To kick off the lecture series in the current winter semester, we welcome the well-known astrophysicist and science journalist Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch, which is a very special pleasure for us. Imparting sound knowledge and critical thinking is one of the central tasks of universities. The responsibility to prepare future generations for the challenges in a rapidly changing world requires a comprehensive range of educational offerings. At a time when around 50 percent of a generation decide to study, universities play an essential role in the education of the population. At the Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), the training of future teachers is of great importance. The teachers of tomorrow are prepared for their work in schools. The President's lecture series in the 2024/25 winter semester is therefore under the motto "Education with a future - future through education". In view of the challenges posed by crises such as pandemics, wars and conflicts, migration and climate change, it is important not only to train students in their subject matter, but also to strengthen their social and ethical responsibility. The focus of the lecture series is on topics such as sustainability, multi-professional cooperation and social equality of opportunity. But threats to democracy, such as the political radicalization of the right, must also be taken into account. A wide range of topics that will be discussed with experts and the interested public as part of the President's lecture series. In his lecture on the topic "The sustainable university - a utopia", Harald Lesch describes the university as an educational institution that also cares about how its results are communicated and understood in public. The sustainable university has an educational mandate; it ensures that society stabilizes and develops as a democracy. It gives people confidence in the power of reason and coexistence, in the present and in the future. Harald Lesch will discuss the extent to which utopia can be realized at the opening event of the President's lecture series on October 28, 2024 at 7 p.m. (ct). Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch is an astrophysicist, natural philosopher, and also a well-known science journalist, television presenter, and audio book narrator. After studying physics in Giessen and Bonn from 1979 to 1987, Lesch received his doctorate from the University of Bonn in 1987. He also completed his habilitation here in 1994. Harald Lesch has been Professor of Astrophysics at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) since 1995 and a lecturer in natural philosophy at the Munich School of Philosophy since 2002. Lesch has been a television presenter for BR alpha and ZDF since 1998. The scientific coordination of the lecture series in WS 24/25 is in the hands of Prof. Dr. Edith Braun, Professor of University Didactics with a focus on teacher training, in Department 03 - Social and Cultural Sciences. For the second time, the series also includes an introductory module of the new Bachelor of Liberal Arts & Sciences degree program.