"It's not enough to open the entrance to the university".

Ms. Clement, you are taking up the presidency in the year in which the University of Kassel turns 50. What does that mean for you: a university that has now turned 50, no longer quite young, but not venerable either?

The university has developed steadily over the 50 years, we are now a large and in many respects strong university, which is a good thing. At the same time, when we were founded as the GhK, we also took on a mission: To offer educational opportunities for all and to conduct socially relevant research with a critical spirit - as expressed in our motto "Today for Tomorrow." I am pleased that this motto is once again coming more to the fore in this anniversary year.

What are the greatest opportunities for the coming years? And where are the biggest construction sites?

We can perhaps distinguish between visions on the one hand and tasks on the other. I have placed my upcoming presidency under the motto "Quality, Dialog and Cohesion. I see that as a vision. For me, quality means focusing on what makes the work on this topic, this problem or this discussion, this meeting really good. The superfluous, the vain, the problems that are not really problems, can then go away. Dialogue means listening to arguments and allowing them to come closer through discussion. And as far as cohesion is concerned, I would like us to argue internally at times, but to present a united front to the outside world as the University of Kassel.

As far as the tasks are concerned, we have considerable opportunities thanks to the new financing system. Last year, we had the favorable situation of being able to create almost 100 full-time equivalent permanent positions. And about 50 new professorships are being created, which is a pretty unique opportunity to set priorities. However, there are already signs of the political challenge that temporary programs with temporary funding will be launched again, such as the Digital Pact. We have to be careful here.

Have you already held talks with potential vice presidents?

I will try to form a team that represents as many perspectives at the university as possible. We can talk about names in the summer.

At the moment, student numbers are trending downward. Do you see that as a kind of consolidation or as a problem?

We've always said that we think a moderate decline is okay, which is also in line with demographic trends. This goal is also recognized by the state. But it should happen slowly. We will have to do more to attract students than in the past. This is also an opportunity: We will take a fundamental look at our courses of study, and this includes not only the packaging but also the content. If we really want to offer participation through education, then it is not enough to open up the entrance to the university, then the studies themselves should also be such that new perspectives on the world and in the world emerge. This can be achieved if we reflect on the content of education itself and connect it to today's and tomorrow's lifeworlds, without studies being absorbed into practice.

But you mean more than employability?

Yes, absolutely. More like empowerment, to stick with English buzzwords. Let me give you an example. In teacher training, we have to prepare young people to face classes in which not all, perhaps not even the majority, of the learners speak German as their native language. This requires a completely different approach to culture, a different didactic approach, different teaching content in schools.

So you don't just teach Grimm's fairy tales, but the fairy tales of other cultures?

No, I don't mean it that way, but the example is still good. The students should be happy to deal with Grimm's fairy tales, they also have a regional significance for us and they are wonderful material. But you can ask yourself, what does it say for our lifeworlds when children are afraid that their parents will abandon and disown them? And is the forest just as mysterious to other cultures as it is in German cultural history, or does it perhaps have a completely different meaning for some? Such questions. We're already good at that, but we can do much better. Second, we need to communicate to the outside world what we are doing right in teaching, and use that to woo students. Third, we need to think about how we will communicate content in the future, including in digital formats. That's a thick board.

After one year of Corona, after digital and hybrid university - do you see more of an opportunity for the future or do you see it as a disaster year? And how much digital teaching will remain after Corona?

I appreciate the advantages of location-independent teaching, I myself have studied "remotely" from South America and experienced this as a great opportunity. At the same time, it lets me know what is also missing without face-to-face teaching. I am also concerned that we are losing students because they are isolated or cannot cope with the workload. It's all about a smart mix. I find the idea of introducing a virtual Friday interesting. Let's see.

On the subject of research, the state of Hesse recently selected projects that, to put it simply, are to be prepared for the excellence strategy. The University of Kassel is not among them.

It is a pity that we were not considered in this funding line, which was also negotiated politically. But I do not see this as a setback. The area of nano/material sciences, with which we had applied, remains a focus, and I am sure that we will continue to successfully achieve collaborative projects from these research lines.

In addition to the area of material sciences and as well as sustainability, there should be one or two other research focal points. What might these be and how will they be developed?

In recent years, we have initiated a whole series of collaborations with our internal research funding. In the future, this commitment will also be reflected in successful collaborative projects. Focal points will develop quite organically. I don't think we should enter into internal competition.

What significance will the emerging Center for Sustainable Transformation have for the university?

It will be a central building block, also for the charisma of the entire university. But that doesn't mean that now the entire university will only do sustainability research. There is so much interesting research and art at our university!

On another topic that concerns you as Vice President, the working and career conditions for young scientists. How can you strengthen the position of young scientists?

Universities have an educational mission that goes beyond master's degrees. We also provide qualifications for doctoral studies and beyond. And not just for the university, but also for politics, business and NGOs. Qualification remains a temporary undertaking, but there are very different career paths today. I think it's important to take this diversity into account.

Another topic that is very close to your heart is the advancement of women...

As vice president, I was amazed to discover that there are still areas where women are not yet a natural part of the review boards. Sometimes there is a culture there that makes women uncomfortable - by the way, without colleagues intending or even realizing it.  I believe that many problems would be solved very quickly once women were at the table. I would also like to encourage women to speak up for their concerns. And finally, it's also important to take a closer look at areas in which many women work, for example secretarial offices. What are the working conditions like here?

As vice president, you were very involved in the climate survey. The topic occupied us a great deal last year and the year before, and Corona and the topic of mobile working gave it a very special direction once again.

The climate survey and the discussion in its context offer opportunities that are perhaps not yet sufficiently perceived by all departments. We offer departments and divisions comprehensive activities for organizational development. They can use the survey results as a basis for clarifying with the deaneries or their department heads the nature of collaboration in their orga units and do something about it. Take advantage of this opportunity! It's worth agreeing now how we want to proceed after Corona.

The upcoming issue of the university magazine publik (to be published on April 12, 2021) will have a focus on Latin America and the many collaborations that the University of Kassel has here. Why this continent in particular?  

A few years ago, we noticed that quite a number of colleagues have relations with Argentina and other South American countries, from politics to Romance studies to physics. From this we developed this focus, which received further impetus through the ICDD and then the CALAS network. It also pleases me personally: I myself lived for seven years in various Latin American countries. But of course it is not about my own connection with the continent - Latin America is an exciting partner for science. And in the same way, we want to deepen collaborations with countries on other continents.

The interview was conducted by Beate Hentschel and Sebastian Mense