Structural Integration

The fact that equal opportunities are a major priority at FAU is reflected in the area of responsibility of one of our Vice Presidents. Since 2018, the topic has been incorporated into the portfolio for Human resources/Young researcher support/People. As a member of the Executive Board, the Vice President is involved at the strategic level in collaboration with the Commission for Equal Opportunities and the women’s representatives at the University, and is both the point of contact for this area and the University’s representative for these topics when dealing with external parties.

In 2003, the Executive Board established the working group on equal opportunities, which became a standing committee in October 2014 after a resolution was passed by the Executive Board. The Commission for Equal Opportunities consists of experts in the field who draw up concepts and suggestions for action for the Executive Board concerning the development and implementation of equality, diversity and family measures at FAU. At the same time, it offers a forum for exchanging information about the status of equal opportunities at the faculties and other institutions at FAU. The members of the commission are the relevant Vice President, the Diversity officer at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology, the women’s representatives, professors of all faculties, and representatives of non-professorial research staff and students, university administration, the Office of Equality and Diversity and the Family Service.

The tasks, rights and obligations of women’s representatives at the University are stipulated in Section 4 of the Bavarian Higher Education Act (BayHSchG). The FAU Constitution goes further than the BayHSchG and states in Sections 21 and 22 that women’s representatives will have a central and formally acknowledged role in monitoring and implementing equal opportunities in the University’s bodies and committees. The University and Faculty women’s representatives at FAU are represented in all central boards and committees at the University and the faculties. Two deputies are elected for the University women’s representative, and one deputy per department for the Faculty women’s representatives. This allows particular consideration to be paid to the specific concerns of the individual departments. The committee of women’s representatives is chaired by the University women’s representative and convenes at least once a semester for the women’s representatives to coordinate their activities and share information with each other.

The Office of Equality and Diversity supports the University and Faculty women’s representatives. It is also responsible for developing the content, design and strategy of FAU’s gender equality, diversity and family policy as well as FAU’s many and varied projects and services relating to gender mainstreaming, diversity management, and balancing studying, work and family commitments. A further key function of the Office is to work in close collaboration with the Executive Board and the faculties to incorporate the individual concepts and measures for promoting equal opportunities across the University under the umbrella of FAU’s general gender equality strategy. The Office advises on designing equal opportunity concepts, for example in collaborative projects, and is the point of contact for all members of the university who have any questions about equal opportunities. It also contributes to quality assurance by continually monitoring academic progression and evaluating gender equality measures. It provides a wealth of information and carries out work to raise the awareness of gender equality issues, it has close connections to internal university committees and services and it actively participates in local, regional and national networks.

After FAU expanded the thematic and structural scope of its gender equality policy to include diversity management, the former Women’s Representatives Office was re-named the Office of Equality and Diversity in 2012.

The FAU Family Service, which has been part of the Office of Equality and Diversity since 2007, offers a comprehensive range of services to employees and students who have children or relatives who need care, allowing them to balance studying, work and family commitments. The Family Service gives advice, can provide childcare or help you find a babysitter and can offer support if you have close family members in need of care. It works in close cooperation with a number of internal and external institutions and organizations.

The position of Equality Opportunities Officer for non-academic staff is stipulated in the Bavarian Equal Treatment Act (BayGlG). Their tasks predominantly involve encouraging and monitoring the implementation of the BayGlG and the equal opportunity concept for the area of non-academic staff, improving the situation of women and helping staff to balance work and family life. The women’s representatives at FAU and the Office of Equality and Diversity work together closely with FAU’s Equal Opportunities Officer in a number of areas relating to equality policy.

Professor Nicole Kimmelmann was elected Diversity Officer of the Department of Business, Economics and Society in 2024. She holds the professorship for Business Education.