Jörg Dräger (born 1 January 1968 in Darmstadt) is a German physicist, politician and manager.[1][2] From 2001 to 2008 he served as a senator in the Hamburg state government.[3] Since 2008 he has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board where he is responsible for the areas of education and integration.[4][5] He is considered a leading education expert[6][7] and is the author of numerous books on education policy,[8][9] including the impacts of digitization.[10]
Dräger completed his secondary education (Abitur) in 1987 at the Christianeum in Hamburg before doing community service in lieu of military service (Zivildienst).[11][12] He then attended the University of Hamburg, studying physics with a minor in business.[2] After receiving his undergraduate degree (Vordiplom) he transferred to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he was awarded a Master of Science in theoretical physics in 1993.[13] Three years later he received a PhD for his work in the area of mathematical crystallography.[12] While studying and completing his doctorate he worked as a research assistant.[13]
Dräger is married and has two children.[14][15]
In 1996, he joined Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Frankfurt am Main as a corporate consultant.[16][17] He then returned to Hamburg in 1999 to lead the newly established Northern Institute of Technology as its CEO.[12][18] The institute is one of the first public-private partnerships in the area of German higher education and is known for its interdisciplinary approach.[19][20][21][22]
In 2001, Dräger was appointed senator of science and research in Hamburg's state government led by Ole von Beust, a position he held as a political independent.[23][24] He called for the introduction of tuition fees and more competition among higher education institutions to secure the institutions' long-term funding.[25][26] These recommendations were greeted with criticism, especially by student representatives.[27]
After early elections in 2004, Dräger was appointed senator of science and health in the second von Beust government.[12][28] Continuing to advocate for reform, he succeeded in introducing tuition fees.[29] His goal was a fundamental reform of Hamburg's university system.[30] He promoted the establishment of new institutions and the consolidation of existing ones as a way of modernizing Hamburg's higher education structures and making them more flexible.[12] In retrospect these measures have proven controversial:[31] While supporters praised his expertise and determination, critics opposed cutbacks made in the humanities, among other changes.[32] In 2008, Dräger placed last in the ranking of ministers published by the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers; one year later he again placed sixth.[33][34]
In 2006, he turned over his responsibilities in the area of health to Senator Birgit Schnieber-Jastram.[35] Following elections in 2008 he announced that he would not serve another term.[36] His announcement was met with regret by a number of public figures, including former Hamburg Mayor Klaus von Dohnanyi, who wrote in a commentary in the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper that the city had lost presumably its "most effective science senator since 1945."[37] Other members of the media, conversely, were relieved that the "bulldozer in the three-piece suit" (taz) was leaving politics.[38]
In 2008, Dräger became a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, where he is responsible for the areas of education and integration.[13][39] In addition, he joined Frank Ziegele as a co-executive director of the nonprofit CHE Centre for Higher Education.[40][41] In both positions Dräger has advocated for a number of reforms, including more autonomous colleges and universities.[42] He has called for providing schools in troubled neighborhoods with better equipment and resources, and ensuring that educational systems in rural areas adapt to reflect demographic change.[43][44] He is in favor of all-day schools and views digital media as a helpful tool for improving education.[45][46]
Dräger serves as the deputy chair of the Board of Trustees of the Expert Council of the German Foundations on Integration and Migration.[47] He has called for increased immigration from non-EU countries to ensure Germany does not lose out in the international competition for skilled workers.[48][49][50]
Dräger advises young entrepreneurs at the nonprofit Founders Foundation and teaches public management at the Hertie School of Governance.[51][52]