Audit provides convincing proof:
The University of Hohenheim is above-average in terms of internationality [06.10.16]
Audit carried out by the Conference of University Presidents shows impressive results - and calls for “bold steps” to be taken / Presentation of the Audit Seal in Berlin on 5 October
Above-average in internationality and very ambitious about getting even better: this is the conclusion an international audit team came to, a team commissioned by the Conference of University Presidents (HRK - Hochschulrektorenkonferenz) to take a closer look at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart. The evaluation was made at the request of the University of Hohenheim. It was carried out during the “Audit on the Internationalization of Universities” initiated by the HRK. The University of Hohenheim accepted the official seal for its successful audit in Berlin last Wednesday.
As far as the audit team is concerned, the University of Hohenheim is already above-average in its international make-up. Examples named in their report include:
- Proportion of international study programs: 32.5 %
(Average at German universities acc. to the HRK profile data project and other sources 10.0 % - Proportion of foreign students: 13.8 %
(Average at German universities acc. to the German Statistics Office: 12.7 % - Proportion of foreign PhD students: 20.8 %
(Average at German universities acc. to the German Statistics Office: 16.4 %
“Erasmus”, the EU exchange program, is also very popular at the University of Hohenheim. In the 2013/14 academic year, approximately 140 students took advantage of the program to spend some time studying abroad - that translates as 75 % more than the average number at all the universities participating (= 80 students). At the same time, approximately 100 students came to Hohenheim from other EU countries - 60 % more than the average number at all the universities participating (= 60 students). And the University of Hohenheim is obviously making quite a name for itself with an impressively large number of successful projects: the University currently receives the most financing per student for internationalization projects and scholarships in Baden-Württemberg: a total of € 3 million. In contrast, the University still has its work cut out for it in terms of the internationalization of its teaching staff: with a share of just 4.2 % of the professors coming from abroad, it lies well below the average of 6.6 % for all German universities. Final report encourages University to take “bold steps forward”The University took part in this evaluation on a voluntary basis. “We place a great deal of importance on internationality,” explains Prof. Dr. Stephan Dabbert, President of the University of Hohenheim. After all, “the international exchange of people and ideas is a basic prerequisite for excellence in academia and an important qualification for our graduates,” adds Prof. Dr. Andreas Pyka, Vice President for Internationalization.Needless to say, the President's Office does not plan to stop there. “The final report contains a number of very useful recommendations and explicitly encourages us to take “bold steps forward”,” comments President Prof. Dr. Dabbert.Among other things, the suggestion was made that University Management control its internationalization more centrally. The audit experts also proposed the installation of uniform processes and high minimum standards for all the faculties, a transparent organizational structure with clearly defined responsibilities and cross-faculty resource procurement to include the funds of the individual institutes.Excellent prerequisites for further internationalizationAll in all, the experts attested that the University of Hohenheim has “excellent prerequisites for further internationalization”.The structural reforms implemented over the past few years also contributed to this positive assessment. This includes, for example, an administrative reform that bundled different international services at the Office of International Affairs. The team of advisors evaluated the “consistently open, solidly united and solution-oriented communication and cooperation within the University” as a “specific advantage”. Thanks to a “continuously noticeable willingness to strive for innovation and the great commitment of Management and staff”, the University has “a very good basis for further strategic development.”Background: Audit of the “Internationalization of Universities” The audit of the “Internationalization of Universities” is a project of the Conference of University Presidents (HRK) and is funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF - Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung). It offers independent, systematic consulting services that are keenly attuned to the needs of a university and follow an interdisciplinary approach, taking into account the multidimensional nature of the internationalization process. More at www.hrk.de/audit/startseiteText: KlebsContact for the media:Prof. Dr. Andreas Pyka, Vice President for International Affairs at the University of Hohenheim, Tel. +49 (0) 771 459-24481, E-mail: a.pyka@uni-hohenheim.de
Text: Klebs
Contact for press:
Prof. Dr. Andreas Pyka, Prorektor für Internationalisierung der Universität Hohenheim, T 0711 459-24481, E a.pyka@uni-hohenheim.de
