Professor Programme II
at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences
Professor Programme II
The Programme was successfully finished in 2019.
Currently, only one in five professors in Germany are women. In response, the German federal government, in collaboration with the individual Länder, developed and launched the Professor Programme to keep more female researchers in academia after obtaining their doctorate. A total of 300 million euros, or 150 million euros per phase, were earmarked for this programme. The Professor Programme tackles the problem in two ways: on the one hand, resources are invested into increasing the number of female professors at German universities. On the other hand, the programme aims to strengthen and improve the equal opportunity structures in place at German universities.
The Professor Programme II at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences
Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences has used the third-party funding provided by the Professor Programme II to create an altogether new professorship at the University. The budgetary resources freed up by this funding were then put towards improving the University's equal opportunity policies and measures. As a result, the University was able to increase its number of female professors while also firmly anchoring its equal opportunity structures in a long-term manner.
Selection of projects at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences initiated alongside the Professor Programme II:
Idea competition Chancengleichheit
Chancengleichheit, or equal chances for all, is a regularly-held competition designed to reward innovative ideas and pilot projects supporting equal opportunity at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, in particular by better utilising the talent and potential of female researchers within the academic system. The competition is open to all staff at the University. Winning submissions are announced by the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Research project
What are the limiting and contributing factors women often face on the path to a professorship? This project delves into this question and strives to produce tangible strategies for recruiting and retaining more female professors at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Qualitative research into the perspectives of women in academia currently on the path to a professorship, as well as interviews with female professors currently with the University will be used to gather both forward-looking and retrospective insight.
Project Genderkompetenz in der Lehre
As a result of the Bologna Accord, which introduced common standards within higher education among the many signatory countries (including Germany), gender-related considerations have become an important part of thousands of degree programmes. Incorporating these considerations into the design and structure of degree programmes is a way to ensure that women and men enjoy equal opportunities both as degree seekers and in their subsequent careers.
The distribution of females and males in degree programmes still varies greatly by discipline. This preference for different disciplines can lead to future inequality in the form of lower wages and fewer career opportunities. By implementing innovative ideas and strategies developed, for example, through reflective analysis of the processes connected to the 'doing gender' concept, it may be possible to effect changes in the cultures and content traditionally found in specialist disciplines and thus reverse these trends in the future.
In line with these thoughts, the project Genderkompetenz in der Lehre (Gender Competency in Teaching) aims to promote more gender-sensitive teaching structures in our degree programmes by integrating didactic-methodological insights from gender research.