D-BAUG - Departement Bau, Umwelt und Geomatik - ETH Zürich

MSc Excellence Scholarships
6 ▪ D-BAUG Annual Report 2009
“Switzerland is still in the making“
The Excellence Scholarship Programme seeks to support talented ETH Master’s stu-
dents. Civil engineering scholarship holders recently met with their sponsors. Konrad
Basler, a donator of the ETH Zurich Foundation, explains in an interview with ETH
Life why he supports young people and how he sees the future of Civil Engineering.
by Thomas Langholz, ETH Life
What has influenced you, Mr. Basler, to actively support students?
I am very attached to ETH Zurich, since essentially it is thanks
to the ETH that I myself have gotten this far. Although programmes
like the Excellence Scholarship did not exist in my
student days, I received support and encouragement from
my teachers. I consider it to be a snowball effect: we support
the young students and they in turn will support the next generations.
Konrad Basler is committed to
promoting outstanding young
scientists and actively supports
the ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship
and Opportunity Programme.
What can you tell us about
your own education?
I was a farmer’s son and I initially
learned the carpenter
trade before changing to
what was then known as the
Technical College in Winterthur.
Taking up civil engineering
studies at ETH was then
only a stone’s throw away. In
those days, Civil Engineers
were regarded as something
special. They were the people
who built big dams and tunnels,
and impressive railway
bridges like the Rhaetian Railway
Bridge, which has now
been incorporated into the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.
In the fifties, Civil Engineering was the biggest department
at the ETH.
What distinguishes ETH for you?
My studies at ETH were the key to my future career. I like the
idea that the ETH wants to be a leader amongst European uni-
versities. This philosophy also partly reflects the success of our
own company, Basler & Hofmann. We want to be a cut above
the rest and not simply compete with them.We must offer excellence.
What is your impression of the scholarship holders whom you
have met?
They come across as motivated, friendly people. Their visions
are still vague, but they want to be above the average and I
am convinced they will succeed. I would say they know the
name of the game at ETH and that is why I want to support
them.
How would you compare your studies at ETH with the current
Bologna programmes?
My grandchildren are studying and fill me in on the current situation.
Regardless of the Bologna process, I think it’s important
that students still have time for philosophy, the theatre, art and
life. Nowadays cultural interests are sacrificed to the examination
sessions. I don’t know how this problem can be solved.
What is your advice to students?
I wish we could improve our use of the Bologna system to effectively
promote student exchange. In Switzerland, the EPF in
Lausanne provides the opportunity of learning another
language and getting to know another culture.We must build
bridges across language barriers, which is also of political importance.
The Excellence Scholarship Programme should also aim at
supporting young engineers. Has it reached its goal or should
it promote more engineers?
It could definitely support more engineers. The fact that
there are too few engineers is a never-ending discussion.