Summer schools are educational events on different topics which usually take place in the months of July to August throughout many universities in the whole world. We offered our first summer school in July 2019. If we are planning a new summer school, you will get all information on this site.
CONRIS Summer School 2019
From July 7 to 13, 2019, the NBS Northern Business School – University of Applied Sciences hosted the event of the year of its study program "Security Management": Over 30 participants from across Europe accepted the invitation to this year's CONRIS Summer School to discuss the topic "Security of Critical Infrastructure" which was the focus of lectures, company visits and crisis staff exercises for seven days. The European idea as well as the desire to learn from each other and to benefit from a collective knowledge have been the key aspects of the whole week.
The NBS Northern Business School was honored to host the CONRIS Summer School for the first time in the second week of July. The CONRIS association, which has been growing over the years, includes colleges and universities from all over Europe offering courses in the areas of "Risk Studies" and "Security Management". The invitation was followed by more than 30 participants who came to Hamburg from countries including Denmark, Spain, Austria, Finland and Scotland. All week participants lived the European idea of developing and demonstrating leadership in internationally mixed teams. The official topic of the summer school offered a framework for their work: "Leadership in the Eye of the Storm. Crisis Management in Complex Urban Environments".
The days were marked by a varied schedule of a professional academic program as well as supporting program: On Monday, the participants were officially welcomed at the Hamburg Town Hall. A guided tour through this "heart of the city" was of course not to be missed. Afterwards, NBS Chancellor Marc Petersen led the group to the various sights of Hamburg such as the Jungfernstieg, the Michel and the harbor. During a harbor boat trip, the container port was also examined. What initially looked like a simple city tour was already part of the planned crisis simulation exercise and served as an introduction to the localities of the crisis exercise to be realized later. Finally, the day ended with a visit to the Hamburger Hochbahn, where the first insights into the work of a "real" crisis team could be gained.
The following days on the premises of the NBS were entirely focused on lectures and coaching on the topics "Hazard Analysis", "Crisis Team Work", "Leadership", "Crisis Communication" and "Decision Making". The participants were provided with first-hand tools to tackle crises and manage them in public spaces. After that, the time had come: In a realistic exercise, an actual crisis unit was simulated, so that the previously theoretically learned methods of leadership, crisis communication and teamwork were applied directly in practice. At a closing press conference, attendees also demonstrated their active involvement with the press. Another highlight of the week was certainly the official closing meeting on the "Rickmer Rickmers", a museum ship lying in the port of Hamburg.
All in all, the Summer School was a complete success. Prof. Dr. Zerbin, who holds a professorship in criminal science at the NBS and has significantly prepared and accompanied the week, summarizes: "With the CONRIS Summer School 2019 in Hamburg, the degree program "Safety Management" of the NBS has brought a piece of 'living Europe' into the minds and hearts of the students. By simulating a crisis in a company, European students have learned beyond language barriers to work together and find a solution to the challenges ahead of them. Thus, it has been possible to make a contribution to prepare the next generation of security managers for their future professional uses in a practical way." In the spirit of university networking and European cooperation, the NBS is pleased about such a successful academic event.
