Student organizations and the university system in Germany

A presentation by Anja Siebert, Anja Lange, and Valerio Trabandt

Anja Siebert: DAAD lecturer at the KPI

Anja Lange: Exchange student at the KNU

Valerio Trabandt: Robert Bosch Foundation lecturer at the Mohyla Academy

1. The German higher education system: An overview

2. Institutions and systems of student participation – the examples of Leipzig and Hanover

3. Practical examples for concrete situations: How to participate?

4. Report by a German Student

Higher education institutions: ◦ Universities (Universitäten)

◦ Universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen)

◦ Universitities of music or arts (Kunst- und Musikhochschulen)

◦ Private universities, army universities, one long-distance-learning university

◦ Tasks: Research + teaching (Humboldt model)

Degrees: ◦ Bachelor (3 years) and Master (2 years), non-

consecutive, after 12-13 years of school

◦ Staatsexamen (State exam – at least 5 years, depending on the field of studies)

◦ Before adapting to the Bologna accords: „Magister“ and „Diplom“ (around 5 years)

◦ „Promotion“ (Ph.D.)

◦ „Habilitation“ (professorship)

The first german-speaking university to be founded was in Prague in 1348, in today‘s Germany in Heidelberg in 1386

New wave of foundations in Germany in the 1960s and 70s

Student movements of the 60s and 70s also gain momentum and achieve more participation in the decision-making process, autonomy of student associations and own resources (also: extra-parliamentary opposition)

Bologna accords

Initiatition of study fees of up to 500€ (additional to already existing study contributions of up to 300€)

Elite universities and excellence clusters

Junior professorships and curricula of researchers and teachers

Private universities

further education

Bologna accords demand strict reforming efforts in the higher education sector

Education is only in a very broad way managed by the federal state: The German “Länder“ take most responsibilities for their respective universities. Thus the university system varies strongly between the regions

Theoretically, each university is free and autonomous in what it teaches and researches. However, political influence especially on basic questions exists

There is nevertheless a council of universities, the “Hochschulrektorenkonferenz” (HRK), to represent the higher education institutions

Historical overview

Example I Studentenrat University of Leipzig

Example II Leibniz University Hanover

19th century

Urburschenschaft (first German student fraternity): verbalises the idea of an integrative organisation for students

without any aims concerning the higher educational system

idea was linked to political issues: national unity

other students reform movements combined the national idea with new aims like reform of higher education, participation, self-help in social issues

AStA: Tübingen (1821), Heidelberg (1885),

conflicts between different student movements and organisations

20th century

July 1919 “Deutsche Studentenschaft” (DSt) (German Student Union), merger of general student committees of all German universities, democratic representation of interests

from 1931 onward DSt is dominated by National Socialist German Student’s League, merged in 1936

after 1945

prohibition of DSt and National Socialist German Student’s League

reorganisation of student’s unions

urgent problems: accommodation, clothes

1949 Verband Deutscher Studentenschaften, Marburg, political neutrality

dissolution of student councils in GDR in the course of socialistic rebuilding of the higher education system, replaced by organs of the FDJ (Free German Youth)

important role of students movement in the late 60ies, VdS supports the extra-parliamentary opposition

today most of the „old“ German Länder:

Studentenparlament (legislative organ of the constituted student‘s union ) and AStA (acting executive board)

most of the „new“ German Länder: Studentenrat (executive and legislative functions)

Freier Zusammenschluss von StudentInnenschaften (fzs), merger of student‘s unions in Germany above party-lines, since 1993

Studentenrat = student council Ausschüsse = commissions Referate = departments Referenten und Sprecher = speaker Arbeitsausschüsse = working commissions Arbeitsgruppen = working groups Fachschaftsrat = student organisation in faculties Studierende der Universität Leipzig = students

Studentenrat (student council)

Fachschaftsräte (student‘s organisation in faculties)

Senat (central university council), 4 of the members are students, delegated by the student council

Studierende = students

VV = assembly of all students

Fachschaftsräte = Faculty/ Institute student council

Studentischer Rat = student council

AStA = General student committee

ASta – the student government

StuRa – the student parliament

Fachschaften – the student‘s organizations in the faculties/ institutes

Senat – Central university council with 13 members, of which 2 are elected students

◦ Résumé: Students have their own autonomous

institutions, but not much say in general affairs

Who can a foreign student address?

Where can a young mother get assistance?

Which institutions are important for the motivated student who wants to make a difference?

Who to contact if you want to realize projects or events and are looking for support?

The Leipzig Student Council‘s Departments

Higher education policy, Political education, Communication and Student’s life (as of 2011)

Departments of the student council form working groups, every student can attend

Required: interest in the needs of disabled persons

Meetings: every second week, appr. 10 students Fields of work and successes: ◦ support students with depressions to improve the

conductions of examination ◦ discuss the accessibility of events and the precautions to

ensure that disabled people can attend them, > result: brochure about the accessibility of events at the University of Leipzig, Campus Fest

◦ improve the accessibility of university buildings, contact architects and local authorities > example: university assembly hall Paulinum

Questions?

Remarks?

Corrections?

Comparison with the Ukrainian system?

http://www.uni-hannover.de/imperia/md/images/webredaktion/studium/studierende/selbstverwaltung.jpg http://www.sinan-botros.de/img/uni/universityOfHannover.jpg https://www.familienservice.de/image/image_gallery?uuid=bc48cedc-9ccd-48dd-8da3-90d04137e051&groupId=230521&t=1320603463865 http://www.giv-hannover.de/pics/inhalt/inhalts-bilder/Deutschlandkarte.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CuPxEhJszpM/TnJZ0s1Py0I/AAAAAAAABDk/N4ejiqsKT8s/s1600/Thank-you-note.jpg

www.uni-leipzig.de http://www.stura.uni-leipzig.de

http://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/artikel/artikel_44409

http://www.stura.uni-leipzig.de/stura/arbeitsbereiche/

http://fachschaft.vetmed.uni-leipzig.de/de/node/125

http://www.zv.uni-leipzig.de/universitaet/profil/leitbild-profil-geschichte/leitbild.html

Peer Pasternack: Die StuRa-StoRy. Studentische Interessenvertretung in Ostdeutschland seit 1989, in: Peer Pasternack/Thomas Neie (Hg.), stud. ost 1989-1999. Wandel von Lebenswelt und Engagement der Studierenden in Ostdeutschland, Akademische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2000, S. 28-53

http://www.wikipedia.de

http://study-in.de