Diversity in action

The University of Vienna understands diversity as a fundamental factor in human relationships. That is why the University of Vienna does not only focus on individual dimensions of diversity, but tries to make fields of interaction sensitive to diversity. This understanding of diversity allows both, identifying comprehensive and intersectional fields of interaction in the routines of the university and including singular diversity dimensions in the university's overall strategy.

The 3-Pillars-Model of Interaction of the University of Vienna

With its understanding of diversity, the University of Vienna includes the topic "diversity" in three central fields of interaction of the organisation. The three pillars stand for the three central fields of interaction. In 2018, the University of Vienna received the diversity management award "Diversitas" from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research for this model. Every two years, the award is given to institutions of higher education for extra-ordinary projects in diversity management.

The three pillars describe the central fields of interaction between members of the university in various and changing roles: between teachers and students, leadership and juniors, experts in theory and practice. The three pillars make it possible to connect programs to the central fields of interaction of the university's daily life.

The declared goal of this approach is the active pursuit of change in the University's organisational culture through conscious configuration of its learning and change processes. Each of the measures are focused on raising awareness for mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion, protection from discrimination, and enabling of careers independent of personal circumstances or characteristics.

Multiply Diversity! Multiplicators in the focus of lived diversity

With the Diversitas Award 2022, the Ministry for Education, Science and Research distinguished the initiative “Multiply Diversity!” “Multiply Diversity!” includes 15 decentral projects that contributed significantly to bringing the overall diversity strategy of the University of Vienna to life. The projects show how diversity is actually lived and facilitated by different people in different contexts and in different ways at the University.

The further education and advancement of mulitplicators takes effect in the central fields of interaction. The individual activities are oriented at those fields of interaction. Multiplicators are especially important because they transcend professional and hierachical status borders within the university’s organisational structures. They contribute to the social transfer of knowledge and competencies. Additionally, multiplicators have an effect outside of university and societal responsibility in terms of the Third Mission that the University of Vienna fulfills through them. 

Five of the 15 projects were emphasised in particular. Those projects include multiplicators in special ways. Those projects are:

• Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies: Policy Gender Justice
• Faculty of Life Sciences: Network for female scientists Women in Biology
• Faculty of Law / Faculty of Social Sciences: Research platform GAIN – Gender: Ambivalent In_Visibilities
• Center for Teaching and Learning: Offers of scientific writing and peer learning for students, incl. qualification of student multiplicators
• Vienna University Children's Office: UniClub – learning space

An overview over the 15 projects

1 – Interaction Teachers and Students: facilitates reflection and responsibility in the student-teachter relationship, as well as the creation of teaching and learning concepts suitable for heterogenous groups; focuses on a diversity competent formation of all teaching, learning and organisational spaces and strengthens diversity comptences of students and teachers.

2 – Interaction Juniors and Leaders: describes the gender and diversity fair development of juniors and the diversity oriented further education of leaders in the academic and general staff

3 – Diversity in theory and practice: aims to connect the research-driven university internal diversity expertise of academics with the organsiational practices of the Universy of Vienna, as well as including the practice-based knowledge of experts from the university management in research and teaching.