Since the end of last year a Diversity Council has been in place at Landshut University of Applied Sciences. The role of this Council is to monitor the development of the culture of diversity at the university, to support it and to suggest qualitative enhancements. “The Council sees itself as a driving force for specific, diversity-related issues, such as continuing and further education needs,” explains the Chair, Professor Dr. Clements Dannenbeck. “Beyond this we also aim to offer assistance with recommendations and guidelines and create a space for discussion and dialogue as well as a point of contact for anyone who has already experienced discrimination.”
The Council is set up in such a way that, wherever possible, every faculty, level of the university and operational area is represented. To begin with, the members hope to meet twice a semester, reducing to once later on. The inaugural meeting of the Council under the leadership of Professor Dr. Detlev Maurer, Vice President for Diversity and Internationalisation, was held on 19 November.
The Diversity Council is one result of the participation of Landshut University of Applied Sciences in the “Create Diversity” audit sponsored by the Stifterverband der Deutschen Wissenschaft (donors' association for the promotion of humanities and sciences in Germany) The university was certified as having participated in this programme in spring 2019. The programme prompted the university to develop and articulate its understanding of diversity matters. Another outcome was discussions as to how, in future, issues connected to diversity can continue to be pursued.
Photo: Landshut University of Applied Sciences
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