Our work

What we do to promote equality and equal opportunities

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.

Our Responsibilities

  • We advise students, staff, and faculty on all matters related to gender equality.
  • In our seminars and workshops, we support female students, staff members, and professors.
  • By introducing a technical orientation semester for women, we aim to increase the number of female students in technical fields.
  • We support female first-semester students by connecting them with mentors from higher semesters.
  • We help parents better balance work or studies with family life—for example, through our family rooms.
  • We participate in appointment committees and job interviews to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities.
  • We raise awareness of unconscious biases—including through our anti-bias training sessions.
  • We support faculty in incorporating gender and diversity considerations into teaching and research.
  • We are part of the Swabian Dual Career Network.

All equality actors at a glance

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:

  • Faculty E (Electrical Engineering and Information Technology): Prof. Dr. Marianne von Schwerin
  • Faculty G (Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Economic Sciences): Prof. Dr. Theresa Herrmann
  • Faculty I (Computer Science): Prof. Dr. med. Tim Pietzcker
  • Faculty M (Mechanical Engineering and Automotive Engineering): Prof. Dr. Karsten Günther
  • Faculty P (Production Engineering and Industrial Management): Prof. Dr. Sebastian Geier
  • Faculty T (Mechatronics and Medical Technology): Prof. Dr. Malte Groß

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:

  • Equality Officer responsible for substantive work: Angelina Schmid, M.A.
  • The THU participates in the Women Professors Program. Three coordinators implement the measures: Nora Ateia, M.A., Anna-Lena Mutscheller, M.A., and Corinna Pusch, M.A.

The Gender Equality team addresses the concerns of students, academic staff, and faculty members.

 

Equal Opportunity

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.

Legal Basis for Equality

The legal basis for our work is the State Higher Education Act. Section 4 of this Act requires institutions of higher education

  • to take gender-specific impacts into account in all areas, tasks, and decisions.
  • to ensure equal opportunities for women and men.
  • to eliminate existing disadvantages.
  • to actively promote women in all disciplines and at all levels where they are underrepresented.
  • to support the balance between family life and academic work.

Projects and Initiatives

Start your future with Technik +O, the orientation semester for women.
Copyright: THU

Women Professors Program 2030

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.

Other measures planned in the Women Professors Program

  • Prevention and Intervention Regarding Discrimination and Sexual Violence​
  • Establishment of an alumnae network, in collaboration with other universities​Lecture series on gender in academia​
  • Training for appointment committees​
  • Increasing the visibility of female professors to ensure a gender-equitable distribution of tasks and roles, whether they carry a great deal or little prestige and power​
  • Providing support for caregiving responsibilities

You can find more information about the project at the Female Professors Program 2030.

FH Personal / THUProf4.0

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.

Measures already implemented under this priority:

  • Standardization of procedures in appointment processes to promote equal opportunity. This has resulted in the appendices for the new THU appointment guidelines.
  • Raising awareness through anti-bias training
  • Highlighting diversity at the university

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.

Gender-neutral language

The picture shows the lettering: "One language for all."
Copyright: THU

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.”

Does equality mean that women are given preferential treatment?

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.