'My memories of the University of Münster are extremely pleasant, and I welcome an initiative which will enable alumni to keep in touch with their Alma Mater.'

'The seven years I spent at Münster University not only enabled me to obtain academic titles. They also helped me to acquire invaluable experience. I conducted empirical sociological research at a time when there wasn't a single student with a personal computer; I enjoyed a pleasant working atmosphrere in a cosy city; and I developed a lifelong passion for cycling. I send my best regards to my old university.'

'Studying in Münster helped me to understand why the past and the present are so closely intermeshed in the Westphalian metropolis. 1,200 years of turbulent history leave traces and profiles, not only in the outskirts of the city, but also in the lifestyle of its citizens. Münster is more than a Westphalian city. It is a form of life and culture.'

'Contacts with other people often trigger positive developments. This is true of every domain of social existence. When I was a student in Münster, I discovered how important contacts can be, and I realized that they can exert a pervasive influence on one's private and professional development. When I look back upon my life, I often wish I'd had more of those contacts. I'm now doing my utmost to help people to set up and support mentoring networks. Alumni clubs fall within this category. In many respects they constitute valuable networks. This is why I'll be only too pleased to assist the University in founding a new alumni club in Münster.'

'I like to look back upon the time when I was a student in Münster. A lot of other people will no doubt feel the same way as I do.'

'I enjoyed studying in Münster. The city was simply beautiful, there were bicycle paths everywhere, and it was a pleasure to study in the Faculty of Law - apart from the stress associated with examinations and seminar papers, of course. At Münster University I learnt a lot of things that came in useful later on when I was elected to the Bundestag, and which I can still make use of in my capacity as a board member of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau in Frankfurt. My husband also studied in Münster. His subject was mathematics. We were both elected to the Student Parliament, and we can still remember a great many interesting discussions that we took part in. It was through the Student Parliament that I came into personal contact with Mr Milbrad, who served for many years as Finance Minister in Saxony, and Mr Catenhusen, who is now Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry for Education and Research. I now know both these gentlemen quite well, and consider this as a pleasant side effect of my activities as a student M.P. Finally, I mustn't forget to mention something else that affords ample proof of the pleasure I derived from my law studies and my strong attachment to the city of Münster. Until my election to the Bundestag, I was on the academic staff of the higher administrative court in Münster, and I was also employed as an administrative court judge in the same city.'

'As soon as I'd passed the Abitur (the school-leaving examination), I registered as a student of political economy, law and mathematics. Throughout my student days, I played an active part in various self-governing bodies, both at the student and the academic level.'

'The rector of the University of Münster has invited me to join the Alumni Club Münster as a founder member, and I am only too pleased to accept this invitation. I studied in Münster from 1968 till 1973, and I still like to look back upon that period. In 1968 I was among those who favoured an alternative society, and it was in Münster that, as a member of the RCDS, I became politically involved - first in the student body of the Law Faculty, then in the Student Parliament, the Students' Union, the Senate and the Convention of the University. In my student days I never imagined that I would later become a professional politician, but since the late sixties I have remained politically committed. The Alumni Club is a good idea. I think it ought to have been founded ages ago, and I hope that lots of people will join it. British and American universities can teach us how important it is to keep in touch with former students.'

'My studies in Münster extended over a fairly long period - 24 semesters in all: philosophy, sociology, journalism, Cavete, Toeddenhoeck, Preußen, swimming in the canal, cycling tours, Bullenkopp, Café Schucan, Schloss, H 1, earning money, Spanish courses, folklore, falling in love, getting married, doctoral thesis, becoming a father, moving, moving, then the oral part of the doctoral examination in 1982. Whew! What a relief! All the same, it was lovely, and as time goes on it seems to grow even lovelier in my memory.'

'Some time ago, a new tradition began to establish itself in Germany - the founding of alumni clubs. I welcome this innovation, for alumni clubs exploit the positive experience of many foreign universities and other institutions of higher learning, thereby establishing new forms of contact which have long since proved their worth, especially in English-speaking countries. I hope that Münster's new Alumni Club will be more than an association whose sole purpose is to preserve traditions. However important the past may be, however significant our memories of that past, what really counts is the intellectual contribution that the University of Münster can make to the world of the future. Münster University is the place where I embarked upon my studies in 1952, and in 1994 its faculty of economics awarded me an honorary doctorate - a distinction I am particularly proud of, despite the fact that I have received honorary doctorates from several other institutions.'