Being president is not always easy. But Prof. Dr. Robert Grebner doesn’t show it as president of FHWS. He doesn’t feel the pressure and challenges are no obstacle to him. A glimpse into his life.
Published March 2022
Hands clasped on the table, a friendly and attentive gaze: although the president of FHWS, Prof. Dr. Robert Grebner, hurries from one meeting to the next, he is always living in the moment. Whatever the meeting, he is always fully present – even with anything up to a 70-hour working week. “Being president is a very demanding and by no means normal job. But there hasn’t been a day yet on which I didn’t want to be president,” Grebner says confidently and his ice blue eyes twinkle mischievously. “That’s not in my thinking. When I do something, I do it. And since I am currently president, I will do that too.”
The career of a president
But becoming president of FHWS? That wasn’t planned. It was more a case of colleagues encouraging Grebner to apply for this position of responsibility. “I am someone who finds it hard to say no. So I always end up committing to something or other,” Grebner says with a laugh. The 55-year-old is someone who attracts people to him. “If he wasn’t president anymore then I wouldn’t want to be vice president anymore either,” Prof. Dr. Gabriele Saueressig, vice president of FHWS, says with a smile. Saueressig and Grebner have known each other for many years. They originally did their doctorates together in Nuremberg and then ran into each other again at FHWS. Saueressig describes her relationship with Grebner as very collaborative and based on partnership. Grebner is also a very innovative and enthusiastic person. It is not unusual for him to come up with ideas overnight out of nowhere which are always scientifically sound and well thought out.
Grebner was born in Gerolzhofen. He grew up in a small town in Steigerwald and did his general higher education qualification in Wiesentheid. When he worked with a computer for the first time at school at the age of 17, it was clear to Grebner: he wanted to study computer science and find out how computers work. After his mandatory year in the Federal Armed Forces, he studied in Erlangen before ultimately doing his doctorate in the field of intelligent software agents in Nuremberg. He then went into the free economy. But after a few years, he realised that science was more important to him than he had initially thought – which is how it came about that he started at FHWS in 2002 as professor of information management, databases and programming.
After just four years, he was Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science and Business Information Systems, and after a further two years he ultimately became head of the IT Service Centre (ITSC). “As a computer scientist, you always see how something could be, and there were several things at FHWS which could be improved at that time. I took on the role of head of the ITSC and was then responsible for administering the consolidation and integration of the Würzburg and Schweinfurt sites, the employees and the services for four years,” the president explains in an enthusiastic voice. If he misses one thing in his current position, it is scientific work in his research field of artificial intelligence.
A president with many facets
But FHWS president Grebner rises to every challenge. If he has a say, then they must be tackled as quickly as possible. Each challenge which hasn’t been overcome unnecessarily blocks the workflow in the system. “I like to bring up my ‘amber traffic light principle’ here: there are people who don’t drive through a traffic light when it is amber and step on the brakes. In contrast, I like to drive through traffic lights when they are amber, because braking increases the delay. It’s the same with challenges. If you don’t tackle them quickly, then they increase,” Grebner explains. Vice president Prof. Dr. Saueressig has her eye on a moderate speed at FHWS: “Sometimes he’s a little too energetic. I then sometimes put the brakes on him a little so that everyone comes with him.”
Ultimately, even a president needs support. Because being president of FHWS means a lot of responsibility. Grebner has to represent FHWS to the general public, develop strategies and bear organisational responsibility. He needs comrades-in-arms like the vice presidents, the deans, the faculties and many other people on the FHWS committees for this. “As president, I need to come to an agreement with them. Ultimately, it is important to make sure that my ideas, which I always include other people’s ideas in, are feasible,” Grebner explains. Close relationships with the people he works with are particularly important to him here. And working with a president also includes a bit of nonsense and fun from time to time. “Sometimes we go for a kebab during breaks, or have a beer or a cocktail after hours. You can always share a few laughs with him,” says Saueressig. “Whether it’s an overnight stay in a cowshed in India or a spontaneous leap into the Main: Mr Grebner always gets involved.”
But being president also means making compromises with his free time and his family. “With a full work week, obviously the family have to manage with less time. It is important that the family are on the same page here,” says Grebner. “My wife supports me by bringing up our daughter. I therefore also spend time with my family when I have time off.” As a result, there isn’t much time left for hobbies. But when Grebner can free up a bit of time, he likes to jump on two wheels, whether that’s a motorbike or a mountain bike. But Grebner isn’t just athletic, he also has a passion for crafts. “I like to build things out of wood and concrete. It offers a retreat for me,” he reveals.
Grebner as the ‘Barack Obama of FHWS’
President Prof. Dr. Grebner has many facets. And if you ask him if he also sometimes feels pressure with his full week, he simply shrugs his shoulders. He doesn’t feel the pressure – which may also be a requirement for someone in his position. The fact that Grebner always approaches things very calmly and thoughtfully is also noticed around him. “When I think about Mr Grebner, I sometimes think of Barack Obama. Obama was a really relaxed and laid-back president because, despite his huge responsibility as the most powerful man in the world, he never really acted stressed. And it’s exactly the same with our president,” Saueressig says with a laugh. “Just the hair, he gets that from Mahatma Gandhi. But otherwise, Mr Grebner is the Barack Obama of FHWS for me.”
The next challenge which the president must face is the Hochschulinnovationsgesetz (Law on Innovation in Higher Education Institutions). The vice president is sure that Grebner will continue to pull ideas out of thin air here: “As our president, Robert Grebner has definitely contributed to FHWS being where it is today!”
