Annual Conference of lakog Lower Saxony

‘Take a bicycle, for example,’ says Anja Thiem, deputy equal opportunities officer. ’On a bicycle, the wheels are the most important part. But a bicycle that only consisted of wheels would not move. The same applies to universities. Universities are places of study and research, but in order for research and studies to take place, an administration and infrastructure are needed. It is not enough to have only science. In many places, there is still a lack of awareness of how science and administration can work well together. That is why it was important to us to make this the topic of our annual conference.’

The two specialist lectures were given by Dr Ulf Banscherus (TU Berlin) and Dr Jule Elena Westerheide (Ruhr University Bochum). ‘In their lectures,’ explains Anja Thiem, ’the scientists showed that science and administration sometimes act like two completely separate worlds, which can be seen, for example, in the way the topic of visibility, recognition and appreciation of administrative achievements is dealt with. This clearly leads to tensions, for example in performance evaluation and remuneration.’ 

However, there is a whole range of measures that can be used to counteract this. The exchange between conference participants in a Knowledge Café has provided important insights for structural change at universities. For excellence in science and for attractive study conditions, universities need a very well-positioned university administration, technology and a corresponding library system, whose services are recognised, valued and fairly remunerated. It became clear that the universities in Lower Saxony need specific strategies and solutions that are adapted to the type and structures of the university for good cooperation.

With a view to resolving areas of tension, it was emphasised that the participation of university administrations in university development processes promotes the identification and visibility of this area. From an equal opportunities perspective, it is important to reflect on the different rationales of the ‘two worlds’ and to bring concrete potential for improvement into the universities. ‘Overall, more attention needs to be paid to administration, both in terms of internal university development and in terms of equal opportunities policy at the state level,’ summarises Thiem.

lakog niedersachsen will continue to address these issues together with its cooperation partners. In the current times, which are characterised by hostility to equality and anti-feminism, it will be a strong voice for equality in higher education policy debates in Lower Saxony and will promote the goal of establishing equality policies as a criterion for quality assurance in higher education planning, development and administration.

Information about lakog niedersachsen, its members, the 21 universities in Lower Saxony, their tasks and activities, can be found at www.lakog-niedersachsen.de/ and here about the Leuphana Equal Opportunities Office.