University honoured as a diversity university

The Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft has honoured the University of Oldenburg with the "Vielfalt gestaltet" (Shaping Diversity) audit certificate. Eight universities nationwide received the certificate, which was awarded for the first time.

With this award, the Stifterverband is drawing attention to the fact that the student body is becoming increasingly heterogeneous: Today, international students, students with a migration background, part-time students, students with academic appointments, from working-class families or with physical disabilities are a natural part of everyday university life. How can this diversity be better utilised as potential? By awarding the University of Oldenburg the title of Diversity University, the Stifterverband certifies that the university has an individual and effective diversity strategy.

The "Unequal better! Diversity as an opportunity" programme was launched two years ago and included the development of the "Shaping diversity" audit. The aim of the programme is to make better use of the potential of a diverse student body and find new ways to actively shape diversity at universities. The Stifterverband selected eight universities from 58 across Germany that are already working intensively on the topic. They were given the opportunity to share their experiences and develop the principles and criteria for the diversity auditing process.

The University of Oldenburg's Hearing-Sensitive University working group took part in the project. Under the leadership of rehabilitation pedagogue Prof. Dr Gisela C. Schulze, the working group has been looking after students who have problems with listening comprehension since 2006. The aim is to create better acoustic listening situations and learning conditions in seminars and lectures, which ultimately benefit everyone - not just students with hearing impairments. The results of these activities include two barrier-free group study rooms in the university library, which were set up two years ago. The aim of the working group is to pool Oldenburg's expertise from the fields of science and practice on the subject of "hearing/hearing impairment" and to utilise it for the further development of a hearing-sensitive university.