In publica commoda

Onboarding and Leadership for (Newly Appointed) Professors

As a newly appointed professor at the University of Göttingen, you are confronted with a variety of requirements. Perhaps you have already held a professorship before and are now facing the challenge of getting to know the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. Or you are a professor for the first time and it is not only the university structures that you need to get to know. In both cases we would like to support you in your arrival process at the Georg-August-Universität with our onboarding program. We also welcome professors who have started in Göttingen for several years ago, since some of the workshops can also be interesting such as "leading from distance".
Although the events will be held in German, it is of course possible to contribute to the events and ask questions in English.

Current announcement
Details of the respective dates, including registration and enrolment, can be found below in the individual drop-down menus.



The programme is designed to make it easier for newly appointed students to arrive at the University and to introduce them to the structures and processes. Interested parties from previous years are very welcome.

The program consists of different formats that complement each other:

  • With the welcome meeting format, we offer you a personalised space, especially at the beginning, to seek answers and solutions to your individual questions and problems as required.
  • In an individual clarification and counselling session, you have the opportunity to discuss your individual needs and questions and find suitable formats such as coaching, mentoring or external measures. You also have the opportunity to seek internal and/or external advice on your individual third-party funding strategy.
  • The "Leadership and onboarding" toolbox gives you an overview of contact persons and introduces you to various leadership topics.
  • In addition, various workshops and other exchange formats on the topic of "leadership" are offered, which are open to all professors and managers.

    • Our aim is to continuously adapt our services to your needs in the best possible way. To do this, we rely on your feedback. Please feel free to get in touch with the contact persons in the column on the right.


In addition to some elements in the "Onboarding for newly appointed professors" programme that are relevant for professors who have just started in Göttingen, we offer participation in our workshops and seminars to all interested parties (qualification programme).


Overview of offers (for you and your team):


Act as a central point of contact for a welcome talk, which can also serve as orientation and guidance:

Anika Werkmeister, Section 51 (Civil Servants and Travel Formalities)
Phone. +49 (0)551 / 39-24210
Anika.Werkmeister@zvw.uni-goettingen.de

Dr. Vera Bissinger, Section 53 (Academic HR Development)
Phone +49 (0)551 / 39-26343
Vera.Bissinger@zvw.uni-goettingen.de

A contact form (in German) is also available for registering your need for a meeting. We will contact you as soon as possible with a concrete appointment proposal.

In addition, the following department, staff unit or section manager are available for a welcome interview:

  • Christine Weinrich
    Head of HR Department
    For topics of dealing with fixed-term contracts and personnel-related issues
    Phone +49 (0)551 / 39-24791
    Personalabteilung@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
  • N. N.
    Head of the Research and Transfer Services
    For topics of national and international Research Funding and EU programs
    Phone +49 (0)551 / 39-28242
    Birte.Otten@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
  • Dr. Markus Gelhoet
    Head of Finance Department
    For the topics of Business Planning and Management, Accounting and Controlling
    Phone +49 (0)551 / 39-24370
    Markus.Gelhoet@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
  • Thomas Richter
    Head of Public Relations Department
    For the topics of Press and Public Relations
    Phone +49 (0)551 / 39-24342
    Thomas.Richter@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
  • Lisa Meißner
    Deputy Head of Student and Academic Services
    For the topics Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
    Phone +49 (0)551 / 39-20379
    Lisa.Meissner@zvw.uni-goettingen.de

    Contact them directly to make an appointment.
    You can also find this overview in the toolbox.


As a newly appointed (junior) professor, you will face many new challenges. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for a lot of individual questions. The Human Resources Development Department would like to support you in clarifying your individual questions and offers therefore various formats.
In an initial meeting with Dr. Vera Bissinger (systemic consultant, SG-certified), you will discuss your issue(s) and clarify together whether and which other formats currently offer the best support for you.
Depending on your individual situation and urgency, this could be external coaching sessions, specific further training or mentoring.
If you have a professional concern that could be supported by coaching in the short to medium term, we will provide you with a list of certified coaches (or you can find a coach of your choice). For most concerns one to three coaching sessions are sufficient.
For newly appointed professors, mentoring can help them get started. In a supportive one-to-one relationship with an established leader, questions about personal and professional development issues can be reflected upon in a trusting setting. You can obtain internal advice on the subject of research funding from the research and transfer department (Forschungsabteilung). An additional offer from us, which is currently being planned or developed, is to arrange individual coaching with external experts on the planning of your "individual third-party funding strategy". The content of the consultation is, of course, confidential.
To make an appointment please contact

Dr. Vera Bissinger, Academic HR Development
Vera.Bissinger@zvw.uni-goettingen.de, Phone +49 (0)551 / 39-26343
Office hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays

    The area of HR Development is an essential element of your job. You lead employees who are entrusted with a wide variety of tasks and supervise students and doctoral candidates.
    With the toolbox "Leadership and Onboarding", we would like to provide you with a compact instrument that contains various tips and hints when performing these leadership tasks.

    The central basis of the toolbox is the leadership role model of Ghent University, Belgium. It distinguishes between 5 roles that a leader can hold: Manager, Coach, Decision Maker, Expert and Innovator. The model serves to structure the tasks and responsibilities of a leader and to assign helpful approaches and methods.
    Depending on your specific leadership tasks, your area of responsibility and your abilities and skills, the five roles will be of varying relevance to you. There is also room for maneuver in fulfilling a role. These roles, the approaches and methods in the toolbox are primarily intended to encourage reflection and support you in becoming aware of your own roles and in learning approaches and methods for fulfilling these roles.
    If you have any questions about the leadership topics in the toolbox and beyond, please feel free to contact us

  • Sandra Riethmüller, Academic HR Development
    sandra.riethmueller@zvw.uni-goettingen.de, Phone +49 (0)551 / 39-24248

    • We will be happy to advise you individually, according to your needs. We are also planning workshop and exchange formats for the topic area of "Leadership" and are happy to receive your requests in this regard.
    If you do not yet have a copy of the toolbox, please contact us.

    seiten-toolbox


    In principle, the program is directed at all new professors at the Georg August University of Göttingen.
    Interested persons from previous years are welcome to participate. Junior research group leaders are equally welcome. Please contact us if you would like to be included in the distribution list for the program.


    Below you can find the overview for topics offered in the past years. Feel free to give us feedback if you would like to ask for a repetition or a similar topic in the future.

    Workshop "Leadership roles in science: input, reflection and exchange" | PRESENCE (German | English upon request)
    Professors and junior research group leaders have a variety of tasks as leaders. The workshop focuses on these tasks and the associated roles. The workshop builds on the role model presented in the toolbox "Leadership and Onboarding". Participants will gain insights into leadership and communication approaches and address topics such as motivation and team development. The workshop offers plenty of room for discussion and the exchange of experiences from their own everyday leadership with other participants and the trainer. It is geared to the needs of the respective participants.

    Workshop "Wissenschaft ohne Burnout „Für einen gesünderen Arbeitsrhythmus im Uni-Alltag“" | ONLINE (German)
    Der Universitätsalltag fordert unglaublich viele Aufgaben zugleich: Lehre, Konferenzen, Emails, Vernetzung mit Kolleg*innen; das eigene Forschen und Schreiben nicht zu vergessen. Dazu kommt Konkurrenzdruck mit unsichtbaren, aber doch existierenden Hierarchien – und natürlich immer wieder Deadlines. Wie können Sie – ohne sich völlig zu erschöpfen – all das nicht nur irgendwie durchstehen, sondern sich nachhaltig arbeitsfähig halten und sich immer wieder aktiv regenerieren? Und zwar so, dass sich das Arbeiten auch selbstbestimmter und sogar leichter anfühlt: richtig, vor allem mit mehr Selbstfürsorge und mehr gesunder Selbstführung im Alltag.

    Networking Offer We cordially invite you to start a new series with us within the framework of the Onboarding Program, namely the series "For a Tea in PE". The suggestion for this came, among others, from the circle of newly appointed professors, also based on experiences of professors appointed in the context of the first Excellence Initiative, e.g. regarding an informal newly appointed regulars' table or newly appointed café. Our suggestion to you is to meet every 2-3 months at the premises of the HR Development (PE) for an informal exchange in order to network with each other and share experiences. At your request, we are happy to invite specific contacts, but we are also happy to leave you alone and among yourselves.

    Impuls-Workshop: Umgang mit Diversität in der Führung von Gruppen | ONLINE
    Wie kann ich als Führungskraft ein diverses Team mit verschiedenen kulturellen Hintergründen gut führen? Was sind Potentiale diverser Teams (z.B. Perspektivenvielfalt, Kreativität) und welche Herausforderungen (z.B. unklare oder unterschiedliche Erwartungen der Mitarbeitenden) treten auf? Und was kann ich zu einer effektiven, effizienten Zusammenarbeit und einem offenen Teamklima beitragen, damit alle Teammitglieder sich bestmöglich einbringen können? Der Impulsworkshop soll eine Einführung in das Thema geben, die Entwicklung erster Handlungsideen und den Austausch zu Herausforderungen im Arbeitsalltag ermöglichen.

    Workshop: Mikropolitische Kompetenzen entwickeln - als Professor*in in Gremien und in der Zusammenarbeit wirkungsvoll arbeiten | ONLINE
    Aus mikropolitischer Perspektive ist die Universität ein Ort, an dem es darum geht, sich strategisch klug zu positionieren, die eigenen Interessen zu vertreten und vorhandene Handlungsspielräume zu nutzen. Ziel des Workshops ist es, den eigenen Umgang mit Macht und Ressourcen zu reflektieren, um individuelle und organisationale Ziele in der Universität besser verwirklichen zu können. Der Workshop wird in zwei Modulen durchgeführt, damit die Möglichkeit besteht, sich Ziele zu setzen, neu entwickelte Strategien in der Praxis zu erproben und im zweiten Workshop gemeinsam zu reflektieren. Der Termin für den zweiten Teil wird in der Gruppe gemeinsam festgelegt.