"Someone Who Can Contribute to Solutions" – Graduate School Opening Days

2024-10-18 What does transformation mean for us, right here, right now? During the panel discussion held as part of the Graduate School Opening Days, Johan Schot, Professor of Sustainability Transitions at Utrecht University, and Nina Smidt, CEO of the Siemens Foundation, engaged in a dialogue on the role of science in driving societal change. They were joined on the panel by Steffen Farny, Professor of Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship. The event was moderated by sustainability scientist Julia Benkert and Markus Reihlen, Professor of Business Administration and Vice President for Internationalisation at Leuphana University.

©Leuphana-Tengo Tabatadze
©Leuphana-Tengo Tabatadze
©Leuphana-Tengo Tabatadze

The new cohort of master’s and doctoral students was warmly welcomed by Simone Abels, Vice President of the Graduate School. Addressing the challenges ahead, she encouraged students to embrace perseverance in their learning journey and persistence in pursuing their challenges: "I know that the capacity to learn and to ‘stick with it’ lies within all of you."

Transformation is on everyone's lips, but like all key terms, its meaning becomes increasingly unclear with frequent use. Rather than starting with a definition, Julia Benkert turned the question over to the students themselves, who are, after all, the ones to drive future transformations: "What does transformation mean to you?" "Change is only the smallest step," one student replied, "persistence is key." Another added, "Transformation means leaving something familiar behind, something we grew up with." A fellow student posed a thought-provoking question: "How do we achieve a sustainable transformation?"

Nina Smidt introduced a social dimension to the discussion: "It’s about equitable transformations, about profound systemic change on social, economic, and ecological levels. We need transformation for sustainable development." At the mention of "change," Johan Schot offered a different perspective: "Transformation is not the same as change. Transformation can be personal as well as systemic, but it always runs deep. Something must be given up; it is a disruption. And it's about power: some people must relinquish power, while others gain it."

Steffen Farny built on this thought, describing transformation as "a journey into the future," one that requires courage. "We cannot know everything about it in advance. That’s why it’s essential to ask: What can we know about these processes, and how can we influence them on a large scale?"

"The future only exists in the plural," Schot remarked, challenging the modernist notion of a single standard to which the rest of the world must catch up. "That has to change. We are the problem. We, the West. We export our problems." Germany, for instance, exports its waste to Ghana while simultaneously selling Ghanaians technologies for recycling and waste management. Smidt echoed this point, stressing the importance of asking, "From whose vantage point are we questioning and shaping transformation? Who makes these decisions? Who is shaping this future? We need to listen more closely to the voices from the Global South."

Markus Reihlen then raised the question of desirable futures. Farny responded, "If you focus solely on the negative aspects, you won’t be motivated enough to bring about change." Research on emotions, he explained, shows that negative emotions only fuel action for a limited time. "Instead, be passionate about what you do. Commit to shaping a progressive future."

One issue that resonated particularly with the students was the gap between research and implementation. One student articulated it: "There’s a huge gap between research and practical application. How can we bridge that gap?" Farny acknowledged that it can never be entirely closed due to its structural nature: "In the real world, people are guided by relevance. In academia, we are guided by accuracy." He emphasised the critical role of transdisciplinarity in this context. It was crucial to seize the creative opportunities: "As social scientists, we could help shape the future we study." Schot agreed, adding, "The role of the university is to actively participate in the transformation process. But universities themselves must change in order to take part. This won’t be easy. Simple win-win solutions are rare in the sustainability domain, anyway. One must understand that some people will lose something in the process. Change never happens solely for the sake of novelty. Dominant institutions must give way and open up. There will always be conflicts. The question is: how can we make these conflicts productive?"

Refusing to let the issue go, another student raised a point, reflecting on her working group’s discussions during the Opening Days: "At university, it feels like we’re in an ivory tower. We talk a lot about these issues, but we don’t engage much with marginalised groups. Even here at Leuphana—how diverse is our curriculum? How diverse are we really?" Smidt turned the question back to the students: "You, the students, are the future—you are the change you seek." Schot agreed, encouraging the students to "see yourselves as someone who can contribute to solutions." According to Steffen Farny, the "experimental spaces" offered within the Graduate School's programmes present numerous opportunities to realise this vision.

©Leuphana-Tengo Tabatadze
©Leuphana-Tengo Tabatadze
©Leuphana-Tengo Tabatadze

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  • Luisa Hilmer