Dear members of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar,
The following pages comprise the Kick-Off Programme created by the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s new Presidium, and which will be carried out until the end of 2023. The programme includes the main points for our term in office.
The Kick-Off programme is the result of surveys, exchanges and debates that have taken place at the University over the past weeks and months and which we will continue to discuss. This means that the programme is still flexible, but we wish to establish certain priorities as we begin our work together. The programme is intended to create momentum which will carry us through until 2026.
The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar should be a positive and productive space for all of us, where we can live, work, conduct research, teach and learn; it should be somewhere we can develop and maximise our professional and personal potential.
the university should be a positive and productive space for all of us, where we can live, work, conduct research, teach and learn
The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar should be a positive and productive space for all of us, where we can live, work, conduct research, teach and learn; it should be somewhere we can develop and maximise our professional and personal potential.
We understand achieving this goal together to be the main task of the University Administration.
We wish for the scientific, artistic and design research and practice at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, in addition to its teaching, extracurriculars and other services, to provide inspiration that will have a global impact on society. We wish for students, academics and artists to come to Weimar because they are able to study, research and achieve things here that they can’t do anywhere else. We wish for University members and staff to stay here because we offer a dynamic and energetic institution that is bound together as community with progressive and diverse values in the face of modern challenges. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is, in this sense, already well positioned. As we all know, however, there is still lots to do.
A new Presidium can’t solve all problems immediately or address all issues with the same amount of attention. This is why we have compiled a summary of upcoming topics and identified a small number of medium-term priorities for each of them. These will in turn be accompanied by specific milestones that can be achieved by the end of 2023. The milestones of the 2023 Kick-Off Programme can be understood as laying the foundation, because we are of course thinking beyond 2023. Naturally, as the Presidium, we will continue moving forward on all scheduled and long-term plans in our departments.
We have defined a few key points to establish the foundation of our working hypothesis.
Key Points
The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar sees itself now and in the future as an institution that functions as a beacon and cultural pillar in society, and as a place where exceptional research is carried out. Our core strengths are creativity and innovation. The work carried out here serves the common good and focusses on participation, diversity, technological development and social and environmental sustainability.
In order to meet these demands, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is
- critically reflective, culturally inclusive and promotes integration;
- committed to meeting international professional standards of the disciplines taught here, yet has a recognisable interdisciplinary institutional profile;
- a stakeholder and partner in the international networks of universities, institutions, academics and artists, and forward-thinking markets;
- curious, creative and open to innovative and experimental approaches;
- entrepreneurial in both thought and action, but not driven by commercial goals;
- pragmatic, but not necessarily application-oriented;
- courageous in our values without being dogmatic; and, above all
- instrumental in shaping society.
These demands lead to – in addition to fundamental teaching and research responsibilities – identifiable courses of action. These courses of action include, for example
- having a modern outlook and establishing the University’s international reputation as a reflection of its regional and international networking;
- focussing on internal and external communication;
- fostering environmental and social sustainability;
- the University’s effectiveness in socio-political settings;
- promoting inter-/transdisciplinary research and teaching opportunities;
- offering full-time and part-time studies, further education courses, preparation and orientation courses, as well as relevant follow-up courses;
- institutionally integrating into regional, national and international organisations; and
- integrating digitalisation, internationalisation and diversity into the University’s everyday life.
We – the new Presidium – are choosing to begin with this concept because we see it as specific and concise. However, we do not see it as exhaustive or conclusive. We want to continue working with each other and with you on finding solutions, and we are well aware that most issues are complex and involve various interests, perspectives and interconnections and that there is often no single »right« solution. We encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts and ideas. This can be done easily by sending an e-mail to wir[at]uni-weimar.de.
Now let’s have a look at our programme!
