Diversity Management
Vision
What does FH Aachen stand for in general?
"FH Aachen stands for a diversity-friendly and discrimination-free university culture."
FH Aachen is a place of learning, teaching, research and critical thinking.
It is our intrinsic goal to understand diversity as an opportunity and to shape an environment in which diversity and equal opportunities can freely develop and evolve. We understand the goal as a continuous process and develop and implement a management system for this purpose based on the existing organisational units and their resources, which sets the framework and the possibilities for shaping diversity and equal opportunities.
Mission
What guides us in implementing the vision at FH Aachen?
We understand diversity as the variety of people who work, learn, teach and research together at the university. FH Aachen provides students and employees with an environment and framework in which they can contribute and fully develop their personal potential. They exchange ideas, interact with each other, influence each other, learn from each other and continue to develop themselves and the university. These processes are characterised by the following features:
- We design structures, procedures and offers in all areas of the university without barriers, disadvantage and exclusion with the help of strategies and instruments for an inclusive university.
- We shape an international campus culture by creating space inside and outside the university that enables participants (students and employees) to acquire skills in intercultural and interdisciplinary networked thinking and acting.
- We design and establish integrating structures that aim to use the diversity of people in an appreciative and optimal way and to realise it across departments.
"FH Aachen realises study and employment conditions without disadvantages, barriers or exclusions."
FH Aachen understands diversity as a valuable potential that must be uncovered and used sustainably. This is because the diverse achievements and experiences of people open up new perspectives and ideas for the university, which can be profitably incorporated into a wide range of issues and support an appreciative and respectful approach to one another.
This is the framework in which interdisciplinary education and further training takes place through cooperation between all students and employees and from which the value proposition is derived:
- Diversity: Recognising and promoting diversity and perceiving it as an opportunity to use potential constructively and profitably in all areas of the university, such as studying and teaching, research and administration.
- Equalopportunities: Identifying and dismantling disadvantages, barriers, prejudices and exclusion mechanisms, combined with protection against discrimination.
- Equality: Enforcing gender equality at the university and working towards the elimination of disadvantages for women.
A key factor in the successful implementation of the diversity management system is its integration with existing management instruments in the organisational structures of FH Aachen. The management system is suitable for realising the vision and mission of the university's Diversity and Equity of Opportunity department. In addition to the mission, the Diversity Management System (DiM) also provides for communication as an independent field of action. Internal and external communication plays an important role in acceptance, motivation and identification. For this reason, overarching communication processes will also need to be defined for this field of action.
The Diversity Management System (DiM) is based on the principles of self-administration, self-management and self-responsibility of the university.
With the Diversity Management System (DiM), FH Aachen provides a unique, cross-departmental, integrated platform through which conditions of study and employment are secured and continuously developed without discrimination, barriers or marginalisation.
FH Aachen can look back on a long and successful commitment to promoting an appreciative approach to diversity and reducing inequalities. In addition to the statutory measures implemented by representative bodies and officers, the university has been involved in many projects relevant to the area of diversity and equity of opportunity over the past few years.
HAWtech: Nationwide University Alliance for Applied Sciences
FH Aachen is a founding member of HAWtech. HAWtech comprises seven universities of applied sciences whose focus, similar to that of FH Aachen, is also on STEM subjects. The common goal is to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises in regional networks. SMEs are important cooperation partners for the FH Aachen, with whom joint research, practical trainings and final theses are carried out. In this network, the concerns of small and medium-sized enterprises are addressed in the working group "Gender and Diversity". The FH Aachen learns about the special conditions and requirements of industry and can offer solutions based on its own experience.
- DiM: Communication.
- The FH Aachen is a member of the alliance. This alliance was initiated by the former Rector of the FH.
- Representative: Rector.
Family-friendly university audit
With the "Audit familiengerechte hochschule" (family-friendly university audit ) of Beruf und Familie GmbH, FH Aachen is actively working towards its goal of making study and working conditions family-friendly. The audit is an integral part of the FH Aachen's ongoing work on diversity and equal opportunities.
- DiM: Inclusion.
- Audited by berufundfamilie Service GmbH. Certificates have been issued and are available.
- Representative Chancellor.
Audit "Shaping Diversity"
In December 2012, the FH Aachen took part in the diversity audit "Vielfalt gestalten in NRW!" ("Shaping diversity in NRW!") of the Stifterverband. Due to the location advantage in the border triangle, the university focused on creating Euregional diversity at FH Aachen in the
auditing process.
The audit was initiated in 2011 by the Rectorate of the FH Aachen. After participating in the diversity competition for North Rhine-Westphalian universities by the MIWF in NRW in cooperation with the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany), Aachen University of Applied Sciences was awarded the contract for the two-year audit along with seven other universities. At the end of the audit, the certificate "Shaping Diversity" was awarded in full. Find the self-report on the re-audit "Shaping Diversity" here.
- DiM: Internationality.
- Audited by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, re-audit 2022
- Representative: Prorector for Studies and Teaching.
Quality Pact for Teaching SQSL
The project "Integrating diversity - promoting it sustainably. Systematic and sustainable quality development in studying and teaching (SQSL-FH AC)" pursued the project purpose of ensuring study ability and study integration in times of growing student numbers and increasing heterogeneity through sustainable, efficient and systematic quality development.
It can be stated that this project has made significant contributions to the sustainable anchoring of a diversity strategy at FH Aachen. The essential measures were made permanent after the end of the project and anchored in the organisation of the FH. It should be noted in particular that the development of management structures in studying and teaching with the realisation and system accreditation of a quality management system was essentially made possible by these project results.
- DiM: Integration, Inclusion.
- Systematic and sustainable quality development in teaching and learning. Project: Duration 2011 to 2021.
- Representative: Prorector for Studies and Teaching.
Pilot programme to raise awareness for a conscious approach to diversity at FH Aachen ProDivFa
ProDiVFA is an artificial name and stands for the pilot programme "Sensitisation for a conscious handling of diversity in studying and teaching at FH Aachen". FH Aachen has also set itself the goal of using tailor-made activities to inform all university members about the gender and diversity offerings at FH Aachen and thus promote a conscious approach to diversity.
The project was funded for one year in 2016 by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF and by the Centre for Competence Development for Diversity Management in Studies and Teaching (KomDIM), TH Cologne and University of Duisburg-Essen. With the results of this project, constituent framework conditions were identified under which a university-wide communication programme for diversity and gender can be generated.
The FH Aachen is therefore taking the results of this project as an opportunity to develop a communication programme for diversity and equal opportunities, which will essentially be anchored in the communication and quality assurance fields of action of the DiM management system.
- DiM: Integration, Inclusion.
- Project: 2015 to 2017. Funded by the Centre for Competence Development for Diversity Management.
- Representative: Equality.
Good start of studies
The project "Good start of studies in engineering - the ninth semester" was a cooperation project with RWTH Aachen University. The ideas and goals included providing orientation before the start of studies, coupled with improved subject and university orientation as well as more time and security in the choice of studies. The overarching goal was to develop strategies and implement concrete measures to counter problems of a heterogeneous student body in the study entry phase. In particular, it was intended to address first-year students who are looking for ways to academic education outside of the traditional approaches. This project was intended to make an important contribution to equal opportunities when taking up academic studies.
This project has made significant contributions to reducing barriers in the transition between different types of higher education institutions. In addition, it is now easily possible at the location for students to be employed as Student Assistants at both universities while studying; room and laboratory infrastructure are also shared. Students write final theses at both universities, which are jointly supervised. The results gained in this project will be continued and permanently anchored in the ongoing work on setting up the management system in the field of action "Integration".
- DiM: Integration, Communication.
- Project: 2014 to 2021. FH Aachen was a winner of the tender competition of the Ministry for Innovation for Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Representative: Prorector for Studies and Teaching.
Talent scouting
The project "Talentscouting" is also a cooperation project between FH Aachen and RWTH Aachen University. The project has the overall objective of optimising the transition from school to university and the subsequent sensitive entry phase of studies. In addition, students from households without academic experience are to be advised in an open-ended and long-term manner with regard to their educational planning in order to create more educational and equal opportunities. One focus is to make this transition as low-threshold as possible for "educational climbers". This project is closely linked to the "Good start of studies" project.
The project was funded by the Ministry for Innovation, Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The original term was from 2017 to 2020. Due to the project's success, the Ministry has made the funding for this project permanent from 2021, which means that the programme has been integrated into General Academic Counselling.
The work and results of this project continuously generate important actions and implementation measures that are organisationally anchored and implemented in the integration and communication field of action of the DiM management system. For FH Aachen, talent scouting is an important cornerstone in the work of the newly established Prorectorate Diversity and Equal Opportunities.
- DiM: Inclusion, Communication.
- Project since 2017, to be continued from 2021. Programme of the Ministry of Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Representative: Vice Rector for Diversity and Equity of Opportunity.
Symposium Diversity in Higher Education
This symposium was held in 2018 together with RWTH Aachen University. Experts provided information in lectures and dialogue rounds on diversity in higher education, studies, teaching and personnel development. The symposium was organised jointly by the Rectorates of RWTH Aachen University and FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences and was held under the patronage of the Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
- DiM: Communication.
- Joint conference between FH Aachen and RWTH Aachen University, one-time event.
- Representative: Prorector for Studies and Teaching.
Teaching to the Power of N (LehreN), Alliance for Higher Education
The "TeachingN Umbrella Programme" was a joint initiative of several foundations, including the Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities (Stifterverband). The overarching goal was to further educate those involved in teaching development, to bring them into exchange and to accompany transfer. The FH Aachen participated in the project with six professors from various faculties. The main added value for the FH Aachen and the work on diversity and equal opportunities was to discuss methodological approaches for university didactics and transfer possibilities in the network with different disciplines and to test their viability.
- DiM: Communication.
- Germany-wide continuing education activity. Initiated and financed by the Töpfer Stiftung gGmbH and the BmbF, running from 2012 to 2020.
- Representative: Vice Rector for Diversity and Equity of Opportunity.