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The University of Bamberg’s Diversity Strategy

Open-Mindedness – Dialogue – Belonging

Preamble

The University of Bamberg’s mission statement includes an explicit commitment to embracing human diversity as a strength. The university advocates for universal equality for people of different genders and sexual orientations, people from diverse cultural, social and geographical backgrounds as well as all religions and ideologies, and for people of different ages and physical and mental abilities, including people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. This is in accordance with the General Act on Equal Treatment (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz) adopted by the German Bundestag (2006), the recommendations of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG; 2020, 2022), the German Rectors’ Conference (Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, HRK; 2009, 2023) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2021) as well as with the HRK’s and German Academic Exchange Service’s (Deutscher Akademischer Auslandsdienst, DAAD) Code of Conduct (2009), and the DAAD’s Diversity Agenda (2022). The University of Bamberg is committed to internationality and lifelong learning, promotes sustainable family-friendly politics for employees and students, and supports displaced persons.

By establishing a new Vice Presidency for “Diversity and International Affairs” in October 2020, the University of Bamberg has institutionalised its Diversity Strategy at the highest level of governance, emphasising the advancement of equal rights for all as a crucial, long-term goal. Prioritising this issue presents new opportunities for an intensified, university-wide dialogue on diversity as an intersectional topic in research, teaching, and administration, on the connections between excellent scholarship and social responsibility, and on the need to create adequate organisational structures.

Diversity and internationality are closely interrelated; they both embody and depend on each other. A university promoting diversity also advances internationality – it is pivotal for international students, researchers and employees to realise that all are truly welcome. At the same time, internationality also advances diversity – at every level of human variety. International university members or those interested in international exchange who are affected by ostracism for various reasons do, after all, require special support.

On a conceptual level, the relationship between diversity and gender equality as well as inclusion is also very strong. This is because the idea of diversity has emerged from these and other related social movements, combines their approaches, and promotes an intersectional view by raising awareness of the complexity of diversity dimensions. Pursuing a holistic approach, the University of Bamberg sees its commitment to diversity as an important contribution to sustainable development.

Diversity activities at the University of Bamberg focus on contributing to research-based knowledge of the significance of human diversity and using this knowledge as a vital source for innovative strength, raising awareness of different perspectives as a unifying factor, and in this way contributing to a university where everyone feels they belong and are heard. This also means opposing existing forms of unequal treatment (based on gender identity, sexual orientation, disabilities, age, cultural or social backgrounds, nationality, religion, ideology or racist ascriptions), providing support to all persons affected by these forms of discrimination, assuming joint social responsibility for diversity – and maintaining a dialogue in each case. These diversity activities encompass research and teaching, knowledge transfer and all of university life. They require strategic decisions, based on university policy, which facilitate concrete action.

The present diversity strategy is closely intertwined with the new equal opportunity concept (2024) and several other strategy papers – especially the research strategy (2024) and the international strategy (2023) – and closely coordinated with numerous administrative units and university offices. These include the Academic Equal Opportunity Officers, the Equal Opportunity Officers, the Office for Students with Disabilities, the Officer for Students with Disabilities or Chronic Disease, the Severely Disabled Employee Representatives, the Anti-Discrimination Office, the Contact Office for matters regarding protection against sexual harassment and violence, the Family-Friendly University project group, the Central Student Advisory Services and the Staff Council. This coordination emphasises the importance of diversity as a cross-cutting issue and as a concept that combines different concerns and seeks to use knowledge and cooperative endeavours to counteract division, disinformation and ostracism. In the years to come, our aim will be to further expand dialogue and information service offerings for all university members, to strengthen the commitment of all involved entities and interest groups via networking activities, and to institutionally embed the achievements that have been made so far – for the purpose of a university where our human diversity forms the basis for excellent research and teaching, equal opportunities and an atmosphere of openness, dialogue and belonging.

I. University-wide Diversity

Equitable access to education and multiperspectivity in research and teaching foster academic excellence and societal changes in equal measure. The University of Bamberg is serious about its responsibility for the values associated with diversity, inclusion and protection against discrimination, and it understands these values as an overall guiding principle. This is one of the reasons why the university decided to establish a Vice Presidency for “Diversity and International Affairs” in 2020. Numerous measures have already been implemented across all university sectors. These range from a Gender Equality Plan and new recommendations for the use of gender-sensitive language to the continuation of the ongoing development of an accessible web presence and to equipping more and more lecture halls and seminar rooms with audio induction loop systems. In addition to these measures, the university has developed a dense network of recent and coordinated diversity initiatives. These include the creation of a diversity website, the launch of an annual diversity award, the introduction of a diversity day and a diversity roundtable, the establishment of an additional conflict counselling and advisory service as well as a Contact Office for matters regarding protection against sexual harassment and violence. The resulting increased visibility of diversity issues and heightened awareness for their importance across the entire university are to be maintained and further enhanced by pursuing already established activities, making tailored additions and enhancing synergies.

Aims and Measures

A 1  The percentage of women holding a professorship (W2 or W3) shall, at the very least, not fall below the current level of 33 %, and should ideally exceed this level.

  • M  The university will prepare a new equal opportunity concept, adopting holistic, intersectional measures aimed at further enforcing the changes in structure and awareness that have been initiated so far, and at emphasising processes to reach gender parity in professorships.
  • M  Accompanying measures to increase the proportion of professorships held by women shall include the financing of academic staff positions (E13 for a maximum of two years) as part of appointment negotiations with female professors.

A 2  Female postdoctoral researchers shall be supported in their careers in order to counteract the leaky pipeline phenomenon.

  • M  Female non-professorial academic staff members will be given the opportunity to apply for the funding of an appropriate number of student assistant hours for current research projects within the newly established “Stay Tuned” funding programme.

A 3  The proportion of female non-professorial academic staff members in administrative committees shall be increased across the entire university.

  • M  Postdoctoral researchers doing administrative committee work will be given the opportunity to apply for additional student assistant hours within the framework of the “Stay Tuned” funding programme.

A 4  The percentage of female committee and board members, which is usually significantly lower than 50 %, is to be increased, despite there being fewer female scholars than male scholars.

  • M  Women who are experiencing disproportionate strain due to their membership in several committees and boards will have the opportunity to apply for financial relief support by simple request.

A 5  The university’s accessibility shall be improved.

  • M  Additional audio induction loop systems will be installed within the limits of the financial resources available. For this purpose, the university will purchase headphone receivers which will be available for persons with concentration difficulties to borrow via the Office for Students with Disabilities.
  • M  Adjustable room dividers which can be used during examinations and similar situations will be procured for persons with cognitive disabilities and per