The University of Bremen has become the first North German university and the sixth in Germany to receive the Seal of Approval awarded by the German Association of University Professors [Deutscher Hochschulverband (DHV)] for fair and transparent appointment negotiations. The German Association of University Professors is a nationwide professional representative body with more than 28,500 members.

The DHV commented the award, stating that the negotiations between newly appointed professors at the University of Bremen are marked to the broadest extent by fairness and mutual esteem. The negotiations surrounding all new professorial appointments, also with junior professors, are dealt with personally by the Rector as well as the University’s Director of Finance and Administration. The talks take place in a positive atmosphere and with a pronounced desire to reach agreement in consensus. Another plus point is the practice of deciding on an individual catalog of targets to be met and accordant conditions and resources. In the first hundred days, newly appointed professors can choose from a broad spectrum of customized offers to help them get off to a good start. And being certified for its family-friendly policies, the University of Bremen clearly has an advantage over other universities and a lot to offer when it comes to reconciling family and working life.

The University wants to recruit motivated and engaged teachers

Welcoming the news, the University Rector, Professor Bernd Scholz-Reiter, said: “Being awarded the DHV Seal of Approval for fair and transparent appointment negotiations bears out our fundamental HR policy. It goes without saying that we want to recruit highly motivated and engaged professors of the highest quality. We therefore pay the greatest attention to how the appointment negotiations are conducted. After all, it is the quality of new appointments that ultimately determines the future quality of research and teaching at our University. And as recent events have shown, we do pretty well at that.” Dr. Martin Mehrtens, Director of Finance and Administration sees it the same way: “During the appointment negotiations we are paving the way for successful future teaching and research. More often than not, professors decide on the University of Bremen because of our attractive offer of resources and working conditions. Beside work and career opportunities, our strengths lie in the permanent offer of personal development and the compatibility of work and family life.” The University’s HR development has a long and successful record of systematically promoting its scholars and scientists.

Notwithstanding, according to the motto “the better choice is the enemy of the right choice”, the DHV still perceives some room for improvement. Procedures could be made even more transparent; for instance by introducing an “appointments monitor” prior to the confirmation of appointment, whereby applicants for professorial positions can at any time check on how the appointment procedure is progressing. They also recommend setting up an staff unit for appointments to serve as a central contact point for all questions surrounding offers of professorial appointments. It was also proposed that the University commissions an assessment center to evaluate the non-disciplinary aptitude of short-listed candidates – and the salary for first-time professors should be raised!

Seal of approval is intended to boost the appointments culture

On presenting the award to the University of Bremen, the President of the DHV, Professor Bernhard Kempen, explained that “…a prudent appointments policy is the key to successfully recruiting the best academics. The DHV sees its Seal of Approval as a constructive contribution to furthering the development of an appointments culture“.

At the heart of the process leading to the award of the DHV Seal of Approval is a copious 42-point questionnaire developed by the DHV on the basis of its experience as consultant in appointments procedures. The DHV provides advice to candidates in almost 70 percent of all appointment negotiations in Germany and talks to persuade professors to stay at a university. Evaluation of the questionnaire centers on aspects of fairness, esteem, transparency and reliability of the respective negotiations. The universities concerned are also asked to contribute their comments. Then there are interviews with professors of the university to inquire into their experience during the appointment procedure, complemented by the wealth of experience and insights of the DHV experts.

The University of Bremen joins an elite group of other holders of the DHV Seal of Approval comprising the RWTH Aachen, the University of Cologne, the TU Kaiserslautern, the FernUniversität in Hagen, and the University of Duisburg-Essen.

You can find more details of the appointment procedure at the University of Bremen on our website.

And more information on the DHV Seal of Approval (in German only) under: http://www.hochschulverband.de/cms1/guetesiegel.html