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University of Cologne

Why Asking for Advice Is Actually a Gift to the Person You Ask

SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- June 2, 2025 -- There is a study making the rounds in organizational psychology circles right now, and it tackles something most career advice skips entirely: why people refuse to ask for help even when they badly need it. Anne Burmeister, a professor at the University of Cologne, led the research through the ECONtribute Excellence Cluster, and the findings landed in the Academy of Management Journal. The short version is this -- people hold back because they assume they are the only ones who benefit from asking. Once they learn that is not true, they reach out 40 percent more often. It is a small shift with a surprisingly large effect.

University of Cologne Breaks Ground on Landmark Chemistry Campus Worth Nearly €400 Million

SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- June 2, 2026 -- The University of Cologne has officially broken ground on a sweeping new chemistry campus that will reshape research and teaching at one of Germany's most prominent universities, laying the foundation stone on June 1 for new buildings dedicated to Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Science Education at the corner of Luxemburger Strasse and Greinstrasse in Cologne. With a total approved floor space of around 25,800 square metres -- nearly four football pitches -- and a budget of close to €400 million, this is one of the largest university construction projects in the entire state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The project, scheduled for completion in 2034, promises to bring world-class laboratory facilities, modern workspaces, and a genuinely connected scientific community under one roof for the first time.