Presidential Board initiates debate on university education

The Presidential Board of the University of Oldenburg wants to initiate a debate on fundamental questions of university education with a series of colloquia. The title of the event is: "Teaching universities for the masses and research universities for the elite - what is the university's educational mission?"

In three sections, recognised experts will discuss the topic from different perspectives. The colloquium series is supported by the Universitätsgesellschaft Oldenburg (UGO), admission is free.

"It is high time, especially against the backdrop of rapid technological developments, to rethink university education," says Prof Dr Katharina Al-Shamery, Acting President of the University. In these discussions, biography-related personal development in particular must play a major role.

To kick things off on Monday, 19 January, Prof. Dr Ferdi Schüth, Vice President of the Max Planck Society and member of the Oldenburg University Council, will speak about the role of academic education in view of the extended Excellence Initiative or the loosened ban on cooperation between the federal and state governments.

The event will be moderated by interim University President Prof. Dr Katharina Al-Shamery. The two-hour public lecture begins at 6 p.m. on the Wechloy campus (Building W3, Room 1-156).

The question of whether we need to return to traditional educational ideals or rather rethink education in the context of technological progress will be at the centre of the first section on Thursday, 22 January. The guest speaker will be the President of the German University for Further Education (Berlin), Prof. Dr Ada Pellert.

The Smart House Oldenburg (Schlossplatz 16) will host the event from 16:00 to 18:00, which will be chaired by Oldenburg further education expert Prof. Dr Anke Hanft. The colloquium will continue with the second section from Thursday, 5 February in the Schlaues Haus.