie wir ihn gestalten können (in German). Munich: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. ISBN 978-3-421-04709-0.

• Official website of Jörg Dräger
• Vita on the Bertelsmann Stiftung official website