Meet the Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences University Council

ToU was founded by Christian Rebernik and Dr. Thomas Funke with a mission of helping learners to develop 21st-century skills and empowering them to make a sustainable impact. To support this mission, a diverse group of leaders was selected as valued members of the University Council.

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The University Council is the governing body that oversees the activities of universities. It is made up of a group of individuals, including academic and non-academic staff, students, and community representatives. The council is responsible for making decisions that affect the university, including budgeting, strategic planning, and policy development.

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Functions and responsibilities

The University Council has several functions and responsibilities. These include:

• Strategic planning: The council develops and implements the university’s strategic plan. This involves setting the university’s vision and mission, identifying priorities, and allocating resources to achieve its objectives.
• Budgeting: The council approves the university’s budget. This involves reviewing and approving the budget proposal, monitoring budget implementation, and making adjustments as necessary.
• Policy development: The council develops and reviews policies that govern the university’s operations. These policies may include academic policies, administrative policies, and financial policies.
• Appointments: The council appoints senior management positions, including the vice-chancellor and other senior executives.
• Oversight: The council oversees the university’s activities and ensures that it is operating under its mission, vision, and values. This includes monitoring the university’s performance, conducting audits, and reviewing reports.

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Co-Founder, Christian Rebernik states:

“The University Council for ToU has been carefully selected — we know these members will bring their experience and expertise to further our mission in making a better tomorrow starting today.”

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Co-Founder, Dr. Thomas Funke states:

"I'm honored that in just over a year of founding Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, we are welcoming our University Council. This group of outstanding individuals will offer their expertise and play an instrumental role in our continued growth."

The University Council supports ToUs values:

• We strive for impact for a better tomorrow
• We learn through curiosity
• We grow as a community
• We enable opportunities
• We take responsibility

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The values of Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences encompass a comprehensive and forward-thinking approach to education and personal development. Each value reflects a core principle that shapes the university's mission and guides its interactions with students, faculty, staff, and the broader community.

• Creating positive impact: Tomorrow University is dedicated to making a meaningful and constructive contribution to society. This value emphasizes the importance of addressing real-world challenges through education, research, and practical applications. The university strives to equip its students with the knowledge, skills, and ethical awareness needed to create positive change in their respective fields and communities. This value underscores the university's commitment to social responsibility and sustainable development.
• Fostering a culture of curiosity-driven learning: Tomorrow University, learning is not just about acquiring information, but about cultivating a genuine curiosity and passion for knowledge. This value encourages students and educators to ask questions, explore new ideas, and engage in critical thinking. By nurturing a culture of curiosity, the university aims to inspire a lifelong love of learning and innovation among its members. This value emphasizes the dynamic and evolving nature of education in an ever-changing world.
• Nurturing a supportive community: The university recognizes the significance of a supportive and inclusive environment in promoting personal growth and academic success. This value emphasizes the importance of empathy, collaboration, and mutual respect among students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders. Tomorrow University strives to create a sense of belonging and camaraderie, where individuals can thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.
• Facilitating opportunities: Tomorrow University is committed to providing a diverse range of opportunities for its members to excel and achieve their goals. This value encompasses both academic and extracurricular opportunities, including internships, research projects, entrepreneurship initiatives, and community engagement. The university aims to empower its students and faculty to explore their passions, expand their horizons, and realize their potential.
• Embracing responsibility: This value underscores the university's dedication to ethical and accountable behavior. Tomorrow University recognizes its role in shaping future leaders and professionals who are not only competent in their fields but also mindful of their impact on society. This value encourages a sense of ethical awareness, social consciousness, and a commitment to making informed and responsible decisions.

Meet the University Council

Barbara Stöttinger

Barbara Stöttinger is Dean of the WU Executive Academy (Executive Education, MBA & Law, WU Executive Academy), a leading provider of executive education in the heart of Europe, and Associate Professor at the Institute for International Marketing Management (WU Vienna). She has extensive experience as a (executive) educator in marketing and international marketing in North America, Europe, and Asia, for which she has received several outstanding teaching awards. Her research interests include international export and pricing issues and international consumer behavior. Her work has been published in leading journals in the field. She is also the Co-Author of a textbook on global marketing management.

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"With over 25 years of experience in academia and academic management, my passion is teaching and designing learning journeys. In our collaboration with Tomorrow University we are doing exactly that — creating learning journeys that put the ‘right’ knowledge and network in the hands of the ‘right’ people — who have nothing less in mind than changing the world by tackling the big societal challenges, I am proud to see our collaboration unfolding its potential! To many more years..."

Oliver Busch

Oliver Busch is Board Advisor, Investor, and Non-Executive Director, driving sustainable growth in fast-paced ventures across the EU. With a 30-year track record spanning Big-Tech, startups, and scale-ups, he has excelled in developing marketing, sales, organizations, and growth culture as a Global CMO, CEO, and COO – most recently at Meta Platforms Inc. Oliver's expertise lies in market entries, turnarounds, and hyper-growth, always aiming to create happier employees clients and shareholders. As a renowned book author, speaker, podcaster, and moderator, he champions adopting marketing innovation with a focus on impact.

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"The world is changing rapidly, and transformation in education has been overdue for much too long: tomorrow, the university is a lighthouse in professional education and uniquely positioned to redefine how universities work, feel, and perform for students globally. I am passionately committed to contributing to its success with experiences and perspectives from 30 years in marketing, sales and organizational development in fast-paced growth businesses."

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Céline Flores Willers

Céline Flores Willers is one of the best-known German influencers on LinkedIn, known for her contributions on the topics of innovation, entrepreneurship, and future trends. She was recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice in 2018 and 2019 — now hailing a following of over 100,000 professionals. Céline provides her expertise in the field of personal branding and corporate influencing through various training formats and digital products for teams and individuals. Due to popular demand, Céline has spun off her project as a company, "The People Branding Company" to her clients, including many well-known companies, such as Accenture, SAP, Fujitsu, and IBM. Since the beginning of 2021, Céline has also become a co-editor & co-author of the Spiegel bestseller “Future Republic.”

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"Can you still use the knowledge from your studies today? I can't. Isn't that terrible? You invest 3, 6, or even more years for a degree on paper, but are practically unable to survive in the real world. I never felt like my skill set paid off in solving real problems. Tomorrow University wants to change that. It's about making our generation and the next generations fit to tackle the really big issues of our society. Since education is the key to our future, Tomorrow University will be one of the foundations. Being on the University Council to work on this vision is an honor for me."

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Daniel Jung

Daniel Jung is one of the leading minds in digital education. He reaches millions of people through his social media channels and manages to make complicated mathematical content available to anyone, anytime. Through the new learning platform “Mathefragen.de”, he completes his educational journey as one of Germany’s leading educational visionaries, with the goal of educational justice.

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"We are at a turning point in learning and teaching that we have never experienced in 1.000 years. Tomorrow University of Applied Science offers an online environment that prepares you for the big challenges in the future. I'm excited to support the University Council to constantly develop the best learning journey for every student."

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Reinhard Prügl

Reinhard Prügl was born and raised in the Austrian Winequarter (the ‘Grüner Veltliner’ region), was trained as a mechanical engineer, studied International Business at and holds a doctoral degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from WU Vienna. He is a Professor for Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship as well as Founding Director of FIF, the Institute for Family Entrepreneurship, at Zeppelin University at Lake Constance. 

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"Solving the big challenges ahead needs entrepreneurial minds and innovative action, instant communication and trustful cooperation around the globe, as well as mission-driven people creating the learning space where entrepreneurial minds are empowered and encouraged to get it done. As challenge-based learning is at the core of Tomorrow University, it is a real honor to get the chance to contribute to the co-creation of the university of tomorrow by joining the council of Tomorrow University."

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Eliot Gattegno

Eliot Gattegno is Head of Education at On Deck and Professor of Business Administration at Minerva University. Previously, he has served in senior administrative and faculty roles at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and School of Education, New York University, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has also worked with organizations such as Google Creative Labs, LEGO, and Continental developing new programs that explore the space between technology, learning, and the arts — and what can happen where they intersect. His writings have been published in outlets ranging from Oxford University Press to Techcrunch, NBC News, and Quartz. He studied at Harvard University, Stanford University, New England Conservatory, and also has a doctorate from UC San Diego. He is also a critically acclaimed classical musician by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, and has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall and with the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

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“Our world has never had a greater need for people with the capacity and the courage to think and act critically and creatively. And there is no shortage of evidence to conclude that learning how to do so is the most important skill we humans can acquire, no matter what we choose to do in our lives. This conclusion is at the core of Tomorrow’s University’s mission and why I am honored to serve on the University Council.”

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Dr. Kai Roemmelt

Kai is convinced that the change in higher education is just getting started. EdTech is the key to making affordable, high-end education accessible to anyone. Kai recently joined Best Associates to build businesses to address this challenge. Prior to this, he worked for 14 years for the German media, services, and education conglomerate Bertelsmann. Most recently, as Executive Vice President at the Bertelsmann Education Group where he was part of the founding team. During this time, Kai served as COO and CFO of the portfolio company Hotchalk, Inc. a leading university service provider that was successfully sold to Noodle, Inc. in 2020. Kai also served as chairman of the board of WASC-accredited Alliant International University, where he led the turnaround of the Institution from decline to double-digit growth and profitability.

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“Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences is one of the most innovative and ambitious projects in the global EdTech space. I am very excited to be able to contribute my experience and global perspective.”

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Adeola Ogunwole

Adeola Ogunwole is a marketing executive with over 20 years of experience building and executing strategies to deliver brand awareness and customer acquisition for progressive, forward-thinking organizations globally. In her current role as Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at sennder, Adeola leads the brand engagement, communications, and customer acquisition strategy for Europe’s leading digital freight forwarder. Prior to sennder, Adeola had previously held several marketing leadership roles at various education organizations. She previously served as Vice President of Marketing at African Leadership University, Global Vice President of Marketing at Hult International Business School, and Director of Digital Marketing at Apollo Education. She received an MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA from Washington University in St. Louis.

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“I’m thrilled to be joining the Tomorrow University Council as I am a firm believer in the continuous lifelong learning that Tomorrow champions. Marrying a growth mindset and technology will be key to building the sustainable future the world needs.”

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Stephanie Kaiser

Stephanie Kaiser has been working on the development of digital products and the associated diverse teams and organizations for over 15 years. Most recently, she co-founded the digital health platform Heartbeat Labs, where she supported and accompanied five companies during their start-up. She has also been an honorary member of the Federal Government's Digital Council since 2018 and a member of the Supervisory Board of DigitalService4Germany since 2021. Her goal is to use digital solutions to facilitate access to healthcare and administrative services and thus improve care for citizens.

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“I am honored to serve on the Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences University Council to bring optimism, the right tools, and mindset to a new generation of creators who can shape the future together.”

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The transition to a sustainable society is humanity’s greatest challenge yet

We firmly hold the belief that a thriving, environmentally conscious, and equitable future will be shaped by empowered individuals who harness their full creative and innovative potential in a dynamic and evolving global landscape. Council members contribute diverse knowledge and expertise to the university's discussions, and we eagerly anticipate their valuable input during this period of rapid expansion.