News and Events regarding Diversity at the University of Bonn
Here you can find the current projects, workshops and events that deal with the different dimensions of diversity in everyday university life.
Diversity Days 2025
To mark German Diversity Day, the Vice Rectorate and the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Unit are once again organising the Diversity Days, this year entitled ‘Family Matters: Balance & Belonging’.
Successful re-audit "Vielfalt Gestalten"
Following the re-audit in November 2024, the University of Bonn has now been awarded the ‘Vielfalt Gestalten’ certificate for another three years. The peers particularly praised the promotion of women and the increase in the proportion of female professors to over 30 per cent. The certificate recognises universities with successful concepts and measures in the area of diversity.
New sports programme "GemeinsamAktiv"
The Buddy Programme ‘GemeinsamAktiv’ was launched as an inclusive sports programme by University Sports in cooperation with the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Unit in order to reduce barriers and inhibitions to using sports facilities. The programme is open to all students at the University of Bonn, with a particular focus on students with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. Buddies are trained accordingly and also have the opportunity to acquire a coaching licence as part of the programme. The Buddy Programme is based on the concept of learning in tandem and aims to create a supportive sports environment where everyone can experience the positive effects of physical activity and social interaction.
‘Gender Studies’ certificate for students
From the winter semester 2024/25 on, students from all faculties and degree programmes at the University of Bonn will be able to complete the ‘Gender Studies’ certificate and thus set a subject-specific and personal study focus for themselves. The aim is to teach individual gender competence for research, teaching and other professional, political and private contexts.
The certificate is comprised of basic and subject-specific specialisation modules and teaches practical experience totalling 16 ECTS credits. It can be completed within two (or more) semesters, depending on your study plans. The certificate is offered by the Centre for Theological Gender Research at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Bonn.
Rhineland Network for Equal Opportunities
Promoting equal opportunities and thus creating an open and appreciative working and study environment is the goal of our work. To reinforce this goal, the University of Bonn has become a member of the Rhineland Network for Equal Opportunities and joins in following its shared guidelines.
Their core elements are
- increasing diversity in the leadership of academia and administration,
- responsibility for reconciling family, studies and career in all lifestyles and life situations,
- ensuring equal-opportunity talent development and enabling careers,
- the reduction of discrimination, and
- strengthening gender, queer and diversity studies in teaching and research.
We are stronger as a team. This is why the University of Bonn is a member of the Rhineland Network for Equal Opportunities since September 2023, together with the University of Cologne, the RWTH Aachen University, the Cologne University of Technology, the Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, the German Aerospace Centre and the FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences. Our work is guided by the guidelines and the joint efforts of our network partners.
Funding Initiative: ‘Diversity at German Universities’
The University of Bonn has successfully applied for project funding as part of the "Diversity at German Universities" initiative. The initiative is run by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Among other things, it aims to support German universities in making diversity more visible, promoting their own diversity strategies and encouraging the participation of all university members in the process. A total of 33 universities receive funding for diversity projects under the initiative.
Guide to Gender Equitable Language
Gender-equitable language is an increasingly important issue in Germany, both in society as a whole as well as at universities in specific. Precise expression is especially important in an academic context, which is why choosing language that is as correct and inclusive as possible is a priority. The Equal Opportunity and Diversity Unit is currently working with the AG Diversity to develop a guide for gender-equitable language. This will serve as a working aid for all members of the University of Bonn. Until this guideline is published, we recommend the Faculty of Agriculture's guideline for gender-equitable language, which can be viewed here.
Pathways to Research
Attention students and doctoral students with a refugee or migrant background: the new Pathways to Research funding program has started this year at the University of Bonn. The program includes monthly scholarships, workshop offers and much more.
The individual consultation regarding racism is conducted by Eden Abrehet (she/her), psychological counsellor and trainer for empowerment and anti-discrimination. Eden is an external counsellor and offers to talk about concrete racist incidents or burdens due to racist discrimination within the university context.
She creates a space with you to reflect on your experiences and to support you in developing suitable individual strategies and ways of dealing with certain situations. She also develops future measures for the University of Bonn, based on her work with the students. Appointments can be made by email and will take place online for the time being. All emails are read only by Eden and are subject to confidentiality, just like the counselling sessions. This means that no information will be shared with others without the students' consent. Counseling is provided by the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Unit and was developed in cooperation with the former BIPoC department.
Inclusive University
As an inclusive university, the University of Bonn seeks to enable students with disabilities and chronic illnesses to study without hindrance. The availability of four different lines of funding from the joint NRW state and University of Bonn “Inclusive University” grant program is designed to permit a flexible response tailored both to individual student needs and the different conditions prevailing across the University. The four grant programs are: Project funding, Support personnel, Establishment of workstations in institute libraries and Establishment of quiet and recuperation rooms.
Details about the grant program and the application and selection procedure are provided in Confluence: Inclusive University (german). Initial users of Confluence first have to activate an account here (access via internal network/VPN only).
Free menstrual products
The University of Bonn now offers free menstrual products for students. The project of the Prorectorate for Equal Opportunities and Diversity in cooperation with the AStA is in the pilot phase during the summer semester 2022. The dispensers will be located on seven selected toilets at central locations from May 1st onwards. With this offer, the University of Bonn contributes to breaking down barriers and implementing equal opportunities. Through the project, period poverty is counteracted and the topic of menstruation is further de-tabooed.
Further information can be found here.
Solidarity with Ukraine
On the occasion of the Russian war in the Ukraine, the University and State Library Bonn (ULB) presents topic-related literature from its holdings and refers to selected websites of trustworthy institutions that serve as sources of information or enable private assistance.
Program MitSprache
From 2021, Equal Opportunity and Diversity will provide financial and advisory support for the program MitSprache. The program will be, in the course of this enhancement, extended to all faculties of the university and can be chosen as an export module from SoSe 2021. The University of Bonn is thus promoting educational equity, widening access and inclusion.
MitSprache is a program of the University of Bonn, which is carried out by the Department for Intercultural Communication and Multilingualism in cooperation with the Caritas Association Bonn. The very beginning of the cross-institute initiative which is embedded in the curriculum goes back to Autumn 2015 when the first module Engaged for Refugees was designed.
The concept sees language as the key to the integration of new immigrants, which enables educational opportunities and societal "co-speak" (Mit-Sprache), i.e. participation. The focus of the program is on integration and inclusion of young people of international origin who have recently moved to Germany and are interested in studying or in vocational training.
A further aim of MitSprache is to qualify students as language coaches who support and accompany newcomers on their way to university. In the seminar students acquire knowledge of language didactics, as well as methodological and socio-cultural skills.
Contact
Anna Hollstegge
Poppelsdorfer Allee 24
53115 Bonn
Ruth Ellen Bischoff
Poppelsdorfer Allee 24
53115 Bonn