Press release: University of Göttingen successful in the “Quality in Teaching Pact”

Nr. 109/2011 - 20.05.2011

Federal government approves proposals to improve study conditions

(pug) The University of Göttingen was successful with its proposals to further improve the quality of studies and teaching within the framework of the “Quality in Teaching Pact“. This was announced today by the head of the Joint Science Conference (GWK), Prof. Dr. E. Jürgen Zöllner, and the Minister of Education and Research, Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan. The “Quality in Teaching Pact” forms the third pillar of the Higher Education Pact 2020 of the German federal and state governments. The University of Göttingen will thus further expand its teaching offer and optimize the quality of study conditions during the next five years. The University was successful with the individual proposal as well as with the joint project with additional universities and technical colleges in Lower Saxony. In the individual proposal, the University of Göttingen applied for a sum of approximately 17 million Euros; the exact amount of the approved sum will be announced by the Joint Science Conference at a later time.

Prof. Dr. Ulrike Beisiegel, President of Göttingen University: „The further improvement of study conditions has a high priority for the University and its institutional strategy. We are therefore especially pleased about the success in this competition that is of great importance to us. The successful proposal also shows that we are already on the right path.“

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Lücke, Vice President of Göttingen University for Studies and Teaching: „In the coming years we will intensively work on concretely increasing the quality of studies and teaching. We expect that this will lead to the development of a joint quality structure that will continue to have positive effects even after the project period is over.“

For the individual proposal, the University of Göttingen identified five areas of action in advance with the participation of students and teachers into which the money should flow. A new design for the first phase of studies, for example, aims to reduce the number of students who discontinue their studies. Newly established and preferentially filled professorships aim to strengthen support in popular subjects. A systematic personnel development from the beginning of the doctoral phase up to the further qualification of experienced teachers aims to improve the quality of courses. At the same time, teachers are to receive more freedom in order to develop and implement modern and innovative concepts for teaching and learning. With the expansion of the University’s own quality management system, the University seeks to ensure the quality of teaching in the long term.

The German federal and state governments resolved to form the “Quality in Teaching Pact” last year. For this purpose, the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research is providing approximately two billion Euros until 2020. The Joint Science Conference received proposals from 194 institutes of higher education in the first round. This represents approximately 80 percent of eligible institutions in Germany.