Ulm University is family friendly! For the fourth time, Ulm University has been certified with the "audit family-friendly university". This seal confirms the University’s commitment to family-friendly personnel policies and gives it an attractive edge as an employer.
"We are thrilled to have yet again been awarded the status of ‘family-friendly university’. This demonstrates that our efforts are bearing fruit: we aim to make it possible for members of our university to pursue a career or a degree – especially in science – and establish a family. In the end, all of the members of the university benefit from this approach: students and researchers as well as all other staff. Our family-friendly policy gives Ulm University a competitive edge when it comes to attracting the brightest minds," says Professor Irene Bouw, vice president for Teaching and International Affairs.
A lot of hard work has been put into becoming a "family-friendly university". Some of the most important aspects include various childcare possibilities, in the form of nurseries, day cares, and childcare in he holidays or in cases of emergencies.
Offer continues to expand
The course catalogue at Ulm University includes a new programme for female scientists that is intended to bridge the postdoc phase for those who want to attain their "habilitation" (postdoctoral teaching qualification). Women often abandon a scientific career due to financial uncertainty or because they don’t feel that a career and family are compatible. This programme serves to financially bridge the gap between a doctoral position and the start of a medium-term or long-term employed position. The programme aims to make it easier for faculties and institutes to win and retain young, highly qualified female scientists.
Two examples of offers especially designed to accommodate young parents pursuing a degree are: the expansion of virtual teaching in self-study programmes and adapting studying and exam regulations to accommodate family responsibilities. Parents have the opportunity to discuss their experiences with other parents at a family get-together for students and a lunchtime meeting for female scientists.
Reviewed every three years
The quality seal “audit family-friendly university” is awarded by the berufundfamilie Service GmbH, an initiative of the Hertie Foundation. In the re-auditing process, the University was evaluated in terms of established and planned measures. Ulm University has been certified as a "family-friendly university" since 2008 and is subject to a re-evaluation every three years. The official award ceremony will take place in June 2018 in Berlin. Currently, around 1,000 employers in Germany carry the distinction "audit berufundfamilie" or "audit family-friendly university".
Text and media contact: Daniela Stang