President Prof. Günter M. Ziegler also participated in the workshop.
The Workshops
Two workshops with university members were held in October 2022.
Thirty-three members of Freie Universität Berlin met in the Henry Ford Building on October 6, while the same workshop was held again online for all interested members of the university on October 21.
More information about the participant groups can be found here.Divided into six groups, the participants discussed the following questions and issues.
Tasks from the workshops
Task 1
- In your opinion, what are the greatest challenges that Freie Universität Berlin will face in the next decade, and why?
- What are the most pressing and high priority issues at Freie Universität Berlin?
Task 2
- What would your ideal work or study environment at Freie Universität Berlin look like? What would you expect?
- In other words, what would Freie Universität Berlin have to offer for you to be interested in working or studying here? What do you think other employees or students expect?
- How far does reality deviate from this ideal? What aspects of the university are you satisfied with?
Task 3
- What is Freie Universität like? What adjectives or attributes would you use to describe it?
Task 4
- What would THE WORLD | THE CITY OF BERLIN | YOU PERSONALLY miss out on if Freie Universität Berlin did not exist?
Task 5
- Look into the future: Imagine you have arrived at Freie Universität Berlin on October 6, 2032.
- Why are you here?
- What do you see, smell, and hear? What else comes to mind?
Task 6
- What are the topics/keywords/mottos that Freie Universität Berlin should adopt in presenting itself to the public over the next ten years and why?
- Out of all the topics mentioned, are there any that are truly unique to Freie Universität Berlin? Which topics make Freie Universität Berlin unique? If this is not the case for any topic mentioned so far, can you find a topic that is particular to Freie Universität Berlin?
Results and Outlook
The characteristics of Freie Universität that had been identified in interviews and surveys were confirmed by and large through the workshops. In addition, many interesting ideas were developed, which we will share with the relevant representatives in administration and on the Executive Board. Like all formats developed and used in our project, the workshops also serve as model formats and provide a good insight into current problems and prevailing moods at Freie Universität.
As in the interviews and surveys, a great deal of data was produced here that rather than providing information about the participants’ ideas regarding the Freie Universität brand instead reflected the current state of the university’s culture. This information may have to be evaluated by the relevant departments.