How do you actually become a professor? The "Welcome Prof 360 Grad" project team organized an information evening at Fachhochschule Dortmund to find out. Both internal and external people interested in becoming a professor were invited.
"From practice to teaching: paths to a Fachhochschule Dortmund professorship". This was the title of the information evening on October 29 in the Kostbar on the Emil-Figge-Straße campus. Prof. Dr. Tamara Appel, Rector of Fachhochschule Dortmund, opened the podium. "We are responsible for educating young people," she emphasized and then gave exciting insights into her own career. Like many lecturers at Fachhochschule Dortmund, she worked in Business Studies for many years before her appointment.
Encouraging insights and tips from the field
In addition to the Rector, several professors from Fachhochschule Dortmund reported on their individual paths from practice to academic teaching - including Prof. Dr. Ann-Kathrin Hömme, Prof. Dr. Katja Nowacki, Prof. Dr. Sabine Sachweh, Prof. Dr. Sönke Gößling, Prof. Dr. Juan Velásquez and Prof. Dr. Claus Vormann. They shared with the interested audience not only interesting facts from their day-to-day work in the Faculties of Information Technology, Applied Social Studies, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Business Studies, but also anecdotes from their own studies.
It became clear time and again that the path to a professorship is often anything but straightforward. "So don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out the first time," Ann-Kathrin Hömme summed up. Claus Vormann added: "In teaching, you have to build bridges - bridges between theory and practice." Freedom and creativity in teaching were also emphasized, as was the importance of networking and interdisciplinary exchange within and across faculties. Enjoying working with students and a future-oriented view are crucial for good teaching.
Joint conclusion with informative exchange
During the relaxed get-together, those interested in professorships were able to discuss their specific questions with the UAS lecturers in more detail and also exchange ideas with contact persons from the Human Resources department, the Institute for Higher Education Didactics of the Transfer Office and the Family Service together with the mobile childcare service (MoKi). For the "Welcome Prof 360 Grad" project team, it was clear after this successful kick-off that this information event is an important building block for the promotion of young academics and the recruitment of new lecturers. The next edition is therefore already being planned.