Hessian University Presidiums: Ute Clement new spokesperson

Under the chairmanship of Tanja Brühl, the KHU has been a strong and audible voice of the universities over the past two years, shaping science policy debates and setting the course for the future of Hessen as a science location. The amendment to the Hessian Higher Education Act takes into account a number of suggestions from the universities that improve teaching and learning and support the universities' competitiveness. In the implementation of the Hessian Higher Education Pact 2021-2025, the universities concluded target agreements with the Hessian Ministry of Science and the Arts (HMWK) and agreed on a "Code of Good Conduct" with the staff representatives and the HWMK. The intensive and trusting coordination of the Hessian universities shaped these processes and was decisive in ensuring that the Hessian universities were able to represent their interests so well in discussions and negotiation processes. The ongoing Corona pandemic was a decisive factor during Tanja Brühl's chairmanship. Here, too, the close exchange between the Hessian universities was of great concern to her in order to ensure good and safe working and study conditions and, with the responsible return to presence, to enable joint creative teaching, learning, working and research again.

In thanking her predecessor in office, the new KHU spokesperson Ute Clement emphasizes: "Tanja Brühl has represented the interests of the Hessian universities vis-à-vis the Hessian state government with great personal commitment and communicative strength and has moderated coordination processes within the KHU, but also with political actors, with great clarity and foresight." Looking at the current challenges of the pandemic and the Ukraine war, she adds, "I'm looking forward to my future tasks, even though we'll probably continue to be in crisis mode for the time being."

In order to continue to position themselves successfully, universities need adequate funding. Ute Clement sees the implementation and design of digitization in research, transfer, teaching and administration as a new permanent task for universities in terms of their basic funding. In order to be able to offer students strong learning environments, differentiated learning paths and intensive learning support, universities need structurally effective attention for studying and teaching. Essential, he said, was the reform of the teaching obligation ordinance, which would do justice to the changed demands on modern education. This also applies to capacity-related reforms: "Only in this way can the measures that have been initiated to improve the student-teacher ratio become effective," says Ute Clement.

The new KHU spokesperson is also concerned with the aspect of research and transfer. Only top research enables fundamental and far-reaching innovations. In this respect, Ute Clement demands not only political support from the state government, but also freedom for innovations and productive attempts at solutions. In shaping the transfer between science, society and business, the special importance of universities must also be given greater consideration and promoted through appropriate infrastructure measures. In the field of university construction, Ute Clement praised visible efforts in the Hessian construction programs Heureka and COME (CO2 reduction and energy efficiency program). Nevertheless, there is a clear backlog of renovations and investments at Hessian universities. Ute Clement: "Strengthening Heureka III by €200 million annually and expanding COME by an additional €50 million annually is essential."

Overall, Ute Clement points to the important balance between competition and cooperation. Universities can best balance this when they act and decide independently: "This requires flexibility and the ability to act in terms of finances, personnel and organization, which must not be undermined by detailed control by the state."

The five universities in the state of Hesse have joined forces in the Conference of Hessian University Presidiums (KHU). The presidiums of the Technical University of Darmstadt, the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the Justus Liebig University of Giessen, the University of Kassel and the Philipps University of Marburg meet at regular intervals. The universities organized in the KHU take a joint position on current developments in higher education policy, especially in the state of Hesse, but also on educational and research policy challenges at national and European level. The goal is to secure and expand the competitiveness of the five Hessian universities.

Information about KHU: https://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/universitaet/organisation/praesidium/konferenz-hessischer-universitaeten
 

Press contact:

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
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