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Equal Opportunities Officer

The goals collected in the gender equality plan 2024 are the principles of the gender equality work at University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. The work follows the logic of gender mainstreaming, therefore consequences for all genders must be considered in projects and decisions.

Activities & tasks

In order to achieve the goals in gender equality, the centralized and decentralized equal opportunities officers, the president's council, the staff representatives and the family representative collaborate closely. The work of the equal opportunity officer of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (FHP) focuses on the following activities and key tasks.

Activities

  • Increasing the proportion of women, especially in professorships and leadership positions
  • Promotion of young female academics
  • Anchoring gender aspects in teaching and research
  • Improving the compatibility of family and career/studies (in cooperation with the family representative)
  • Measures against gender discrimination and the manifestation of role clichés

Tasks

More information on tasks, activities and topics can be found on the following pages. 

Gender equality at FHP

Gender equality issues include promotion of women, realizing gender diversity, encouraging the use of gender-sensitive language, as well as dealing with discrimination and sexualized violence. 

Topics of gender equality work

Consultation & funding

The equal opportunities office offers individual advice, information on funding and support in personal and professional matters regarding gender equality.

Offers of the equal opportunities office

Projects & activities

Discover projects and activities of the equal opportunities office, such as events of the Brandenburg women's week or the anniversary exhibition of the FHP gender prize.

Projects & activities

Where does the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam stand in terms of gender equality?

The current university ranking according to gender equality aspects 2023 of the CEWS – Center of Excellence Women and Science confirms that the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam is one of the leaders in the nationwide comparison of the proportion of women professors. In comparison with 143 other universities of applied sciences, the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam once again positioned itself in the top group with 44.66 %. The FHP's gender equality activities were also positively evaluated in the context of the female professors programme III in 2019 – for the third time in a row after 2008 and 2013.

Equal opportunities work at the FHP is based on article 3 of the basic law, the general equal treatment act, the Brandenburg university act, the state equal opportunities act and the equal opportunities statute of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. In addition, the Brandenburg quality standards: Gender-equitable, family-friendly and life-phase-orientated studying and working in the academic sector agreed in 2024 between the Brandenburg universities and the Brandenburg Ministry of Science, Research and Culture (MWFK) and the standards agreed in the family in university charter signed by the FHP in 2014 on the compatibility of family responsibilities in studying, teaching, research and science-supporting activities form an essential basis. Equality goals and measures can also be found in the university's structural and development plan StEP 2025 and in the higher education contract between the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and MWFK signed on 21 January 2019. The gender equality plan specifies the goals and the focus for a specific period of time. At the state level, the equal opportunities officers of the universities are organised in the state conference of equal opportunities officers, and nationwide in the federal conference of women's and equal opportunities officers.

Reports of the equal opportunities commissioner

In accordance with the basic regulations of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, the central equal opportunities officer prepares an equal opportunities report on "the situation of women at the university of applied sciences" at least every three years on the basis of a gender-differentiated data collection. The last equal opportunities report of the university was prepared as of 12/31/2023. In addition, she regularly reports to the Senate and the university management on the activities of the equal opportunities office. The activity reports are deposited in the internal area.

You can find the reports of the last three years here. If you are interested in older reports, please contact us.

Contact

You can reach the central equal opportunities officer from Monday to Tuesday. You can usually meet Sandra Cartes in the office on Tuesday mornings and you are always welcome to make an individual appointment for counselling, on site, by phone or by video call.

Central Equal Opportunities Officer

Representative of the Central Equal Opportunities Officer

Katharina Violet
Staff member Information Literacy, Training and Systematisation
Deputy Head

Representative of the Central Equal Opportunities Officer

Student assistant at the Central Equal Opportunities Office

Employee Equal Opportunities Office

Decentralised equal opportunities officers| Equal opportunities council

There are decentralised equal opportunities officers for each department as well as for administration and central institutions. The decentralised equal opportunities officers and the central equal opportunities officers work together in the equal opportunities council, which evaluates and defines measures in regular meetings.

Social and Educational Sciences Department

Prof. Dr. phil. Friederike Lorenz-Sinai
Professorship for Methods of Social Work and Social Work Research

CITY | BUILDING | CULTURE Department

Prof. Dr. Jeannine Meinhardt
Professor for Conservation and Restoration – Stone

Civil Engineering Department

Design Department

Deputy: Anouk Meissner

Information Sciences Department

Administration and central facilities

Maria Bütof
Staff member Student Counselling Service