How do I become a professor at a university of applied sciences? What requirements do I have to fulfill and how do the application and appointment procedures work? What will my future working life look like?
Many people are generally unaware of the possibility of a professorship at a university of applied sciences as a career option or do not know what the exact framework conditions for an appointment are. This is precisely where the “Go2Hof4ever” project comes in, which aims to recruit young academics for Hof University of Applied Sciences and increase the university’s visibility and attractiveness as an employer for young academics both nationally and internationally.
On Tuesday, 28.11.2023, the project team therefore invited interested parties from the university and industry to the information event “Career Goal Professorship” at the Digital Start-up Center. Almost 70 participants accepted the invitation and ensured a well-filled foyer at Einstein1.
After being welcomed by the project managers Andrea Graf (Head of Human Resources) and Prof. Dr. Dietmar Wolff (Vice President Teaching), Prof. Wolff first presented ten good reasons for a HAW professorship. These include, for example, creative freedom, opportunities for research and publishing, but also close contact with students and a very innovative environment.
The topic blocks “Professors describe their everyday working life” and “My personal path to a professorship” were met with particularly great interest and formed the basis for in-depth discussions during the subsequent snack. Here, lecturers from the four faculties of Hof University of Applied Sciences presented their very individual view of a professorship and, above all, showed what makes the profession so special for them.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Müller (Dean of the Faculty of Engineering), Prof. Günter Müller-Czygan (Faculty of Engineering and Head of the Institute for Sustainable Water Systems (inwa)) and Prof. Dr. Dunja Stadtmann (Faculty of Economics) told the potential future HAW professors about their everyday work in teaching and research or what teachers expect when dealing with students. The passion with which the professors carry out their work at Hof University of Applied Sciences and actively support students on their path became particularly clear.
In the topic block “My personal path to a professorship”, Prof. Dr. Andrej Bachmann (Faculty of Computer Science), Prof. Dr. Katharina Neumann (Faculty of Engineering) and Prof. Dr. Dirk Reinel (Faculty of Interdisciplinary and Innovative Sciences) outlined their individual paths from education, doctorate, through stages in their careers to their appointment at Hof University of Applied Sciences. This showed how diverse the paths to an HAW professorship can be. Prof. Reinel, for example, introduced himself as a professor who began his career as a Bachelor’s and Master’s student at Hof University of Applied Sciences, then worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Information Systems (iisys) at Hof University of Applied Sciences, where he also successfully completed a cooperative doctorate. As of the winter semester 2023/24, Prof. Reinel has now taken over the teaching area of data management, especially for health data, as well as the health informatics module in the Innovative Healthcare course at the Kronach campus.
Finally, Teresa Hager from the HR department presented the formal requirements and the appointment procedure for a professorship at Hof University of Applied Sciences.
After a short Q&A session, many participants took the opportunity to engage in a more intensive and personal exchange with the speakers over a small snack.
We can look back on a very successful information event with many interesting discussions. The large number of participants made it clear that there is a great need for information about the profession of professor. I would like to thank all the colleagues who gave short presentations to inspire the audience to consider a professorship at our university and to show them the many different paths to a professorship.”
Prof. Dr. Dietmar Wolff, Project Manager “Go2Hof4ever” and Vice President Teaching
Further information on the Go2Hof4ever project and the presentations for anyone who missed the event can be found on the Hof University of Applied Sciences website at https://www.hof-university.de/hochschule/job-und-karriere/projekt-go2hof4ever.html
