Sunday, January the 29, 2012
On 23rd January 2012 a project group specifically put together to undertake the HRK-Audit on the Internationalisation of Universities came together for its inaugural meeting at HFU's Schwenningen Campus. Ms Marijke Wahlers, head of the Hochschulrektorenkonferenz' international department (HRK = the conference of university presidents) and her colleague Sarah Karis presented the auditing procedure to the HFU's project group. The HFU's project group of 16 includes representatives of all faculties, a student as well as members of the administration; its spokesperson is Brigitte Minderlein.
Back in November 2008,the HRK passed an international strategy based on a common vision of internationalisation and internationality of German universities.Starting point is the fact that only an internationalised university can actively help to shape the process of globalisation and secure its competitiveness. On the basis of this conviction, the HRK originated the audit Internationalisation of Universities (Audit „Internationalisierung der Hochschulen“). This audit aims to support the member universtities in organising their internationalisation in accordance with their needs and to permanently embed it into their institution.
From its instigation, the audit Internationalisation of Universities was of the greatest interest to German universities throughout the country. A total of 120 universities so far have stated their intention to participate in the audit. By now, 18 universities have completed the audit. Furtwangen University is one of six to have now been selected for participation in the fourth cycle.
The task before the project group headed by Vice President Prof. Dr. Michael Lederer is now to draft an exhaustive self-report and complete a strenght andweakness analysis - always attempting to ensure the largest possible university-wide participation. In July an internationally experienced three person group of consultants will visit the HFU as part of the audit.
Following this, the university will receive a comprehensive recommendations report and may, as a next step, take part in a "future workshop" organisedny the HRK. Here international strategies and measures will be compared and as a second phase, a benchmark with comparable universities will be made possible. The entire auditing process will last about three years. The Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (federal ministry for education) supports the audit which is free of charge for all participating universities.