Anticipation - that's the first word that comes to mind when Prof. Dr. Ralf Grüttemeier thinks about his two-year term as Vice-President for Research and Transfer. " I'm eager to get to know new areas of work and new people, and to gain an insight into how the university works as a whole," says the Dutchman.

Grüttemeier, who has been a professor at the university since 1997, has held numerous positions in academic self-governance: He has been Dean of Faculty III twice, Vice-Dean on several occasions and Director of the Institute for Dutch Studies. As Vice-President, the native Rhinelander intends to focus on two areas: Firstly, he wants to raise the profile of the humanities and social sciences in Oldenburg. "We do excellent work in this area, and we can be really proud of it," he says. His declared aim is to draw more attention to the broad spectrum of this research, both internally and externally.

Grüttemeier also wants to strengthen the interdisciplinary dialogue between the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences - interdisciplinarity has traditionally played an important role in Oldenburg. "I am convinced that even closer cooperation between the natural sciences and the humanities and social sciences is necessary in order to cope with the changes facing our society," he explains. He sees the participation of linguistics in the Hearing4All excellence cluster as an example of particularly successful collaboration. "One task would be to see to what extent this model can be used in other areas," he says, also referring to the next round of the Excellence Strategy, in which the university is competing with several applications.

In the coming weeks, Grüttemeier intends to engage in intensive dialogue with the faculties to see how the Presidential Board can support them even more in these areas. From his time as Dean, the 62-year-old has learnt that a lot can be achieved by listening: "It's important to listen to different perspectives, to weigh up arguments and needs in order to ultimately make decisions that are in everyone's best interest."

"For me, a central element that defines a university - and our university in particular - is the culture of study. Ever since it was founded 50 years ago, the University of Oldenburg has been striving to create a culture of research-based learning - with a view beyond subject boundaries, practical and project-oriented, characterised by cooperation between teachers and students and the endeavour to critically accompany and reduce educational inequalities.

The covid-19 pandemic has changed a lot since then, and we are also witnessing an increasing polarisation of society. That is why it is important for me, together with the members of the university, to revive this culture of study. That we reflect on a culture of study that, in addition to all the professionalism, once again includes more interdisciplinary dialogue and exchange on socially relevant issues. A study culture of mutual respect and cooperation, in which we consciously create space for creative thinking, also for joint struggles.

This begs the question: How do we design courses that are often tightly scheduled around exams? How can we emphasise the value of learning in person, through exchange and free communication?

In my opinion, we should not only constantly expand the mix and variability of teaching formats, but as lecturers we should also consciously create current references and emphasise the social relevance of the course content. I could imagine a kind of mentoring programme at the beginning of the course to show all first-year students what it means to study - also for their own lifestyle and personal attitude. Conversely, as a university and as lecturers, we need to better understand and adapt to students' social media-driven lives.

The educational mission of the university includes not only the technical aspects but also the personal development of the students. Ideally, they not only train their critical-analytical judgement and - very importantly - their digital skills, but also strengthen their ability to mediate, for example in conflicts between different social groups, genders, religions or ethnicities. After all, the young people who study today will help shape tomorrow's society.”