Shaping diversity: OVGU on the way to a diverse university
Imagine our university as a lively, colorful space - a place where people from different backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles come together to research, teach and learn. This diversity is our strength and our common goal. In order to paint this picture even more clearly and actively promote it, OVGU is launching a comprehensive diversity audit - a map and compass for the path to a diverse future.
“Our vision is to recognize and value the diversity of our students and employees in all dimensions across the university community as an important success factor for research, teaching and third mission,” reports Dr. Barbara Witter, coordinator of the audit and head of the Graduate Academy.
Although OVGU already has a network for equal opportunities & diversity, equal opportunities officers and the family service, and has signed the Diversity Charter, experience shows that there is still a lot of potential. "When looking at the current situation, it is noticeable that there are visible efforts in the areas of gender equality and internationalization. However, other dimensions of diversity have so far been addressed less systematically," explains Dr. Witter. The audit is intended to help close these gaps.
The university is currently still facing challenges
“Bringing the entire breadth of the university community on board is a major task,” Dr. Witter continued. The aim is to create a culture in which all staff and students feel equally welcome. “And we want to ensure that we have an impact on the city as a pluralistic institution - that's a long-term process.”
The diversity audit will focus on three key areas:
- Inclusion: Where can we facilitate access and participation?
- Social background: How can we break down social barriers?
- Diversity culture & Third mission: How do we anchor diversity in our mission statement and in our social commitment?
The university's values should not only be communicated to the outside world, but also made more visible and tangible within the university. Four specific goals emerged from this idea:
- Anchoring a culture of diversity in the university's mission statement
- Stabilizing student numbers
- Retaining skilled staff at OVGU and in the region through an attractive working environment with active appreciation
- Changing the image in the city of Magdeburg - developing a genuine “we-feeling” between the university and the city
We will be supported in this process by a professional auditor for a year and a half. University employees and students will work on specific measures in workshops, among other things.
Photo: Medienzentrum
Anchoring diversity management in OVGU's mission statement and establishing a “Code of Conduct” to integrate diversity into OVGU's organizational culture are key issues. “The process is not intended to bring additional burdens, but rather to create an attitude - a mainstreaming of diversity,” explains Dr. Witter. In future, important building blocks will be training and further education for employees - especially managers - in order to strengthen intercultural skills and promote sensitivity in dealing with diversity.
At the end, the “Shaping Diversity” certificate will be awarded, which is valid for three years. It symbolizes the success of our commitment to an open and diverse corporate culture.
With this project, OVGU is sending a strong signal for a university that lives and actively shapes its diversity. It is about building a diverse, colorful community in which everyone can develop their potential - regardless of their background or reality of life. As the mission statement says: “Social participation begins with us.”
BY JANINA MARKGRAF