Prof. Dr. Dietrich Wendler has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Wilfried Schmied, the regional president Giessen , presented the award to the former president of the Giessen -Friedberg University of Applied Sciences. Schmied stated that Wendler had "rendered outstanding service to the Hessian higher education landscape, far exceeding the duties of his office.".
Wendler was born in Jüterbog, Brandenburg, in 1943. After completing his A-levels in Giessen he studied economics at Justus Liebig University from 1966 to 1972. He worked there from 1970 to 1984, including as a research assistant, and completed his doctorate in 1976.
The Department Business Administration at the Giessen -Friedberg University of Applied Sciences appointed Wendler as Professor of General Business Administration, Accounting, and Controlling in 1984. Subsequently, he served as Vice Dean and Dean of the Department , as well as Vice Rector of the University. He became President of the University in December 2001. Wendler relinquished this position in early 2006.
In front of more than 120 guests from science, business, politics and administration at the Spilburg in Wetzlar, Regional President Schmied praised Wendler as a man who had always combined "a sense of duty with liberalism and consistency with warmth of heart".
He received the Federal Cross of Merit for his commitment to establishing the dual study programme "StudiumPlus" in Wetzlar, where he served, among other things, as honorary chairman of the board of trustees, and for his "exemplary development work" at the newly founded Jena University of Applied Sciences. There, Wendler served as the founding dean of the Department of Economics from 1992 to 1993. He is now an honorary senator of the university. His "extraordinarily constructive and fruitful collaboration" on the regional management project was also among his achievements. He represented the three regional universities on the board of the "MitteHessen" association, of which he was a founding member.