PROF4FHE

By developing and communicating its employer brand, FHE will be in an even better position to set itself apart from competitors both within and outside the higher education sector and thus establish itself as a renowned German university of applied sciences with a distinct identity. We deliberately address the misconception that offering a large number of degree programs is at odds with maintaining a distinct academic identity, for it is precisely this interdisciplinary cooperation across degree programs and faculties that forges our unique teaching and research profile. The slogan the university has been using up until now - "Where theory meets practice" - no longer meets the expectations of highly qualified professionals from the business world or serves as a unique selling point to attract this particular target group.

Results so far:

• Analysis of our current situation and profile based on interviews, a workshop and a survey of all professors (2023)
• Several in-house, semi-public and public initiatives to improve the perception of FH Erfurt as an employer (2023 | 2024)
• Various media campaigns, including several advertorials on different topics (2023 | 2024)
• Implementation and evaluation of a survey of FHE professors on FH Erfurt as an employer (2024)
• Concept and production of the podcast FUTURE FUSION with professors from Fachhochschule Erfurt (2024)
• Development of the employer brand "FH Erfurt - Familiär. Vielfältig. Innovativ." (FH Erfurt as a close-knit and diverse community with a focus on innovation), including a presentation to and the consequent approval of the Senate (2024)
• Developing specific marketing initiatives to establish the employer brand (2024)
• Concept and planning of a comprehensive media studio to implement marketing formats  (2024)

Active recruitment involves preparing and conducting research into suitable candidates and personally approaching them about specific positions. The strategic goal of this sub-project of PROF4FHE is to move away from the more or less random, passive appointment of professors towards a focused, proactive appointment process at the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt. In this way, it is possible to ensure the best candidates are considered when appointing new professors. 

In addition, active recruitment can be useful if re-recruitment becomes necessary. If done well, it can give FHE a decisive advantage when competing for the best minds and thus contribute to the strategic development of the university, its faculties and departments.

Results so far:

• Developing recommendations to amend our university's professorial appointment regulations and guidelines in order to formally integrate active recruitment into our appointment policy (2023 - present)
• Clarification of the legal basis for the process of active recruitment at the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt (2024)
• Active recruitment for vacant professorial positions within existing structures and processes (2023 - present)
• Communication with potential candidates (2023 - present)
• Integrating speculative applications into the appointment management system (2024)
• Commitment to networking and coordination with relevant stakeholders (2023 - present)

Just a few years ago, professors at universities of applied sciences followed the classic academic career path of doctorate – job – professorship. Today, they come from a wide range of professional backgrounds. This can result in potentially suitable candidates not being appointed because they do not meet traditional requirements (e.g. a doctorate or professional experience outside of academia), even though a professorship at a university of applied sciences is their career goal.

By means of innovative forms of cooperation between business and academia, we aim to enable suitable candidates to apply for full-time professorships at FHE. This project aims to trial tandems and identify the factors that need to be in place for shared positions to work.

In this context, "tandem" refers to a team made up of both FHE and a company, in which a person who would previously not have been eligible for appointment is employed 50% at FHE and spends the remaining time gaining professional experience in a company. This will enable companies to recruit much-needed skilled professionals, particularly through nationwide recruitment campaigns in conjunction with FHE. Those involved will typically be doctoral students who are acquiring professional experience in a company while working on their doctorate. This approach would be applied primarily in the STEM departments (Civil Engineering, Building Services Engineering, Computer Science, and Logistics).

In a "shared position", someone who is employed outside the university but would be eligible for appointment to a professorship works for their company or organization for a negotiated percentage of time (usually 50%) and teaches part-time at FHE. That person would therefore have two distinct employment contracts. This model is financed proportionally by FHE and the company/organization and is aimed to run for a duration of at least 3 years.

If you have any questions in this regard, please contact praesidialamt@fh-erfurt.de.

By significantly shortening the entire appointment procedure to less than 12 months, we aim to ensure that our highest ranked candidates actually join our university as professors. Another goal is to have legal certainty in increasingly emerging competitor disputes and to introduce a digital appointment management system. With a digital appointment management system, each step of the process is transparent and legally compliant both within and outside the university. In terms of capacity building, this sub-project aims to establish professional appointment management at FHE for the first time.

Results so far:

• FH Erfurt's appointment regulations have been completely revised, approved by the Senate and published to guarantee legal certainty in the appointment procedure (2024).
• A digital appointment management system has been successfully implemented: with the customization phase complete, the system  can now be used productively (2024).
• A new version of the guidelines for appointments has been published, and it will be continuously developed to make the appointment process more professional (2024).

Having a university-wide point of contact for the onboarding of newly appointed professors not only makes for a smoother and more structured settling-in period, but it also has a lasting positive impact on their performance and commitment.
A number of factors often combine to dampen the expectations and anticipated freedoms of being a professor. With an institutionalizsed onboarding program, we also hope to create a protective environment in which newly appointed professors can provide each other with mutual support and advice. The onboarding coordinator serves as a personal point of contact and confidant, offering individual consultations when new professors arrive to help them navigate the university's organizational structure and strategic priorities.
By establishing the onboarding program, we hope to indirectly make being a professor at FHE more attractive. By publicizing the opportunities at the university and beyond, graduates and potential candidates can be made aware of the support structures available at our university, which in turn should help to reduce the hurdles associated with pursuing a career in academia and ultimately with submitting an application. Maintaining or increasing a sense of well-being among new professors also increases the chances that they will engage in intrinsically motivated active recruitment.

Thanks to a high-quality offboarding program, retired professors should continue to feel connected to FHE and be integrated into the onboarding of newcomers and the process of active recruitment.

Results so far:

• Development of the website "Your professorship" for prospective, newly appointed and established professors at the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt (2024)
• Design and implementation of an orientation day for newly appointed professors (2023 - present)
• Creation of an onboarding brochure for newly appointed professors that contains key information and resources for new professors when they first arrive (2023 - aktuell)
• Recording and mapping the preboarding process, capturing and structuring the administrative and organizational steps involved before the first day of work (2024)
• Establishing a networking format for new professors where they can get to know each other, engage in cross-faculty discourse and make new contacts at regular lunchtime gatherings (2024 - aktuell)

This sub-project aims to create the conditions and establish the measures at the FHE that will increase job satisfaction among professors and thus boost retention rates at the university. At the same time, such measures also serve as incentives for recruiting qualified professorial personnel. Developing this area also makes the professors' daily working lives easier and provides them with additional means of support. These efforts also contribute to breaking down persistent stereotypes and prejudices regarding minorities and foreign cultures, a phenomenon that should not be overlooked in the Free State of Thuringia. This also applies to professors.

Results so far:

• Compiling a catalogue of diversity-sensitive requirements at FHE (2023)
• Networking with various stakeholders in the field of diversity and equality at FHE (2023 / 2024)
• Involvement in reworking the appointment regulations and guidelines (2023 / 2024)
• Collaboration on the topic of counselling and support services for those affected by sexual harassment, discrimination or violence (2024)
• Creation of a guide to diversity-sensitive media language (Leitfadens zum Thema diversitätssensible Mediensprache) (2024)
• Compilation of a manual for counsellors on how to structure a consultation session (Handreichung zum Ablauf einer Beratung (für Beratende)) (2024)
• Establishment of an independent advisory service on caregiving issues (2024)
• Involvement in the development of AGG guidelines (as per the General Equal Treatment Act) (2024)