We develop and support measures to promote gender equality, equal opportunities and greater diversity at Ulm University of Technology (THU).
The aim of our work is to create fair and equal conditions for studying, teaching, research and work at the university – regardless of a person’s gender.
The THU’s Chief Equal Opportunity Officer is Prof. Dr. Barbara Streppel. She heads the Office for Equal Opportunity.
There are various deputy officers in the faculties:
The Equal Opportunity Officer and her deputies are elected by the Senate.
In the Office for Gender Equality, staff members also implement gender equality measures:
The Gender Equality team addresses the concerns of students, academic staff, and faculty members.
The Equal Opportunity Officer, Pia Blank, and her deputy are responsible for the university’s administrative and technical staff. This includes, among others, employees in administration, secretarial offices, laboratory staff, and technical services staff.
The legal basis for our work is the State Higher Education Act. Section 4 of this Act requires institutions of higher education
Ulm University of Applied Sciences has successfully applied for funding from the Program to Promote Female Professors.
As part of this funding initiative, the university receives funds from the federal and state governments to finance gender equality measures. This funding has also made it possible to hire female research assistants to implement these measures.
The following has already been implemented: Technik +O, a technical orientation semester for women.
You can find more information about the project at the Female Professors Program 2030.
To ensure that universities of applied sciences can continue to fulfill their important role in the future, they rely on highly qualified staff. For this reason, the federal government and the states have launched the program to support the recruitment and training of faculty at universities of applied sciences (FH-Personal).
Ulm University of Applied Sciences is participating in this funding program. The project is led by Chancellor Dr. Christian Elmo Wolff and the Equal Opportunity Officer, Prof. Dr. Barbara Streppel. One of the key focuses of the project’s implementation at THU is the area of diversity and equality.
THU provides information about the project and its other priority areas on the THUProf4.0 project website.
You can find more information about the federal project on the website of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space: FH-Personal.
Female students in their first or second semester are paired with a female student from a higher semester as a mentor through the Equal Opportunity Team. The mentor answers questions and helps the student find her way around the university. Because female students in STEM programs are often the only women in their field of study, this provides them with an accessible way to connect with other women. After the match is made and an initial meeting takes place, the two students decide for themselves how they would like to stay in touch. The Office of Equal Opportunity also issues the mentors a certificate that they can use in their job applications.
The goal of this initiative is for female students to meet role models from higher semesters. At the same time, it promotes networking among women in fields with low representation of women.
Anyone interested in becoming a mentor or looking for a mentor is welcome to contact the Office for Gender Equality at gleichstellungsteam(at)thu.de.
Once or twice a month, the Office for Gender Equality invites women from the business world to the university. At these fireside gatherings, they introduce themselves to the female students and talk about their professional lives. Afterward, the students have the opportunity to ask questions. The guests at these fireside chats come from a variety of technical fields. They often have leadership experience, but may also be subject matter experts. The Office of Gender Equality aims to cover as broad a range as possible to inspire the female students. The “Kaminabend” provides a safe space. It thus also offers the opportunity to address questions about balancing work and family life and about navigating life as a member of a minority group.
The goal of this initiative is to connectfemale students with role models from the business world.
You can find information about our fireside evenings on our “Frauennetzwerk@THU” page on Moodle. The registration code is: Studentin. There, you can also sign up for the next fireside evening and find additional contact information for our previous guests in the Golden Book of Gender Equality.
Through the Frauennetzwerk@THU, female students at the Technical University regularly receive information about opportunities and events that may be of interest to them. These include, on the one hand, internal gender equality events at THU, for which they can register directly on the forum, as well as external networking events and other educational opportunities—often free of charge—and scholarships.
Members decide for themselves whether they want to subscribe to receive the information via email or whether they’d prefer to check the Women’s Network regularly. In addition, the site features numerous links to external counseling centers, external networks, and other information relevant to female students, as well as the contact information for all women from the business world who have attended our fireside chats.
Goal of the initiative: The Women’s Network@THU regularly provides female students with information about relevant events; it also allows them to network with one another.
All female students at THU can become members of the Women’s Network@THU. To do so, they simply need to enroll in the Moodle course of the same name (accessible only to THU members). The enrollment code is “Student.”
The Student Council at Ulm University of Applied Sciences, with the support of the Office of Equal Opportunity, has ensured that free menstrual products are available in the restrooms at both campuses. Ulm University of Applied Sciences has since been providing pads and tampons free of charge. All students, staff, and faculty can help themselves discreetly to promote equal access.
Goals of the initiative: To provide financial support to people who are menstruating; to break the taboo surrounding menstruation
Are the dispensers empty? Please feel free to contact us at gleichstellungsteam(at)thu.de.
The Office for Gender Equality has launched a LinkedIn group for female THU graduates, where women from THU can network, find inspiration, and support one another throughout their academic, professional, and personal journeys. Membership is open to women and FINTA* who have studied at THU, are pursuing a doctorate there, or are in the final phase of their studies.
Members are welcome to invite others to join the group. We hope to grow gradually.
Goal: To build a long-term network that empowers women. Ideally, this network will also enable the active recruitment of female candidates for teaching positions and professorships in the long term.
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the group, please feel free to contact us at gleichstellungsteam(at)thu.de.
Women are often in the minority in technical fields. This is also the case at the Ulm University of Technology. In some departments, there are only a few women. At the same time, professors from different departments do not always know one another. That is why this networking opportunity exists.
The “Women Professors’ Roundtable” is organized by the Equal Opportunity Officer, who regularly invites all female professors at THU to attend. In this informal setting, the professors get to know one another, network, exchange ideas, offer each other collegial advice, and jointly develop research ideas.
Goal of the initiative: Networking among female professors
Would you like to join the Women Professors’ Get-Together? Then please feel free to contact Barbara Streppel.
Why is gender-equitable language important?
Language has the potential to discriminate and exclude. At the same time, however, it also offers the opportunity to create visibility and change reality in the long term.
Example: People should choose a course of study based on their interests. However, if we only ever talk about engineers or technicians, it seems as if only men can pursue these professions. Of course, this is not the case - but for female students, for example, this can subconsciously have a major influence on whether they can imagine themselves in such professions or rule them out from the outset.
How do I use gender-neutral language correctly?
The THU recommends two options:
Gender-neutral forms
Forms with the gender asterisk
You can find all relevant information and examples of usage in the manual “Gender-Inclusive Language.”
No. Equality means that the rights, duties and opportunities of all people do not depend on their gender.
Unfortunately, there are still numerous actual structural inequalities and disadvantages that affect women. Unfortunately, women are still underrepresented in technical degree courses and in management positions.
Our task is to shape and live the structures in all areas of THU in such a way that they lead to de facto equality for women in all areas of the university. Until the gender ratio at universities is balanced, we support women and are committed to increasing their proportion in studies, among staff and in professorships.