Magdalena Selbig

Ukulele music, several pieces of music by the university orchestra and stretching exercises with the 219 participants during the break. For the 4th Future Lab, “What does university culture mean (to us)?”, Vice-Rector Roswitha Böhm and her organizing team have pulled out all the stops.

“Our university culture is an essential resource that we need to strengthen,” said Rector Prof. Ursula M. Staudinger at the opening of the event. The Vice-Rector University Culture, Prof. Roswitha Böhm, also pointed out the significance of participatory, trusting, and sustainable interactions: “The cultural change we are striving for will be driven not least by the personal commitment of every one of us. Through a diversity of perspectives we are able to find solutions.” These solution approaches, were suggested during the 2018 Future Labs and are already an integral part of the TUD strategy. Since 2019, the equal opportunities concept and the care counselling services have ensured progress in the areas of equal opportunities and family friendliness. Furthermore, parts of the website were recently published in a barrier-free (accessible) way. In addition, conflict counselors help in the workplace and a complaints office for cases of harassment and discrimination has existed since the beginning of 2020. This year, TUD is continuing its commitment to society with the series of events “Society in Dialog” and is also driving a campaign on climate change, including the establishment of the Green Office. – It is this diversity that demanded clarity about the university’s values in the process of establishing its identity. This demand is reflected in the strategic goals of the University Executive Board. Based on these goals, each member of the University Executive Board has developed their own sub-strategies. In the case of the Vice-Rectorate University Culture, “Diversity and Inclusion,” “Work|Life,“ “Campus Life,” and “TUD as a civil actor” are all addressed in the newly formed Directorate 9. Following these impulses by the Vice-Rector University Culture, the thematic groups were launched.

The first thematic group examined the ecological sustainability at TUD. Material cycles and recyclable materials must be considered during procurement, partly because administrative regulations can hinder and restrict sustainable action.  Training courses and in-house sustainability awards could strengthen our individual sense of responsibility.

“Sustainable mobility” was the topic of the second thematic group and sought to reflect on exemplary mobility solutions. Conceivable solutions included university bicycles or subsidies for the purchase of bicycles, as well as accompanying infrastructure such as parking facilities or bike ramps on stairs. The participants identified winter road maintenance, the separation of pedestrians and cyclists, and a park and ride model for travel from the surrounding areas as challenging topics.

The third thematic group explored the challenges of diversity sensitivity. It was concerned with a fundamental turn of perception, with the goal of thinking in terms of commonalities rather than differences. Especially if we want to create an equitable and fair environment that accommodates all backgrounds and genders, a trustworthy complaints management system is needed to prevent (positive) discrimination. Ambitions such as openness and inclusion could already be embodied in the recruitment process.

The participants of the fourth thematic group spoke out in favor of a culture of participation. Appreciation of status groups played a major role: “Scientific support staff are underrepresented in committees,” commented Pia Milker (a status group representative), “the way results are communicated to the administration is not particularly good.” Silke Molch (responsible for ICT teaching at the Institute of Landscape Architecture) agreed with her, adding: “We need more people in charge and fewer committees.” One step in the right direction is the intranet, which is planned for 2024. Lutz Thies (a student member of the Senate) suggested issue management: “In this way, problems can be discussed within the university. Many feel that they belong to TUD and want the best for it. With an appropriate readiness to deal with criticism, one can utilize this solidarity so that trust and transparency of the management are honored.”

The fifth thematic group, during which the topic of the pandemic demanded much attention, revolved around well-being in the work and study environment. Family stress and ergonomic conditions when working from home are often frustrating, but TUD offers health services and psychosocial support. Considering our isolation from our colleagues, the participants expressed their desire to have the lack of social contact compensated for in digital spaces.

The topics on which TUD should make a public contribution were at the heart of the sixth thematic group. Prof. Cornelia Wustmann (Dean of the Faculty of Education) noted: “In 2015, many students trained to help  migrants navigate legal issues and wanted to have this recognized. There is great potential in offering students something that they perceive to be meaningful.” According to Prof. Stefan Neukamm (Chair of Applied Analysis), the university should get involved “in the area of fake news and science-based thinking. It’s about teaching factual approaches as the basis of any discussion. Lack of media literacy is reflected in public discourse.” Closed-mindedness on the topic of education was a concern for a number of participants. Henriette Mehn (Student of the Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies): “If we don’t feel sufficiently represented in politics, the university needs to criticize and not send the students into battle as substitutes because student are at liberty to speak more freely,” to which Robert Jantos (staff member in Application Management SLM) added: “The university needs to back researchers vigorously who are attacked in public discourse or who face science deniers.”

The seventh thematic group discussed the importance of arts and culture at a technical university. With music, theater, cinema, dance, broadcasting and visual arts, TUD already serves many cultural sectors with a scientific background (Schaufler Lab) or student engagement (Café Ascii). As media communicators, they promote creative synergies between STEM subjects and the humanities, meaning that they are identity-forming for TUD. There is a need for optimization in terms of financial support, a more prominent online presence, and the provision of rehearsal space. In addition, theater-pedagogical approaches can deepen teaching experiences in the course of studies, as demonstrated, for example, by a number of professorships in German studies.

The eighth thematic group utilized the concept of the “living lab” to consider what knowledge TUD can offer society and what the university wants to learn from it in order to initiate sustainable social change. Among other things, the opening up of courses was mentioned here, so that scientific work could be experienced. Through this exchange, it would be possible to ascertain what topics are important to the public. Possible places are inner city spaces provided by cooperation partners, digital dialog platforms, socially disadvantaged regions and (green) meeting spaces on campus.

After expressing her gratitude, the Vice-Rector commented on new exchange methods: “University Forum and TUD lectures will start in May and we are the central point of contacts for events such as these.” The audience bid farewell whilst speaking highly of the “great” and “particularly enriching” Future Lab.

Until May 31, all university members have the opportunity to contribute further ideas and suggestions on university culture here: https://t1p.de/bb2b

Registration for the Future Lab “How do we want to teach? How do we want to learn?” is now open.