Internationalisation Strategy of TH Wildau
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Internationalisation Strategy of TH Wildau

German version

TH Wildau is undergoing a comprehensive strategic process to position itself as a university vis-à-vis its competitors and to give itself a specific profile.

Based on the development of its mission statement in 2019, as well as the higher education contract and the higher education development plan, TH Wildau worked on the development of its first university-wide internationalisation strategy from 2020 to 2022 (this process is described on a separate page, which can be found here). The strategy was developed as part of a participatory approach and was supported by all areas of the university. The TH Wildau Senate unanimously approved the internationalisation strategy on 04 July, 2022 (after prior endorsement in both departmental councils).

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact the project team.

E-Mail-Adresse: international(at)th-wildau.de

Short Description

TH Wildau identifies four fields of action as core areas of internationalisation:

  • Campus
  • Language
  • Networks
  • Mobility

The Internationalisation strategy is developed

  • taking into account the subject profile, the university location Wildau and the capital region Berlin-Brandenburg
  • with the setting of regional and thematic priorities
  • in a balance of scientific, economic and political goals
  • in participative mediation between top-down and bottom-up processes
  • in the interplay between planned and emergent strategies
  • underpinned by long-term human and financial resource planning
  • in alignment with the internationalisation strategy of the German government (2017), the strategy of the Joint Science Conference (2013) and the existing federal strategies for individual countries and regions (China, Africa, Europe)
  • based on values such as freedom of science, institutional autonomy, openness to the world, tolerance, cultural diversity, freedom of expression, fairness, equality.

The project ran from 2020 to 2022 and was supported externally by the audit compact "Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions" of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK).

In addition, the strategy development was supported from 2019 to 2021 by the funding program "HAW.International" of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

TH Wildau Internationalisation Strategy

PreambleOpen areaClose area

Internationalisation is a central strategic goal in the development of TH Wildau. TH Wildau understands internationalisation as a cross-sectional task that encompasses all areas and all members of the university. Internationalisation serves to increase and secure quality in research, teaching, and transfer, and strengthens the competitiveness of the university and of Germany as an international hub for knowledge and science. Experiences with the pandemic in the past two years have clearly shown that we need close and systematic links between internationalisation, digitalization, and sustainability. TH Wildau is committed to consolidating these links.

In accordance with its 2019 Mission Statement, the university sees regional roots and international networking as complementary. As a university of applied sciences, TH Wildau acts as a motor for promoting internationalisation in and for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, especially with reference to the regional growth hub Schönefelder Kreuz.

Internationalisation is also an essential prerequisite for researching into and learning to deal with global societal challenges such as health crises, climate change, worldwide migration, and peacekeeping.[1] TH Wildau reflects on the goals and conditions of specific cooperation projects and our selection of cooperation partners with regard to scientific freedoms and political contexts. We also strive to counteract existing inequalities and to contribute to scientific, economic, and social development.

 

[1] Wissenschaftsrat (2021): Impulse aus der COVID-19-Krise für die Weiterentwicklung des Wissenschaftssystems in Deutschland. Positionspapier. (Drs. 8834-21), p. 56.

 

Core AreasOpen areaClose area

TH Wildau identifies four fields of action as core areas of internationalisation:


Campus

TH Wildau understands internationalisation as a process that begins at home: with the creation of a cosmopolitan, international, and diverse campus. The university is committed to the development of the skills that this requires for all university members.


Language

When shaping an international campus, expanding networks, and increasing mobility, the promotion of institutional and individual multilingualism is a central component; this concerns English, German as a foreign language, and other languages.


Networks

Teaching and research are created in community and for society. TH Wildau actively supports international and regional networking in research and practice.


Mobility

TH Wildau understands mobility as including both physical and virtual mobilities. Special attention is paid to the testing and development of low-threshold, diverse and inclusive forms of mobility.

GoalsOpen areaClose area

Given these fields of action, TH Wildau has set itself the following goals:


Campus

  • We support an international campus and consolidate our above-average proportion of international students at around 20%. We aim to increase the proportion of our international staff, especially our teaching and research staff, also to 20%.
  • We promote the academic success of our international students based on their specific needs. We focus on quality-guided criteria in selection, evaluation, and support.
  • We increase the international visibility of TH Wildau and develop a suitable communication and marketing concept for this purpose.
  • We improve services and optimise administrative processes for international affairs.

 

Language

  • We strategically develop our international study programmes and increase the number of (compulsory) English-language study modules.
  • We develop an institutional language concept for all stakeholder groups and support its implementation.
  • We take multilingualism and intercultural competences into account in the selection of new university staff and in staff promotions.


Networks

  • We expand our networks for international research cooperation and promote the internationalisation of research staff.
  • We identify strategic partnerships and continue the ongoing, quality-guided evaluation of all TH Wildau partnerships.

 

Mobility

  • We enable all students and staff to have international experiences. We increase the number of international student mobilities and strive for mobility windows in all degree programmes.
  • We promote bottom-up initiatives, striving to find international cooperation for all study programmes. A special focus of our activities is on the European higher education area.

From Idea to ImplementationOpen areaClose area

This internationalisation strategy was developed in 2020 and 2021 in a university-wide participatory process and supported by the German Rectors’ Conference Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions compact audit, and by the DAAD HAW.International funding programme.

This internationalisation strategy takes into account the following reference and framework papers: University Contract, Higher Education Development Plans of the State of Brandenburg and TH Wildau, recommendations and position papers of the German Council of Science and Humanities, the German Rectors’ Conference, the DAAD, and the Federal Government, as well as TH Wildau internal strategy and mission statements.

Strategy Commission on InternationalisationOpen areaClose area

TH Wildau’s internationalisation strategy is implemented with specific measures and is subject to ongoing monitoring by the Internationalisation Strategy Commission of the university Executive Board. The Strategy Commission reports to the Executive Board once a year. The internationalisation strategy is updated at regular intervals, starting in 2024 as part of the university’s central strategic documents (University Contract and University Development Plan).

Contact Persons

Karin Schmidt

Dr. Jeffrey Wolf

Centre for International Affairs - International Office

 

international(at)th-wildau.de

 

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