The Schedule for the Audit
After intensive preparations in 2024, the audit process began with the selection of an auditor who will accompany the OVGU through the process over the years 2025 and 2026.
Prof. Dr. Christian Ganseuer has been active in diversity management for many years, both academically and as a consultant, thus ensuring professional guidance and support for the OVGU along the way.
In an initial meeting with the audit steering committee, the objectives for the OVGU were defined. The focus will be on four key areas:
- Inclusion
- Social background
- Career development / securing skilled workers
- Third mission: Diversity as a cultural issue
Two workshops have already taken place.
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On May 5, 2025, the entire Advisory Board was invited to the kick-off meeting. In four thematic groups (see above), objectives were formulated, but the ways to achieve these objectives were also discussed, and in particular, criteria were sought that could be used to measure and visualize the successes on the way to a diverse university community. At the end of the day, a draft diversity mission statement for OVGU was produced. This first version reads as follows:
The members of OVGU actively advocate the positive value of social diversity and participation. Empathy and respect are the foundations of our coexistence. As a “university for all,” we want to create spaces where every person can develop their potential without experiencing discrimination based on ethnic origin, sex/gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, social background, or cultural affiliation. We promote mutual understanding and are committed to implementing equal opportunities in all areas, to respectful coexistence at the university, in the city of Magdeburg, and in the region.
In addition, specific goals have been formulated for the four focus areas
(evaluation available for download in German).
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On June 23 and 24, 2025, the Advisory Board met again in four thematic groups to develop concrete measures based on the objectives. The many good ideas that emerged are currently being processed and will then be presented to the university community in a large World Café. Everyone is cordially invited to get involved and contribute their ideas so that, after the audit, the OVGU can successfully develop into an even more diverse, discrimination-sensitive, inclusive, and equal opportunity university.
